Kansas City ESO icon Maria Meyers championed for bringing SourceLink to the world stage
June 20, 2025 | Startland News Staff
A decades-long effort to grow inclusive entrepreneurial communities by strengthening access to critical resources began as a grassroots movement in Kansas City, said Maria Meyers, whose work recently earned her global recognition — and a rare honor in recent years for an American recipient.
Meyers, the founder of SourceLink — a first-of-its-kind platform boasting more than 5,000 resource partners and that has facilitated nearly 800,000 referrals to entrepreneur support resources dating back to 2003 — was awarded the Ecosystem Champion Award at the Global Entrepreneurship Conference June 3 in Indianapolis. Meyers was one of five global finalists for the honor.
She first founded KCSourceLink, which connects entrepreneurs to resources and builds collaborations to fill gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Kansas City region. The KCSourceLink model expanded nationally through SourceLink, which replicates that model in cities across the country.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award, and I credit all of the people in our strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kansas City for making the SourceLink model possible nationwide,” Meyers said. “Kansas City is a hotbed for entrepreneurial innovation, and it’s because of the tenacity and spirit of our region that SourceLink is a success today.”
Maria Meyers, founder of SourceLink, is announced as winner of the Ecosystem Champion Award at the Global Entrepreneurship Conference in Indianapolis; photo by Sean Molin
She was nominated for the Ecosystem Champion award “for her role as a trailblazer and author in America’s entrepreneurship ecosystem-building movement.”
The award honors “an individual with outstanding commitment and achievement to drive their local ecosystem’s positive, long-term and inclusive growth through programs and education to advance innovation and support startups.”
Meyers founded SourceLink in 2003 so communities nationwide could fill gaps in their entrepreneurial ecosystem, track entrepreneurial progress, serve as thought leaders in their communities and better aid entrepreneurs to fuel more business starts and business growth. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, SourceLink has fueled more than 200 organizations and completed entrepreneurship development projects in 40 states and territories.
Maria Meyers, executive director for UMKC’s Innovation Center, speaks alongside Dan Smith, co–founder of The Porter House KC, during a panel on Kansas City entrepreneurship at UMKC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Maria Meyers, UMKC Innovation Center, speaks during ESO Day in November 2023 at The Offices at Park 39 amid Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Meyers also serves as the vice chancellor of commercialization and entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and executive director of the UMKC Innovation Center. She credits the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the success of the many entrepreneurial endeavors she oversees.
“It’s the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of Kansas City that made SourceLink what it is today,” Meyers said. “Our doers, dreamers, and builders laid the groundwork that allowed us to expand and support thriving, inclusive entrepreneurship communities nationwide. Entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of every community, and when we equip innovators with the right resources, we create opportunity and prosperity for all.”
ICYMI: KC ecosystem leaders urge: Give your network to an entrepreneur
She has more than two decades of experience in creating successful companies in the high technology, biotechnology, manufacturing and museum industries. She’s lived the struggles of launching a startup, turning it into a small business and sustaining its growth.
Meyers also speaks frequently about entrepreneurship and economic development for leading entrepreneurial organizations, including the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a founding partner of SourceLink, the International Economic Development Council, the Federal Reserve Bank and regional economic development organizations.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
It starts with wool on 125-year-old looms; story of Pancho’s Blanket weaves KC into family mission
The popularity of Jonathan Garvey’s favorite wool jacket from Mexico eventually would weave a story of entrepreneurship connecting Kansas City to his family’s home and artisans in Latin America. It took the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to help impoverished communities in Mexico to propel that plan into action. About a year and a half…
Swing for the big league: Custom baseball bat maker turns wood into diamond-worthy dingers
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. BALDWIN…
Historic $1.8M pre-seed round revs up automotive startup with former BacklotCars VP behind the wheel
Anders Ericson is tackling an overlooked issue in the automotive industry, he shared, and investors are not missing out on the opportunity to back up his solution. “There is this glaring problem in the market where people with subprime credit, who are trying to buy a car, are going into these specialized dealerships and paying…
New state awards aim to honor ‘Cool things made in Kansas,’ unconventional talent sources
Kansas businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the Sunflower State, said David Toland, announcing the return of Kansas’ annual awards program aimed at recognizing businesses across the state for the contributions they make to the state economy and to the well-being of their communities. “They are what make our state strong, prosperous and successful…