WATCH: Faces of KC entrepreneurship find strength in numbers, community resources
April 5, 2019 | Startland News Staff
A new video from KCSourceLink highlights the faces of Kansas City entrepreneurship — featuring makers, innovators, tech founders and social entrepreneurs — and their connection to the resource network and ecosystem infrastructure in Kansas City.
“It takes very special people to be able to put everything on the line,” says Reggie Gray, executive director of Black Privilege, a nonprofit movement rooted in a mobile app that connects black businesspeople and encourages spending within the black community. “Most of us will never make the big money, but it’s not always about the money — it’s about what fulfills us. It’s about being able to make a difference. Being able to build relationships.”
Gray is featured in the video alongside such well-known startup community members as Andy Kallenbach, founder of LendingStandard; Philip Hickman, founder of PlaBook; Kyle Smith, founder of Determination Incorporated; Jeff Rohr, founder of SquareOffs; and Matt Condon, founder of Bardavon Health Innovations — each sharing insights about the city and its support structure.
SquareOffs was named one of Startland’s Startups to Watch in 2019; Bardavon was one of the Startups to Watch in 2018.
“It’s not redefining Kansas City. It’s re-establishing who we are,” says Condon in the video. “We’re an entrepreneurial community. And we’re cowboys, and dreamers, and all the things that make that journey possible.”
The video was released to coincide with the publication of KCSourceLink’s We Create KC 2019 report. Click here to read more about the report’s findings.
Check out the video, which also includes commentary from Joe Vazquez, Vazquez Commercial Contracting; Marquita Miller, Five Star Tax & Business Solutions; Nick Ward-Bopp, Maker Village KC; CiCi Rojas, Tico Productions; Gigi Jones, Gigi’s Kale Chips; and Catina Taylor, Dreams KC.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Industrial coworking space eyes downtown KC; plans mixed office, warehouse amenities
A Northwest Arkansas-based startup plans to bring a new coworking concept to Kansas City this year — one that combines flexible office and shared warehouse solutions, said CEO Brendan Howell. “We call it industrial coworking,” explained Howell, co-founder and CEO of Loloft . “That’s a term that we’ve coined.” The company is aiming for a…
‘Proud capitalist’ to young social entrepreneurs: It’s OK to make a buck while saving the world
Darcy Howe encouraged budding, would-be founders to think about ways they can effectively scale their mission-driven ideas, drawing on KCRise Fund’s model for social entrepreneurship. “Being socially mission-driven is not mutually exclusive to making money,” Howe, founder and managing director of KCRise Fund, told Enactus students gathered Tuesday during an end-of-year celebration for the University…
Million-dollar corporate gift puts $25M Negro Leagues capital campaign on the board; now you’re on deck
Editor’s note: Bank of America is a financial partner of Startland News, although this report was created independently by the nonprofit newsroom. A historic age of impact is under way, said Bob Kendrick, as Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum unveiled plans for a new, state-of-the art campus backed by a $1 million grant from…
They walked right past us: Small biz owners shocked by low NFL Draft sales, now wary of World Cup
A massive surge in visitors and foot traffic as Kansas City hosted its first NFL Draft failed to score many points outside the event grounds this weekend, as countless small businesses along the city’s urban corridor reported a sharp dip in revenue. “I think we’re all looking at our numbers and everything right now, and…