This Wichita program is helping KC startups connect the dots to corporate partners

WICHITA — An eight-week program targeting knowledge and access gaps between emerging startups and enterprise companies helped boost a trio of Kansas City ventures whose founders are now eying new customers and partners as they scale.

The 2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series — an initiative of Wichita-based NXTUS — wrapped its latest cohort during Wichita Startup Week and Global Entrepreneurship Week. The program featured 19 growth-minded Kansas startups and 11 community-minded enterprise partners seeking new connections.

Cohort members pitched during a live event Nov. 15 at Cargill Protein Headquarters.

Lisa Cooper, Workplace Healing, pitches Nov. 15 at Cargill Protein Headquarters for the 2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series; photo courtesy of NXTUS

Among them: Workplace Healing of Leawood; Mpruv Sports of Basehor; and Hustle & Ground of Shawnee.

Click here for a full list of the largely Wichita-based startups in the cohort, which ranged from Kansas-made swag and treats, hemp protein and building materials, to technology, accounting and marketing services.

Through weekly workshops, cohort members were able to build bonds with enterprise partners — like Cargill, Koch, Evergy and Spirit Aerosystems — and were provided with “playbooks” that featured strategies for successful collaboration, fostering learning and growth opportunities.

“We appreciated the opportunity for in-depth discussion with Kansas corporate leaders to identify their needs and goals surrounding company culture and employee engagement,” said Lisa Cooper, co-founder alongside Mindy Corporon of Workplace Healing, which uses a Saas platform to help corporate customers better manage grief and other workforce disruptions. “These discussions, both in-person and virtually, helped us to fine-tune our pitch communications to better resonate with both potential clients and investors.”

Click here to learn more about the NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series.

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Mark Lukenbill, Mpruv Sports, pitches Nov. 15 at Cargill Protein Headquarters for the 2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series; photo courtesy of NXTUS

Mpruv Sports — which is currently creating a brand new offering for companies with lesson packages as benefits and custom team building events — also saw rewards from getting face time with larger organizations who already are positioned to help the startup grow through their understanding of the market and its customers, said Mark Lukenbill, founder and CEO of Mpruv.

“NXTSTAGE allowed us to get in front of real buyers and learn about their procurement process, what they look for in vendor partners, and how to work with their company,” he said. “It really helped us mold a go-to market strategy to implement with our newly formed sales team.”

“Since beginning the program, Mpruv has already sent one proposal out to an enterprise partner and started developing key relationships in several others,” Lukenbill continued, noting the contributions of the NXTUS team, particularly Mary Beth Jarvis and Amber Dunn.

“From the first day of the cohort we were deep in the weeds, tailoring our pitch, discussing buying cycles, hearing from leaders in the corporate community, and learning how to partner with Enterprise accounts,” he said. “The type of education we received in eight short weeks will provide years of value.”

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2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series cohort at a kickoff event this fall; photo courtesy of NXTUS

The 2023 Enterprise Engagement Series cohort represented NXTUS’ commitment to reaching and serving diverse entrepreneurs, the organizations said. Ninety percent of the small businesses in the cohort were led by traditionally underserved entrepreneurs: women, ethnic minorities, rural founders and those in opportunity zones.

Joy Broils, Hustle & Ground, pitches Nov. 15 at Cargill Protein Headquarters for the 2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series; photo courtesy of NXTUS

“NXSTAGE offered a phenomenal program,” said Joy Broils, founder of Hustle & Ground, which curates themed gift boxes, noting valuable lessons on engaging with enterprise institutions. “That knowledge is so helpful because there are some similarities between companies, but also unique ways to approach each one. It can take a long time to build a relationship with a large company; being introduced to representatives from each company during the program helped us to start building meaningful connections right away.”

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Broils also was impressed with NXSTAGE’s ability to build bridges within the cohort between diverse businesses across varied industries.

Hustle & Ground now is collaborating with two members of the cohort, she said, incorporating handmade wooden coasters and stir sticks from Thompson’s Handmade Country into her startup’s “All About the Bourbon” box; and offering Hustle & Ground’s gift boxes through the Workplace Healing platform.

“We are working with all different size companies to help with corporate gifting, both for the upcoming holiday season and gifting needs throughout the year,” Broils said. “Each gift box contains products from small businesses both here in the Midwest and across the country.”