K-State LAB offering Kansas startups free growth resources
February 17, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
A Kansas State University business development program is awarding more than $100,000 in grants to Kansas startups.
Through K-State LAB — which stands for “launching a business” — participants will receive business lessons, face-to-face mentoring and access to market research. Launched in 2014, the program aims to connect entrepreneurs with the right people so that they can grow their ventures, director of the Kansas State center for the advancement of entrepreneurship Chad Jackson said.
“The Launch a Business program allows us to share our expertise with the community,” Jackson said in a release. “Our faculty, alumni and students are incredible resources, and we are excited to ask them to volunteer to support the next great startup ventures. We are grateful to KS State Bank for making this possible.”
Eligible startups must be based in Kansas, innovative, scalable and not have raised outside funding. Kansas City area startups including AEGLE Palette, Alvoru Clothing and Acre Designs were among the local firms that have participated in the program.
10 promising startups will be selected into the one month program, which will begin May 25 and culminate with a demo day in June. This year, the program will accept an additional five entrepreneurs who are K-State faculty or graduate students.
Applications will open March 1. For more information, visit the K-State LAB website.
Featured Business

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Bean around the block: How this Westport coffee shop is cherry picking roasts from its own farm in the Andes
A hemisphere away from Brett Janssen’s former job at General Motors in Kansas City’s Northland, the now-budding Westport coffee shop owner found a fresh batch of opportunities: his wife, business partner and a transcontinental farm-to-cup Columbian coffee operation. Janssen’s House Coffee — the fruit of Janssen and his fiancée Genisis Mejia’s passion for coffee —…
Attic with global ambitions: Luxury brand builds from humble origins to Material Opulence
Renauld Shelton II sees power stitched into the seams of fashion, the Kansas City designer said, detailing the dynamic pairing of apparel and pride that grounds his luxury clothing brand. “It’s a confidence builder. When you look good, you feel good,” said Shelton, founder and CEO of Material Opulence. “It sets you up for success.”…
How reactivating history can drive economic growth more sustainably than a new build
Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Hotel owners wanted charm that can’t be built in today’s economy; Kansas City history booked them the bones to do it A one-of-a-kind, limestone-clad building at 906…
