Meet the 2020 class: BetaBlox demo day returning with events across startup sister cities
January 6, 2020 | Startland News Staff
Audience tickets for BetaBlox’s Overland Park demo day are nearly gone, said Weston Bergmann, just weeks before the incubator program showcases its newest startups across three events in two cities.
BetaBlox is an exclusive school for startups. Every year, its team picks the best-of-the-best and then puts them through a rigorous curriculum of classes, one-on-one consultation, and mentorship designed to give them a higher likelihood of survival.
The “can’t-miss entrepreneurship event” Jan. 20 at the GRID Collaborative Workspace is expected to entail a combination of pitches, expo-style networking, and a panel of investors speaking about developing startups, said Bergmann, founder and lead investor at BetaBlox.
“It’s kinda like Shark Tank, but you get to be the shark,” he said, comparing the overall event structure to the popular reality TV pitch show.
Two more demo days featuring BetaBlox’s 25th cohort are set for Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the program also operates its “gym for entrepreneurs.” The 10-year-old incubator boasts graduating companies collectively doing more than $100 million annually, Bergmann said.
While tickets for the events are free — thanks to sponsorship support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, he noted — only 200 are available in Overland Park.
Click here to secure a spot at BetaBlox’s Jan. 20 demo day.
“Essentially anyone who wants to support the development and growth of the Kansas City economy should attend,” Bergmann said.
The twelve companies pitching at the event include:
• Flexy, Kansas City (Mallory Jansen and Aja James) — Fitness staffing agency
• BioGen Ag, Kansas City (Chad Shoefield) — Agricultural food manufacturing
• LockedUp, Kansas City (Eric Ulleberg) — Breathalyzer that literally locks up your car keys
• FlipperForce, Kansas City (Dave Robertson) — House flipping and project management software
• Fantastic55, Kansas City (Ann O’Meara) — Media company for empowering an aging community
• Everwild, Kansas City (Sarah Yaeger) — On-demand and subscription-based floral company
• Cherry Marketing, Kansas City (Jenni Kulzer) — Marketing agency
• River Watch Beef, Kansas City (Chris Kovac) – Grass-fed subscription-based beef
• KC Hemp Co, Kansas City (Kyle and Heather Steppe) — Organic CBD manufacturing
• Tulsa Birth Center, Tulsa (Sarah Foster) — Modern network of midwives
• Baby D’s Sting, Tulsa (Dillon Hargrave) — Hot sauce manufacturing and distribution
• Add Multiply Sports, Tulsa (Corey Else) — Sports performance technology
Nathan Corn, founder of Kansas City’s FlexPro, a subscription-based meal prep company, is expected to be featured in a “Where are they now?” segment focused on BetaBlox success stories.
Founders from the companies plan to practice pitches before the event during a weekend-long session that puts startups in close quarters with each other, as well as about 20 people from the BetaBlox portfolio (entrepreneurs, mentors and investors) and another 20 curated guests from the entrepreneur ecosystem.
Learn more about BetaBlox and its demo day below.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Dignity and a dollar: The Grooming Project empowers KC mothers
Natasha Kirsch believes that a living wage does more than provide people with money. That’s why she founded Empowering the Parent to Empower the Child (EPEC), a non-profit that helps young mothers in poverty find higher-paying jobs and become self-reliant in the process. And to achieve that mission, Kirsch is kickstarting an effort that not…
LaunchKC snags hundreds of hungry applicants
The popular grants competition LaunchKC again was met with an enthusiastic response by applicants. The competition — which will distribute $500,000 via 10, $50,000 non-dilutive grants — drew more than 400 tech startup applicants for the second year in a row. A panel of judges are now combing through the applications to find the top…
Grant Gooding: Your wimpy brand needs to pick a fight
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Think about your three biggest competitors. … Got ‘em? Now, what do you say when a potential customer asks you why they should do business with you instead of them? More often than not your response contains subjective and ineffective language. You say…
Top 10 under-the-radar startups in Kansas City
In January, Startland News asked you for help. We wanted to hear from you about Kansas City startups that are operating in “stealth,” either intentionally shying away from attention or those that are simply too busy building. You responded with vigor, and your insights helped inform this list of “under-the-radar” startups. Obviously, “under-the-radar” is a…