Demo day alert: 13 new Comeback KC Ventures fellows set for debut on GEW KC stage
November 9, 2021 | Startland News Staff
The first crop of Comeback KC Ventures fellows — entrepreneurs offering solutions from healthtech and edtech products to sports evaluations and an animation academy emerging in response to COVID-19 — is expected to highlight more than a dozen companies Thursday during a GEW KC innovation showcase.
“The demo day will allow early participants in the program a chance to show off what they have been working on and to provide the community the opportunity to celebrate some of the successes coming out of the Kansas City ecosystem,” organizers of the newly announced Comeback KC Ventures said.
Click here to register for the virtual demo day 4 p.m. Thursday during Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City.
Among the presenting entrepreneurs, which includes familiar faces from Digital Sandbox KC, Pipeline, Pure Pitch Rally and other local competitions:
- Shelly Cooper, SureShow — Read her Startland News profile here.
- Quest Moffat, Kadogo — Read his Startland News profile here.
- Craig Boyle, What Duh Fog — Read his Startland News profile here.
- Gavin Dell, Hollywood Animation Academy — Read his Startland News profile here.
- Doug Hohulin, School of Nursing VR Training
- Jeff Wheeldon, Virtual Museum
Comeback KC Ventures’ 18-month program is led by KC Digital Drive and the UMKC Innovation Center, and focused on supporting entrepreneurs with innovations, products or service lines that are solving needs exposed by the pandemic.
Click here to learn more about the program.
KC Digital Drive also is expected to offer an overview of Comeback KC Ventures during the event, including how others can participate as either startups, advisors or mentors.
Featured Business

2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC BizCare receives $20K grant to promote economic mobility ahead of 2026 World Cup
A sixth-month initiative to rapidly boost small businesses and entrepreneurs in Kansas City is expected to help KCMO leaders drive readiness for the massive influx of FIFA World Cup visitors in summer 2026. The National League of Cities (NLC) this week awarded Kansas City a $20,000 grant and expert guidance to promote economic mobility in…
Why a rival baseball icon joined the roster for this KC museum’s big league upgrade
Baseball hall of famer Reggie Jackson values the 18th and Vine district’s rich history, he said Wednesday, but the Yankees icon known as “Mr. October” by fans across the globe is even more excited about what the Kansas City cultural hub’s future holds. “If I can be a part of that, I’m absolutely thrilled to…
GEWKC submissions open: Organizers seek community-sourced ideas for fall event series
One of Kansas City’s largest interactive educational experiences for entrepreneurs is inviting community members to drive the conversation when Global Entrepreneurship Week returns in November. Festivities are set for Nov. 17-22 at Union Station in Kansas City. The GEWKC event series’ programming is crowd-sourced through submissions from community members and organized by KCSourceLink. Selected concepts…
Federal arts funding cuts hit AMERI’KANA festival in KC’s northeast; organizer says the show will go on
Creating space for healing and connection in Kansas City’s historic northeast is too critical to abandon, said Enrique Chi, whose nonprofit — and a popular music and arts festival — faces federal funding cuts targeting heritage-related initiatives that don’t align with the priorities of President Trump. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently rescinded $85,000…
