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
Major Kansas City grocery chains stock SERV Nutrition less than a year into business
Doing good is more than just a motto for SERV Nutrition — it’s the state of the startup’s operation seven months into business, Isaac Collins said as the company’s patented protein pods hit shelves at Price Chopper and Hen House stores across the metro. “Online sales have been going well, but we saw a great…
KCMO turns to entrepreneurs for new ideas on budget support; Advocates to rally at work sessions
Raised voices and a commitment to civic engagement earned entrepreneurs an additional $350,000 in city support for the 2019 budget year and a second attempt is about to begin, explained Rick Usher. “It really goes back to when the resident work sessions started in 2018,” Usher, KCMO assistant city manager for entrepreneurship and small business,…
Biotech firms: Health innovation can’t grow in KC with wet lab space in such short supply
ELIAS Animal Health is advancing a technology that can fundamentally change how cancer is treated in both humans and animals, said CEO Tammie Wahaus, yet finding lab space in the metro has been one of the biotech startup’s biggest tests. “We’re doing a lot of cell culture work, which requires wet lab space, but there…
Peek inside: Project Commons teen accelerator pilot aims for ‘innovation, collaboration, impact’
Innovation is growing on the third floor of Goodwill’s East Crossroads center, enabling Kansas City’s next generation to take ownership of their city. “We really wanted to sort of address their needs, hear more about their voice and engage with them,” William Dowdell, program director at Hire KC, said of the 21 students who make…