Pitching in: Meet the founders tapped for Launch KC’s second Social Venture Studio
April 19, 2023 | Startland News Staff
Seven social ventures from Kansas City and beyond are joining the second cohort of LaunchKC’s newest entrepreneur-focused initiative — a program that specifically supports founders working to solve social, racial or environmental problems.
The startups selected for the Social Venture Studio, powered by LaunchKC, were revealed Wednesday afternoon at the Keystone Community Corporation’s event space in the East Crossroads. The Kansas City companies chosen for the program are joined by one Louisville, Kentucky, startup that is focused on agtech and sustainability, and expected to soon relocate to Kansas City.
“Social Venture Studio is a prime example of how we as a city can tackle many societal issues with creative and sustainable business models that also drive job creation and local investment,” said Jim Erickson, director of strategic initiatives for Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC), which operates LaunchKC alongside the Downtown Council.
“We’re thrilled to be supporting each of these founders,” Erickson added.
Selected companies are set to participate in a four-month program receiving professional support, grant awards ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, temporary office space, mentoring and network connections to strengthen their social venture business concepts.
A demo day event in the fall to serve as the program’s culmination, with companies revealing their pitches to potential funders and supporters.
Startups tapped for the 2023 Social Venture Studio cohort include:
- AskSAMIE (Dr. Brandy Archie), Kansas City, Missouri — AskSAMIE is a curated marketplace to make aging in place possible for anyone. The company offers a one-stop-shop for all things accessibility with solutions not just for limited mobility, but for issues with incontinence, memory and low vision. Click here to read more about AskSAMIE, one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023.
- Dreams KC (Catina Taylor), Kansas City, Missouri — Dreams KC is an educational non-profit social enterprise dedicated to eradicating illiteracy.
- FaceKC (Khalid Abdulqaadir and Corey McCartney), Kansas City, Missouri — FaceKC uses film and art to address social issues in Kansas City and beyond.
- New Frontier Mobile Diagnostics (Jeff Blackwood), Kansas City, Missouri — New Frontier Mobile Diagnostics is a company founded to improve access to care and health equity for people in healthcare deserts through diagnostic imaging. New Frontier’s sonographers bring portable imaging equipment to doctor’s offices and clinics, providing patients quality, affordable diagnostic answers for conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and complications during pregnancy. Click here to read more about New Frontiers’ efforts to expand its services to rural and underserved populations.
- Raise Health Innovations (Craig Mason), Kansas City, Missouri — Raise Health Innovations takes leading technologies and applies them in new proactive models to reimagine pathways to better health outcomes.
- SenseGrass (Lalit Gautam), Louisville, Kentucky — SenseGrass offers 360 farming solutions based on cutting edge technology like Nano-Satellite Mapping, Rover Bots and AI-based mobile and web application to make farming more efficient.
- Thrive Homes (Christian Hill and Logan Forbis), Overland Park, Kansas — Thrive Homes is a home modification company that provides ADA-related modifications to those in need, such as the homeless, disabled individuals, and elderly, with funding from Medicaid payers in Kansas and Missouri. Click here to read about Thrive Homes’ early success with Medicaid waivers.
Programming for the Social Venture Studio is led by the Keystone Innovation District, with consulting from Jacqueline Erickson Russell, founder and CEO of Social Impact Advisory Group.
In 2022, the program received the IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Award for work during its inaugural cohort to promote economic equity and inclusion.
The Social Venture Studio is made possible due to the generosity of The Sunderland Foundation, organizers said.
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Charlie Hustle popup coming to Power & Light in time for Big 12 (and 300,000 visitors)
A highly visible storefront along the KC Streetcar line is expected to give homegrown apparel brand Charlie Hustle a prime spot to showcase KC Heart for hundreds of thousands of potential shoppers during the coming Big 12 basketball tournament. The game day merch shop and experiential retail concept is expected to open Thursday, March 7…
DivvyHQ exits: They built this KC startup brick-by-brick, now it fits within a bigger story
A Kansas City marketing tech startup’s acquisition by Lytho, a leading creative project management platform, is built upon the two brands’ complementary company ideologies and tech, said Brock Stechman. “We’re seeing a lot of consolidation in our market, and this was an opportunity where we could collaborate and come together seamlessly with a single, specialized,…
Chiefs tease 16 Arrowhead upgrades coming to KC stadium if voters pass April 2 sales tax
With early voting already under way in Jackson County, the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday released a trove of renderings and new details on plans to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium if the April 2 ballot question passes. “(Arrowhead) is among the most iconic stadiums in professional sports, and it has become a bucket list destination for…
Arrowhead of the future? Chiefs reveal $800M vision for sports complex (without Royals)
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. The renderings were released as Jackson County residents prepare to vote on a proposed sales tax extension that would help fund…