AltCap Your Biz reveals 10 finalists vying for $25K grand prize at cornerstone GEWKC event
October 23, 2023 | Startland News Staff
A competition aimed at mobilizing the next generation of entrepreneurs and social innovators — along with awarding more than $40,000 in cash prizes to its winners — announced Monday the 10 finalists vying for its 2023 honors.
AltCap Your Biz returns to the stage Thursday, Nov. 16 at Plexpod Westport at Park 39 as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City’s lineup of top-tier entrepreneur-focused events. The competition begins at 3 p.m. Nov. 16 with company pitches, followed by an awards and prize money reveal at 6 p.m.
Ruben Alonso speaks during the 2022 AltCap Your Biz pitch competition; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News
Click here to register for the competition or here for the awards reception.
RELATED: Check out GEWKC’s just-launched, weeklong event lineup with 100+ sessions
“The judges and our team were blown away by the passion, creativity and impact of this year’s applicants,” officials from AltCap said in an announcement of the finalists. “Judges deliberated for many hours over three days to review nearly 80 entrepreneurs’ pitches.”
The 10 finalists will compete for first place, $25,000; second place, $10,000; the Change Maker Award (best community impact business plan), $5,000; and Fan Favorite (social media and in-person voting), $2,500.
Supporters can watch the finalists’ pitches, then vote for their favorite by visiting AltCap’s Facebook page or by clicking the “Watch the pitch” links below by Nov. 10. (Editor’s note: Not all pitches have been posted, but links will be updated as AltCap rolls out the finalists on Facebook.)
2023 AltCap Your Biz finalists include:
- Co-Angler (John Bledsoe), Springfield, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- CodeAlgo (Triumfia Houmbie Fulks), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- Nexodesk (Jimmy James, Lopez Maradiaga), Kansas City, Kansas — Watch the pitch
- The Black Pantry (Brian Roberts), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- The AI Hub (James Spikes, Taylor Burris), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- The Next Paige (Elaina Thomas), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- Venboo (Juaquan Herron), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- Vine Street Brewing (Kemet Coleman), Kansas City, Missouri — Watch the pitch
- Wrax (Frankie Elder-Reedy), Pleasanton, Kansas — Watch the pitch
- Yes! Athletics (Deb North), Topeka, Kansas — Watch the pitch
Now in its 8th year, AltCap Your Biz has awarded a total of more than $200,000 to entrepreneurs building successful companies, enriching their communities and pursuing their dreams.
Certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), AltCap is a source of alternative financing for communities and entrepreneurs that fall outside the financial mainstream.
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Peek inside: Engenious Design expands its hands-on R&D collaboration space in Prairie Village
A 56,000-square-foot design center for his business is about more than just space, said Chris Justice; it’s what’s inside the high-tech facility by design: people. “Our work of designing, prototyping and testing is hands-on with specialized tools and equipment. That means our team works together, in person,” said Justice, co-founder, principal and CEO of Engenious…
How a Missouri native’s high-tech, faith-based bracelet company found inner peace in California
The emotional rollercoaster of social media can take a toll on mental health, said Gary Rakes, a Raymore, Missouri, native who saw an opportunity to create a digital safe space — one that lives on a user’s wrist. His business, Free Luma, offers a line of RFID-enabled bracelets designed to connect others through positivity and…
Mayo Clinic research: Missouri startup’s VR tech can help calm patients’ pre-surgery jitters
A recent study from the renowned researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests a dose of virtual reality can help reduce pre-op anxiety in older patients undergoing their first open-heart surgery — and their findings come after testing with technology from Columbia, Missouri-based Healium. “While much of the research to date using VR involved younger patient…
City Market eats: Master roaster hopes hungry Kansas Citians will flock to Murmuration
A new eatery and cocktail bar that now shares a space with the popular City Market Coffee Roasters is designed to reflect a vision of bringing people together, fostering connection, and embracing the diversity that makes the City Market so special, said master roaster Nikole Ammer. Plus, the people are hungry — from day to…