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
Prime Digital Academy pledges $20K in scholarships to boost inclusion in KC tech
A coding boot camp that freshly arrived in Kansas City this winter plans to underwrite $20,000 in scholarships specifically for individuals who are part of demographics underrepresented in the coding profession, said Rachael Bromander. “At a time in the market where tech talent is scarce and growth is booming, programs like Prime represent a way…
Paws up! Scollar aims to fetch 200 jobs for KC, trades Silicon Valley for Animal Health Corridor
Building a business in Silicon Valley might seem sexy — but it isn’t always the right choice, Lisa Tamayo said. “I don’t know what you guys hear about the Coast, but hardware is quite challenging for any company in the Bay area because a lot of these Silicon Valley folks in San Francisco only like…
Shari Young doesn’t want Blacque Onyx to be the next online sensation; she wants shoppers on Troost
While others in the marketplace might be chasing viral success online, Shari Young has approached building her new Blacque Onyx Apparel store on Troost with a more long-term strategy, she said. “I know that in the age of social media things blow up really fast and then they’re gone — I didn’t want to be…
‘This is the end of The Sundry’ — Sustainable food problem remains after startup’s closing, founder says
The Sundry market-and-restaurant concept at Plexpod Westport Commons simply wasn’t solving the problems of scope and scale within sustainable and local agriculture as intended, said Ryan Wing. Ultimately, that meant the venture itself couldn’t continue as originally envisioned, added Wing, founder of the sustainable food startup, which abruptly closed to the public last week. “Expectations…