Can KC founders replicate success with WeWork Creator Awards?
June 4, 2018 | Startland News Staff
After two area founders snagged sizable cash prizes in past contests, a global coworking giant is re-igniting the WeWork Creator Awards competition to recognize entrepreneurs’ work.
WeWork plans to dish out at least $238,000 and up to $634,000 in awards to the Eastern United States’ region, which includes Kansas City in this year’s contest parameters. WeWork awarded more than $16 million in Creator Awards in the inaugural 2017 contest.
“The Creator Awards is intended to acknowledge and empower those who exemplify the WeWork mantra ‘create your life’s work,’” the company wrote. “A creator is anyone who brings a new idea into the world, pursues a passion, and believes in something greater than oneself. From artists, performers, and educators to entrepreneurs, startups, and nonprofits, creators are making the world a better place every day.”
Disabled But Not Really founder Wesley Hamilton and Venture Legal founder Chris Brown both won $18,000 prizes in the 2017 awards season. Hamilton earned the WeWork Community Giver Award, and Brown claimed the incubate category for the Southern Region.
Applications are accepted until July 20. The Creator Awards is open to both WeWork members and companies outside of the WeWork network.
Applicants can apply for an award in one of these four categories:
- Performing Arts Award — For entertainers and groups with a unique point of view ($18,000 to $72,000 awarded)
- Nonprofit Award — for charitable organizations big and small ($72,000 to $130,000 awarded)
- Business Venture Award — For entrepreneurs and companies with fresh ideas ($130,000 to $360,000 awarded)
Honorees also are selected for the Community Giver Award, which salutes those making a difference in their local community ($18,000 to $72,000 awarded).
For more information on the Creator Awards, check out the video below.
Featured Business

2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
InnovateKC: City pivots to startup-in-residence program to leverage local tech ingenuity
A new administration equals a new spin on established ideas, Nia Richardson explained, previewing the launch of Kansas City’s InnovateKC program. “I literally had a 45-minute conversation with [former city innovation officer] Bob Bennett before he walked out the door. He sent me an email with some notes and I had to pick it up…
KC-tested GoGetter uses AI to bring back human interaction in hiring talent (minus the middleman)
As a software contractor at Cerner for two years, Naga Rayapati saw more than 40 percent of his paycheck go into the pockets of middlemen, he said. “While the contractor puts in their heart and soul working for the company, these ‘preferred vendors’ reap the benefits,” said Rayapati, referring to third parties in the hiring…
Startup Road Trip: Patent-packed PowerBox puts productivity at the press of a button
Startland’s Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. PITTSBURG, KANSAS…
Kauffman, ECJC: Stagnant US entrepreneurship is a diversity issue that throwing money at Big Business won’t fix
Women, people of color, and rural residents remain punished by systemic barriers to starting businesses, said Wendy Guillies in a nationwide call to action that unites powerful Kansas City entrepreneurism advocates. “America’s economy is out of balance. We’ve got businesses that have become too entrenched and powerful, while people and communities across America are being…
