OHUB x KCUP set to debut ‘18th & Vine Summer Trep Series’ for black, Latinx startup builders

The first spoke of Opportunity Hub’s arrival in Kansas City debuts July 19 with a new monthly event series dedicated to business builders from black and Latinx communities.

“This is a celebration of unity, creating a healthier ecosystem within Kansas City, Missouri,” said Jamilah Jones, a business development officer at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, and a lead organizer of the organization’s KCUP initiative. “OHUB is going to hopefully help create generational wealth and wellness of the community members that historically haven’t had the same resources in the world of entrepreneurship.”

Atlanta-based OHUB’s “18th & Vine Summer Trep Series” is set to feature startup entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and entrepreneur support experts from across the country. The inaugural event is planned for 6 p.m. July 19 at the American Jazz Museum Jay McShann Pavilion, with recurring gatherings on the third Fridays in August and September.

Among the July 19 scheduled speakers: Sheena Allen, co-founder of app-based FinTech startup Capway; Dave Parker, founder of 6 Month Startup; Craig Williams, CEO of My Life; and Rodney Sampson, executive chairman and founder of OHUB. Networking, hors d’oeuvres and vibes by DJ Maxx Gruv are planned.

Click here for tickets to the free Summer Trep Series.

An OHUB x KCUP minority accelerator was announced in May, with new details emerging about the program in the months since. The effort will include a “monthly entrepreneurship event series, entrepreneurship support workshops, boot camp, pre-accelerator, and high growth venture accelerator that will make investments in venture backable high growth startups created by black and brown founders,” according to KCUP.

Drew Solomon, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City; and Rodney Sampson, Opportunity Hub

Serial entrepreneur and investor Sampson founded OHUB in 2013, with the idea quickly gaining attention in ecosystem-building circles across the country. The partnership with EDCKC’s KCUP initiative aims to continue building traction for those who historically haven’t had access to resources, Jones said.

“This initiative has created a platform where Kansas City’s Black and Latinx entrepreneurial community can be recognized and celebrated on a regular basis,” she said. “Companies will be able to interact, learn and grow from each other’s experiences and areas of expertise while gaining national and local resources. Kansas City is on the path to become America’s most entrepreneurial city and this partnership provides momentum to get us there.”

Click here to read more about Opportunity Hub’s expansion to Kansas City.

“We’re not coming here thinking we’re the only game in town — that there’s not already work being done on the ground, that we’re the best thing ever,” Sampson said previously at an announcement event in Kansas City. “We’re coming to just help bring everybody together, to pool resources, but also raise some outside resources and connectivity here as well.”