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
Unimpeded support for Kansas’ angel tax credits floods Topeka
It appears area entrepreneurs and business leaders are unanimously agreed on at least one thing: Kansas’ Angel Investment Tax Credit program must endure. About a dozen people converged on Kansas Legislature Wednesday to voice unopposed support of the program, which has spurred significant growth in Kansas’ tech and bioscience sectors. The program — as represented…
Google Fiber offering free gigabit to low-income homes
Access to the Internet is almost universally agreed to be a defining sign of progress in third-world countries. Yet millions of citizens across the U.S. still sit on the wrong side of the digital divide. The vast majority of these citizens have one thing in common: they live in low-income households, where cost outweighs the…
KU to host area startups for career day
The University of Kansas on Wednesday announced its largest-ever multi-disciplinary career fair for startups in the Midwest. The Startup Job and Internship Fair — set for March 1 — will connect students studying everything from engineering to design with startups from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The fair is open to any and all area small…
Arredondo: Area universities, startups must collaborate for talent pipeline
The following is an open letter from Startland News community builder Adam Arredondo to area universities. Dear Kansas City-area university leaders, I’ve spent a lot of time working with both students and representatives from many area universities over the last few years. It’s been an eye-opening, roller coaster of a learning experience which has driven…