AccessAble Living: $10K prize will help AltCap Your Biz winner speed services to seniors

November 21, 2019  |  Austin Barnes

AccessAble Living

A medical supply startup designed to help Kansas Citians age in place earned judges’ seal of approval — and $10,000 — in the 2019 AltCap Your Biz Competition.

AccessAble Living

Dr. Brandy Archie, AccessAble Living

“I hope this is a jumpstart for us to help solve a common healthcare problem,” said Dr. Brandy Archie, director of AccessAble Living, Wednesday night during Global Entrepreneurship Week as she received the first place prize in the fifth showing of the AltCap competition. 

Reinventing living spaces with easy, affordable fixes, AccessAble Living works to provide its senior and reduced mobility clients with the necessary tools and resources to maintain comfortable lives in their own homes, Archie explained during a pitch to judges. 

“I can promise this money is going to go to a really good cause and help people in the Kansas City area,” she told a crowd gathered for the competition’s grand finale and happy hour at the Black Archives. 

Most AccessAble Living clients receive an assessment and necessary upgrades to their living space within seven days, Archie noted. The cash infusion from AltCap will help the startup grow its inventory and could reduce turnaround time to less than one day. 

Click here to view AccessAble Living’s application video. 

African Designs by Liliane and Amisi

African Designs by Liliane and Amisi

 

 

Kanbe’s Market

Kanbe’s Market

African Designs by Liliane and Amisi secured $5,000 as the competition’s second-place winner, while Kanbe’s Market walked away with third place and a $2,500 injection. 

“It’s been an amazing, really emotional day,” said Davin Gordon, business development officer at AltCap. “It’s been tough on our judges — because everybody was amazing. All of our finalists deserve an opportunity to win and all of you are great.”  

“This is really the reason why I get up every single day … these sorts of opportunities,” Gordon continued. “Not only to create meaningful relationships, but also gather a community of people to support you and show you why your work is so important to Kansas City.”

New in 2019, AltCap added a Fan Favorite Award to the competition. Social media votes awarded a $500 prize to White Noiz Studio — a digital content agency. 

White Noiz Studio

White Noiz Studio

Healthy Hip Hop, Duct Tape Grandparenting, Blockchain Water, Neighborbuilt, Safely Delicious and SandByrd Design also competed in the pitch contest. 

Previous winners of the AltCap Your Biz competition include Rightfully SewnMaker Village, Barefood’n Happy,  and Hostel KC.

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2019 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Attic with global ambitions: Luxury brand builds from humble origins to Material Opulence

    By Tommy Felts | August 19, 2025

    Renauld Shelton II sees power stitched into the seams of fashion, the Kansas City designer said, detailing the dynamic pairing of apparel and pride that grounds his luxury clothing brand. “It’s a confidence builder. When you look good, you feel good,” said Shelton, founder and CEO of Material Opulence. “It sets you up for success.”…

    Startup Crawl returns Sept. 19, marking Startland’s 10-year anniversary with KC innovation focus

    By Tommy Felts | August 19, 2025

    Kansas City’s largest startup open house is back this fall — celebrating a decade of innovation alongside emerging builders and newsmakers. Set for Sept.19 and organized by Startland News, Startup Crawl will mark the newsroom’s 10-year anniversary with a high-energy showcase of the city’s entrepreneurial community. The event, presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation,…

    How reactivating history can drive economic growth more sustainably than a new build

    By Tommy Felts | August 18, 2025

    Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Hotel owners wanted charm that can’t be built in today’s economy; Kansas City history booked them the bones to do it A one-of-a-kind, limestone-clad building at 906…

    Meet 20 entrepreneurs primed to scale their ventures through KC program’s 15th cohort

    By Tommy Felts | August 18, 2025

    Transformational opportunities await growth-minded entrepreneurs from across Kansas City’s wide range of industries, said Jill Hathaway, noting business leaders from sports tech to roofing, brewing to nutrition counseling, can scale with the right coaching, perspective and connections. ScaleUP! Kansas City on Monday announced its 15th cohort of 20 local companies looking to create new jobs,…