VIDEO: Startup leaders talk KC Startup Foundation (plus bloopers)
August 10, 2017 | Bobby Burch and Meghan LeVota
So, what exactly is the Kansas City Startup Foundation?
For one, it is a foundation. Secondly, it involves startups. And last but not least, it serves Kansas City.
If you have ever found yourself confused about what exactly the Kansas City Startup Foundation does and which programs it offers, then the video below is for you.
Since the foundation’s launch in 2016, it has undergone many pivots, shifts and changes.
As you may have read in the news earlier this week, the foundation has merged with Center for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, a for-profit community building organization spearheaded by Adam Arredondo. A former board member at the Kansas City Startup foundation, Arredondo will now serve as the executive director for the nonprofit.
It became clear to Arredondo that both organizations shared the same vision: “to create the most connected startup ecosystem in the world.”
And as Matthew Marcus, the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s director of operations, began to realize, “volunteer efforts alone were only going to take the foundation so far. We needed more resources and more support to champion our efforts.”
Former co-founders of the now-defunct local events startup Local Ruckus, Arredondo and Marcus have been through a lot with each other. The pair also served as integral community builders cultivating the Kansas City Startup Village since about 2012.
In the video below, Arredondo and Marcus share their entrepreneurial journey and detail what to expect from the foundation in the future.
Bloopers
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Homegrown startups can redefine KC, leader says; they just need help surviving long enough to do it
Editor’s note: The following is the third in a four-part series exploring the verticals and impact of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Leave KC better than you found it: How matching growth to city’s needs is paying off Wrong tool can wreck a neighborhood; Precision development…
This AI scans for auto damage in 30 seconds; Here’s how it’s gaining instant trust, KC tech industry veteran says
A growing number of automotive-sales and related businesses are turning to Click-Ins, an AI-assisted startup on a rapidly upward trajectory, to solve a long-standing problem: how to inspect vehicles quickly, accurately and consistently without relying solely on human judgment. But the value isn’t in replacing humans in the workforce, said Josh Parsons, a 20-year auto…
Power moves: Electric vehicle infrastructure stalled in Kansas where liquid fuels still dominate
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. The number of people buying electric vehicles in Kansas is steadily growing, and as the number increases, the need for accommodation will be balanced with…
Five years after being built, dream spot on streetcar line finally brewing opening date, tavern owner says
A never-opened space along the KC Streetcar line in the Crossroads — once planned as high-profile culinary destination — is expected to be remodeled by the owner of a popular brewery and restaurant chain with its long-awaited opening as soon as late summer. Matt Moore, the entrepreneur behind Martin City Brewing Company and Martin City Tavern,…