ScaleUP! KC announces eighth cohort of firms eyeing serious growth
August 24, 2018 | Startland News Staff
The ScaleUP! Kansas City program has welcomed another large batch of growing companies hoping to accelerate their businesses.
ScaleUP announced Wednesday that it accepted 17 Kansas City area companies into its ranks, offering the firms mentorship, resources and connections.
Check out these stories from the previous 2018 ScaleUP! cohort
• CEO Raina Knox: Millennials don’t have a monopoly on startup momentum
• KC-based SouveNEAR vending machine startup prepping to scale up
• KC Shave Company cuts its own niche with blades of disruption
The new cohort of entrepreneurs represent varied industries, such as IT, wellness, landscaping, education, architecture and more, said Jill Meyer, program director of ScaleUP! KC. Including the latest group of businesses, ScaleUP! Has helped 126 companies grow through its free program, amplifying their economic impact in the region, she added.
“Year after year, we see that ScaleUP! KC is such a vital program for the city’s small business owners — and you can see that in the numbers,” Meyer said.
With two cohorts per year, the program helps qualified businesses with revenues above $200,000 reach their expansion goals by leveraging and expanding existing proven programs, synergies and connections in the Kansas City region, according to ScaleUP!
ScaleUP! is funded through a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and administered by the UMKC Innovation Center.
Here’s more on the 17 business leaders now in the ScaleUP! program.
- Mollie Ahlers-Estes, Ahlers Building Maintenance Co., LLC, Lenexa, Kansas
- Henrik Andersen, Scandinavian Co-Op, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri
- Angel Canday, Natural High Wellness Center, Leawood, Kansas
- Kristen Christian, Bee Organized, LLC, Overland Park, Kansas
- Brandon Dye, Dye Electric, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri
- Drew Ford, Kakkuro Suite, Overland Park, Kansas
- Aaron Fulk, Lillian James Creative, Mission, Kansas
- Kita Gandhi, B.I.C. Design Co., North Kansas City, Missouri
- William Gibson, Down to Earth Services, Kansas City, Missouri
- Christopher Martin, ProcureIT Network, LLC, Grain Valley, Missouri
- Phillip Martin, cfm Distributors, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri
- Patricia McCreary, Margaret’s Place, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri
- Laurie Miller, Ross Miller Cleaners, Kansas City, Missouri
- Lisa Schmitz, Lisa Schmitz Interior Design, Kansas City, Missouri
- Amy Slattery, Odimo, Kansas City, Missouri
- Shantelle Tomlin, Tomlin Academy, Kansas City, Missouri
- Kirby Virden, Maxim Outdoor Signs, Overland Park, Kansas
Featured Business

2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Biz class to barista: UMKC student’s mobile matcha cart hand-whisks crowds of thirsty fans
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. HerCafe, a matcha business founded by a University of Missouri-Kansas City student and her friend, has found success with its weekend…
Tim Tebow to entrepreneurs: Embrace the heavy lift if you want to reap life’s real profits
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Business should be about driving impact, not just scoring another win, said former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow — challenging Midwest entrepreneurs, community builders, and investors to consider outcomes that boost others, not just one’s personal pocketbook. “Probably everybody in this room has been super blessed with skill sets, resources, relationships, opportunities, companies,…
Here’s how a Prospect renewal project invests in both those who built KC and the city’s future
Economic development initiatives are measured not just in buildings, but in opportunity, said Melissa Patterson Hazley, lauding the use of the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax Program to transform underutilized parcels in Kansas City into modern, energy-efficient housing that support long-term neighborhood vitality. “Projects like Prospect Summit represent the intentional work of making…
Fusing talent, passion: Serial founder trades his Screamin Cow for offshore talent hiring platform
Brad Starnes’ itch to lean into a newly realized pain point at the end of 2024 led to the acquisition of his Screamin Cow Marketing Group and the launch of another passion project, the former UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year shared. With the move — which sees Screamin Cow transitioned to Builders of Authority…
