Kansas City startups flex pitch skills in national Kauffman contest
September 27, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
Four Kansas City area startups — and one Lawrence, Kan. firm — have qualified to the top 40 of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 1 in a Million pitch competition.
The competition offers those who have presented at 1 Million Cups in the last year a chance to snag a $25,000 prize. Hundreds of applicants — who must have presented with 1 Million Cups between Aug. 12, 2015 and Aug. 24, 2016 — submitted a 60-second video pitch to enter the competition. The field, however, has now been narrowed down to 40 competitors.
Here are the area companies still in the running:
- The Grooming Project (Kansas City, Mo.) non-profit that connects at risk mothers with the opportunity to learn the trade of pet grooming.
- Paw Party (Kansas City, Mo.) interactive purchasing and delivery for dog and cat gifts.
- Thrive (Kansas City, Mo.) offers intuitive tools to effectively manage business resources.
- Premier Elder Solutions (Kansas City, Mo.) software-as-a-service that assists caregivers for the elderly, terminally ill and permanently disabled.
- DraftPak (Lawrence, Kan.) a portable device that attaches to a keg in efforts to serve cold beer without hassle.
The virtual competition asks the public to vote online and select the top 15 by Friday, Sept. 30. Semi-finalists will be announced Oct. 3, at which point the public will be asked to narrow down to the top five. A panel of Kauffman fellows will pick the winner.
Established in Kansas City in 2012, 1 Million Cups was created to connect the entrepreneurial community. Every Wednesday, two startup founders present to a panel and community audience in effort to challenge their business model. The format has since spread to 99 communities around the world.
Kansas City-area startup Blooom won the 1 in a Million competition in its inaugural year by presenting its online 401(k) management tool. Four other metro startups made it to the top 40.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
OneHQ launches hiring spree for anticipated growth
OneHQ, formerly NexusHQ, is beefing up its staff in anticipation of a projected revenue boom. The insurance and finance software company plans to add 13 employees — bringing its total headcount to 20 — in the next year as it anticipates more than doubling its annual revenue. The company reported revenue of more than $1 million…
Former Kauffman Foundation VP on how to scale via networking
With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Lesa Mitchell knows a thing or two about making — and fostering — valuable connections. Previously the vice president of innovation at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a former executive at Marion Labs, Mitchell now is the founder of Networks for Scale, a company that works…
Windhaven Farms, Chemistry take 1 Million Cups stage
The seemingly disparate industries of agriculture and marketing were on display this week at 1 Million Cups with startups Windhaven Farms and Chemistry. Windhaven Farms founder Kristen Wolf first presented her local meat distribution company, which delivers an assortment of locally-raised, organically-grown meat products, including beef, pork, chicken and rabbit. “The product is really, really…