KC data platform mySidewalk partners with GoDaddy to launch online economic insight tool 

A new tool from Kansas City’s mySidewalk and GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research initiative is expected to give local and regional policymakers in the U.S. unprecedented — and direct — access to information on the economic impact of more than 20 million microbusinesses, said Stephen Hardy.

Stephen Hardy, mySidewalk

“At mySidewalk, we work every day with leaders across the country who are committed to creating an economy that works for everyone,” said Hardy, CEO of mySidewalk. “We know that microbusinesses are a path to not only individual prosperity but also to strong, equitable communities. We are honored to be part of this historic project.”

mySidewalk boasts 55 employees, with 40 based from its Crossroads Arts District headquarters.

The online tool generates tailored reports on small business impacts for any county or metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the U.S. and allows the user to compare their community with communities nationwide, according to mySidewalk. Reports are generated in seconds, assigned a unique internet address, and are automatically updated with both exclusive and public third-party data as it becomes available.

The dashboard equips policymakers, leaders at academic institutions and economic development officials with the data and insights they need to design programs and resources to support microbusinesses in their communities.

“After speaking with policymakers across the country, we realized there was a need to capture reliable and accurate data on microbusinesses and make it readily available for them to use,” said Jeremy Hartman, vice president of community engagement at GoDaddy. “Working with mySidewalk, we’re able to bring our data to a larger set of people to show just how great of an impact microbusinesses have on their communities.”

This collaboration also grants mySidewalk subscribers’ access to GoDaddy’s Venture Forward data via the mySidewalk Seek and Chart products. Its subscribers can combine valuable insights from the Venture Forward data with insights from 2.2 billion community data points housed in the mySidewalk library, allowing changemakers in community and economic development, housing, public health, healthcare, public safety and transportation to more effectively assess the strength and inclusivity of their economy.

Click here to read about mySidewalk’s recent partnership with the National League of Cities.

Venture Forward is a multi-year research effort conducted by GoDaddy, which prides itself on empowering everyday entrepreneurs, to quantify the impact millions of microbusinesses have on the U.S. economy and their local communities, as well as insight into their needs, demographics, and trends; as they’re often too small or too new to show up in traditional government-based methods of capturing economic data. 

Click here to learn more about Venture Forward and to explore its new Microbusiness Data Hub.