KCMO adds $350K for entrepreneurs to proposed city budget after advocates’ last-minute push
March 21, 2019 | Austin Barnes
Kansas City entrepreneur advocates gained more momentum Thursday in their bid to receive greater civic support for startups and small businesses.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the driver of the Kansas City economy,” KCMO councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner told Startland Thursday afternoon, following the approval of the city’s $1.73 billion budget.
An additional $350,000 has been allocated to the Urban Business Growth initiative and for general entrepreneurial support.
“This item [is a result of advocacy from] the entrepreneurship community,” added Scott Huizenga, city budget officer, during Thursday’s city council meeting. “They came out in force at our public hearings.”
Kansas City city hall
More than 50 entrepreneurs and startup founders gathered for a public budget hearing earlier this month, calling on the council to better support entrepreneurial endeavors, given the economic impact they bring to the city, Eze Redwood, Rise Fast founder and startup community organizer, said at the time.
Click here to read more about Redwood’s comments to council members.
“I’m pleased that we have been able to place more money in the city’s budget to build capacity and the ecosystem to support [startup] development,” Wagner said Thursday.
Small business owners, startup founders, and advocates of the entrepreneurial ecosystem once again gathered Thursday in support of the amendment to the proposed budget –– which was ultimately approved with no hesitation from council members during the afternoons public meeting.
Now approved, the funds will be combined with $200,000 already set aside for entrepreneurial support, Huizenga said.
Funds could be used to support or inject resources, such as support or training opportunities, into the startup and small business space –– as deemed appropriate by the assistant city manager.
“This is one of the top priorities that came out of our public hearings this year,” Huizenga added.
The KCMO budget year runs May 1 through April 30.
Click here to view details of the budget.
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kauffman VP hops on national TV to discuss gaps in entrepreneurship
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of entrepreneurship recently took to national television to examine declining startup rates. CNBC recently featured Victor Hwang to discuss the trend in declining startup rates, including generational gaps, cultural shifts, limited access to capital and the impact of regulations. “It’s hard to pin it down exactly,” Hwang told…
Techstars KC is moving into WeWork Corrigan Station
Techstars Kansas City on Monday announced the location of its new accelerator facility. Starting July 1, the accelerator group will set up shop on the 5th floor of WeWork Corrigan Station. The 40,000 square foot coworking space is located in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District, piggybacking off of the district’s entrepreneurial momentum. “If…
Events Preview: TechHire KC, Second Fridays
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event…
KCultivator Q&A: Prep-KC CEO Susan Wally on environmentalism, horseback riding, urban edu
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a new, lighthearted profile series we’re kicking off to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Check out our first profile with Donald Carter here. You may know Susan Wally as CEO of the education nonprofit Prep-KC, a member of KC Rising’s Human Capital committee or as a board…