UMKC pitch contest puts Cafe Cà Phê closer to Jackie Nguyen’s big goal; winners range from students to emerging startups
April 30, 2022 | Austin Barnes and Tommy Felts
The University of Missouri-Kansas City continues to brew innovation — and the return of its Regnier Venture Creation Challenge (RVCC) Friday poured proof, offering more than $88,000 in critical cash prizes to percolating ventures that spill far beyond its classrooms.
“I moved to Kansas City from Washington D.C. over the summer and I started following Cafe Cà Phê on Instagram before I moved here,” said Katya Siddall, vice president of product development and innovation at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and presenter of two BlueKC Healthcare Innovation Awards — one of the returning categories in the newly retooled, multilevel competition and showcase of innovation.
Jackie Nguyen, founder and owner of Cafe Cà Phê, records the announcement of the coffee shop’s first-place win in the James and Rae Block Kansas City Startup Awards at the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge
Siddall took the stage in the Bloch Executive Hall moments after the popular Columbus Park-ground, Asian-owned, woman-owned coffee shop secured the contest’s first-place win in the James and Rae Block Kansas City Startup Awards and its $15,000 cash prize.
Jackie Nguyen, founder and owner of Cafe Cà Phê, has gained notoriety in the city’s startup and small business circles for her ability to use passion to overcome plight — vowing to open a brick-and-mortar space for Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop without taking on any debt.
Friday’s win, if applied to the total of Cafe Cà Phê’s ongoing GoFundMe campaign, would put the small business a few shots over its $75,000 fundraising goal, all but confirming success for Nguyen who was unavailable for comment following the award announcement.
Cafe Cà Phê’ previously won $20,000 in funding from AltCap during its Global Entrepreneurship Week-hosted AltCap Your Biz contest.
Click here to read more about Nguyen’s plans or here to contribute funding.
Risa Stein, founder of SeeInMe, accepts the second-place award in the James and Rae Block contest at the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge
Another woman-founded venture took second in the James and Rae Block contest. SeeInMe, a profile-based platform that helps the public connect with communication-diverse people of all ages, founded by Risa Stein, secured $10,000.
While UMKC-launched ventures saw success in other categories, contenders from other parts of the community (and the state) continued to dominate the annual competition — which sought to dole out more than $88,000 in total prizes.
Additional winners of the 2022 RVCC include:
BlueKC Healthcare Innovation Awards
First Place: Speak IT, $15,000
Founded by Julian Lu, Kai Skallerud, Ajla Salic, and Chris Callan, students at Washington University-St. Louis, Speak IT is a voice-enabled assistive technology for healthcare providers.
Second place: MiDoc, $10,000
Founded by Dr. Linda Wu, Washington University-St. Louis, MiDoc is an electronic stethoscope for use in telemedicine.
Regnier College Startup Awards
First Place: Farm Story, $15,000
An educational platform that connects farmers with consumers and offers insight on where food comes from.
The contest also awarded a total of $750 in excellence in innovation prizes.
Second Place: Crib Coaching, $10,000
Founded by Jill and Justin Bertelsen, UMKC, Crib Coaching has gamified the experience of parenthood, offering new parents an educational outlet to level up their parenting skills.
Third Place: Allter, $5,000
Founded by Michelle Gerschkovich, UMKC, Allter collects and analyzes customer data and produces sizing recommendations for online shoppers.
Outstanding Undergraduate Venture: Sky Sprayers, $2,500
An agtech-focused drone replacement for self-propelled sprayers.
Outstanding Social Venture: Hormonetopia, $2,500
Founded by Najjuwah Walden, Washington University-St. Louis, Hormonetopia teaches women “how to have a better period,” aiming to create greater access to information on the experience of menstruation through an online platform.
Outstanding Creative Enterprise: Tate Berry, $2,500
Berry, UMKC, founded a 17-piece progressive big band and coupled it with a content marketing agency and events company.
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Shelia Johnson wants a daytime TV slot; Her ‘Gangsta Goodies’ brand already has the recipe
Sacred is the kitchen of Shelia Johnson, an ambitious Kansas City matriarch-turned-food scene celebrity working to bring families and communities together one meal at a time. “It has always been the heart of the home. The root of who we are culturally,” Johnson said, recalling her childhood and time spent with her mother in the…
Why mental health took the runway before a single model walked The Kritiq’s largest fashion show yet
If speaking openly about mental health isn’t already part of the culture, you have to put it in the spotlight, said Mark Launiu, detailing why his recent fashion show offered the best runway to address a silent epidemic within underserved communities. “You can’t reach a destination if you’re not mentally ready for the journey. I’m…
UMB Bank deposits $350K supporting The Porter House KC; $1.25M in year-end KC donations to benefit underserved communities
A hefty, end-of-year donation from UMB Bank will provide The Porter House KC an opportunity to dig deeper in assisting local entrepreneurs, said Daniel Smith, expressing appreciation for the $350,000 boost. “These resources will be used to continue our current work and implement another program that will assist small businesses with direct support, creating additional…
Techstars closes Kansas City accelerator as global network focuses on larger-growth markets
Techstars is discontinuing its long-running Kansas City program, the global accelerator network confirmed Tuesday, with the 2021 cohort expected to be the last group hosted in the metro. “Techstars has made a strategic decision to focus on larger-growth markets, and therefore does not plan to add companies through a Kansas City program in the immediate…