Becca Castro redesigned, rebooted LaunchKC; now she’ll lead KCSourceLink, one of KC’s premier startup champions

KCSourceLink’s new director and network builder brings more than two decades of experience and a shared passion for helping aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs grow their businesses, leaders of the organization said Tuesday.

Becca Castro, who most recently led LaunchKC from within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC), begins the role Aug. 19.

Becca Castro, then-leader of LaunchKC, speaks in November 2023 at the LaunchKC grants competition celebration during Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“I’m thrilled to join such a remarkable organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and connecting our region’s business owners with the resources they need to accelerate their success,” Castro said. “Elevating entrepreneurs and promoting inclusivity have been central to my career, and I look forward to continuing these efforts with a team that creates opportunities and meets the needs of doers, dreamers and makers.”

In her new role, Castro will work beside the 230-plus business-building organizations in the KCSourceLink network to make resources more visible and accessible to entrepreneurs and small business owners and to improve the capacity and resiliency of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial support nonprofits. She will also do the same on a statewide scale for MOSourceLink. KCSourceLink and MOSourceLink are programs of the UMKC Innovation Center, which houses a suite of organizations and programs that elevate entrepreneurs to help them succeed.

As a network builder with KCSourceLink, Castro will focus on civic engagement, relationship building and community partnerships to advance entrepreneurship across the region and further develop one of the most well-connected entrepreneur ecosystems in the country. Through the KCSourceLink hotline — (816) 235-6500 — she will manage thousands of incoming requests from entrepreneurs and business owners as well as corporate and community leaders who want to connect with Kansas City entrepreneurship.

Castro already is a member of the 2024 planning committee for Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City, which is coordinated by KCSourceLink.

Michael Carmona previously served as director of KCSourceLink, but transitioned internally this spring to a position as community relations and impact manager for the UMKC Innovation Center.

Becca Castro, LaunchKC, stands to announce a funding award during the 2022 Pure Pitch Rally at the Burns & McDonnell Global Headquarters Auditorium; Startland News photo

Kansas City entrepreneurs and advocates might know Castro best from her time as the director of entrepreneurship for EDCKC — specifically her work leading LaunchKC, a nonprofit entrepreneurship support initiative of EDCKC and the Downtown Council.

During her tenure with the popular grants program, she redesigned the initiative after a four-year hiatus, helping to revive its ability to provide funding, office space, education and mentorship to pre-seed and seed-stage tech startups.

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Castro previously was vice president of workforce development at Skilled KC, a Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation initiative.

“Becca brings a deep knowledge of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and a passion for helping entrepreneurs reach the next level so they can create opportunities in our communities and elevate Kansas City to be the most entrepreneurial city in America,” said Maria Meyers, executive director of the UMKC Innovation Center. “We are excited to see how we can further leverage the collective power of the 230-plus business building organizations and their partners in the Kansas City region to make entrepreneurship more accessible to more people and elevate our metro.” 

Castro’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the Kansas City regional ecosystem as it has just completed a strategic planning process to determine how Kansas City can be a place “where everyone is empowered to pursue their passion through entrepreneurship, advancing an innovative and prosperous community,” the UMKC Innovation Center said in a press release.