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
Report: Black women’s impact overlooked in KC startup community and beyond
Raise a hand if you know that black women have created more than 1 million jobs, Dell Gines challenged. A statistics-based question –– frequently answered with an expected, yet glacial silence –– acknowledges an unprecedented phenomenon in both the small business community and within the confines of the often-exclusive startup ecosystem, said Gines, Federal Reserve…
‘Class reunion’ collides with newer generation at Top VC-Backed Companies celebration (Photos)
It was a night of old school collisions, said Adam Arredondo, bringing together founders, executives, investors and a curated group of younger startup leaders for Startland’s Top VC-Backed Companies celebration. “The energy in the room was palpable. Many people said it felt like a class reunion, which in a way it was,” added Arredondo, CEO…
Techweek KC addition: Smart City Innovation Workshop builds bottom-up brainstorming
Kansas City residents, entrepreneurs, corporate partners, and city officials plan to come together during the Smart City Innovation Workshop at Techweek KC to brainstorm solutions to day-to-day challenges using smart technology. The workshop pulls into Union Station Oct. 8 — the first day of Techweek KC, which runs through Oct. 12 and is presented by…
Plexpod offers sneak peek at new women-centric Herspace concept (Photos)
Herspace — a freshly renovated wing at Plexpod Westport Commons, part of the KC-based Plexpod coworking community — is designed for women, said Gerald Smith, and it’s a long time coming. “This is front and center. It isn’t tucked away in some far away corner of an upper floor,” said Smith, noting 90 percent of…