Demo day alert: 13 new Comeback KC Ventures fellows set for debut on GEW KC stage

November 9, 2021  |  Startland News Staff

Gavin Dell, Hollywood Animation Academy; Shelly Cooper, SureShow; Jill and Justin Bertelsen, Crib Coaching; and Craig Boyle, What Duh Fog

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • 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.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

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

2021 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Brick by brick: How used LEGOs are making innovation more tangible for KC kids in need

    By Tommy Felts | March 31, 2025

    Solopreneur Rhonda Jolyean Hale believes that all children deserve access to play — no matter their circumstances. As the Kansas City ambassador for the Pass the Bricks initiative, she’s working to build that reality by giving new life to donated LEGO bricks. “We take gently used LEGO bricks — not the stuff the dog chews…

    Novel Capital teams with Crux KC to offer growth-focused marketing to early-stage tech companies 

    By Tommy Felts | March 31, 2025

    An exclusive partnership between two Kansas City-based innovators is expected to help remove a traditional financial hurdle to business growth, said Ethan Whitehill, president and chief strategy officer for the KC Chamber-lauded marketing firm Crux KC. The collaboration between Crux and Overland Park-headquartered capital provider Novel Capital is expected to offer B2B SaaS and tech…

    Neighborhood smart cans help Kansas Citians save the planet from their kitchens

    By Tommy Felts | March 28, 2025

    Newly introduced composting technology is already turning new ground in Kansas City, Kristan Chamberlain said, with more solar-powered compost cans arriving later this spring across the metro’s urban landscape. Her social venture, KC Can Compost, installed three of the devices in October — free to use for KCMO residents wanting to deposit their soil-making food…

    Voodoo Volleyball bounces back in OP: Father-daughter duo doubles as new venture’s setters

    By Tommy Felts | March 28, 2025

    Quinn Austin put several sports to the test as a preteen — racing from basketball practice to softball to volleyball. But she latched on to just one. “Volleyball. It was my sport. Everyone was having a good time,” she said. “We just loved the cheers — a cheer when we got a hit, a cheer…