How UMKC’s top student entrepreneur found shelter (and a path forward) as a founder

Shapree Marshall’s path began with shared struggle, re-routed to survival — and ultimately made a stop Wednesday evening at H&R Block’s World Headquarters where the startup founder was honored as UMKC’s 2025 Student Entrepreneur of the Year.

“My journey into entrepreneurship did not begin with a business plan or a class project,” said Marshall, founder of A Traveled Path Homes, a company focused on providing dependable housing for traveling medical professionals navigating short term assignments. “It actually began when I contracted a serious illness and I found myself fighting to survive.”

“A traveling medical professional saved my life,” she explained. “And while I was recovering, he shared how difficult it was for him to find stable housing while moving from assignment to assignment.”

At the same time, Marshall was caring for her children while facing unstable housing of her own. 

“That shared struggle revealed a problem much larger than either of us,” she said. “It was an industry issue and a deeply personal one for me.”

A graduate student in the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Master of Science in Entrepreneurial Real Estate program, Marshall received her award during the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards at H&R Block’s Copaken Stage. 

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Building traction from early prototypes

A Traveled Path Homes centers on accessible and reliable housing for clinicians arriving in unfamiliar cities under time pressure. Marshall launched her venture by leveraging free resources, forming early partnerships and shaping a model through steady experimentation.

“In fact, my very first business meeting took place when I was in a shelter with my children,” she said. “What I did have was determination, clarity and a belief that my personal story could lead to something meaningful for others.”

Third-quarter 2023 Digital Sandbox KC recipients: Ryan Weber, CEO of Mentor Mentee; Samer Damer, COO at Mentor Mentee; Shapree’ Marshall, founder and CEO of A Path Traveled Homes; Christopher Small, co-founder and CEO of Tributum Tech; Doug Bodde, chief business officer at RJ Building Materials; Reda Ibrahim, founder and CEO of RJ Building Materials; Ashley McClellan, founder and CEO of MedCurate; photo courtesy of UMKC Innovation Center

A school partner later developed her first prototype at no cost, enabling her to engage with Digital Sandbox KC, a proof-of-concept support program through the UMKC Innovation Center. Securing initial funding with a persuasive pitch shifted her trajectory.

“That not only gave me something that I had not felt in a long time,” she said. “It gave me agency. It gave me confidence. And it gave me a path to economic mobility at a time when the odds said I should not have one.”

Since then, the company has secured a multiyear lodging contract with a state agency. Through Nashville’s Project Healthcare, Marshall pitched leaders from seven of the eleven largest healthcare systems headquartered there, earning interest from the region’s largest system.

“A company that began in a shelter could grow into something of measurable impact,” she said.

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Education guiding a new developer

Returning to UMKC deepened Marshall’s understanding of real estate development and broadened her approach to long-term community investment.

“Housing has shaped every part of my life, so I wanted to understand it from a deeper level,” she said.

Her mentorship within the Vecino Group, one of the Midwest’s largest affordable housing developers, allows her to connect academic learning with practical development experience.

“Together, my education, my personal journey and my mentorship are shaping the developer I will become,” said Marshall.

Shapree Marshall, founder of A Traveled Path Homes, speaks during the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards at H&R Block’s Copaken Stage; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

A mission shaped by lived experience

The award marked continuation of the work Marshall set in motion while in rebuilding mode.

“Entrepreneurship changed my life,” she said. “It turned a moment of crisis into a mission. It allowed me to become the first in my family to pursue an advanced degree and the first to build a business.”

Peter Mallouk, Creative Planning, speaks during the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards at H&R Block’s Copaken Stage; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Marshall was recognized alongside notable awardees including J. Craig Venter, recipient of the Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of the Year award; Peter Mallouk, inducted into the Bloch Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame; and Father Justin Mathews, honored with the Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

UMKC leaders emphasized the university’s role in supporting innovation and community growth. 

“At Bloch, we believe entrepreneurship is a mindset: one that challenges convention and builds something better,” said Dean Brian Klaas.

Marshall added, “Tonight is not only a celebration of entrepreneurism. It is a celebration of resilience, creativity and purpose. It is a reminder that solutions often come from people who walk through challenges themselves and choose to build something better.”