Tag: Dan Smith

Charon Thompson and Dan Smith, The Porter House KC

Porter House KC’s new ‘Alchemy Sandbox’ grants 20 main street businesses with up to $5K each

By Tommy Felts / January 18, 2022

A newly launched program by The Porter House KC is aimed at providing small business owners with as much as $5,000 for their back office, equipment cost, rental assistance or general system needs, detailed Dan Smith.  “We’re really excited about this Alchemy Sandbox program. ‘Alchemy’ is a word that just kept coming up at the…

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Miranda Schultz, Daniel Smith, Charon Thompson, and Jahna Riley, The Porter House KC

UMB Bank deposits $350K supporting The Porter House KC; $1.25M in year-end KC donations to benefit underserved communities

By Tommy Felts / December 21, 2021

A hefty, end-of-year donation from UMB Bank will provide The Porter House KC an opportunity to dig deeper in assisting local entrepreneurs, said Daniel Smith, expressing appreciation for the $350,000 boost. “These resources will be used to continue our current work and implement another program that will assist small businesses with direct support, creating additional…

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Charon Thompson and Dan Smith, The Porter House KC

Community Builders to Watch: Dan Smith and Charon Thompson grow an equitable future for KC by focusing on the now

By Tommy Felts / November 4, 2021

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing six Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations in its inaugural Community Builders to Watch list. The following highlights two of the 2021 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees by a panel of judges. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch —…

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Dan Smith and Charon Thompson, Porter House KC

Porter House KC receives $175K from JPMorgan Chase Foundation to support inclusive entrepreneurship 

By Tommy Felts / October 21, 2021

An investment by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation will help The Porter House KC fill a void in entrepreneur support programming in Kansas City, said Dan Smith. “Our goal is always to find a solution to the problem. We felt there was a gap. There was a whole population of people being missed. People who come…

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Keenan Beasley, Venture Noire

In the Black: Why Venture Noire is bringing capital resources from Arkansas to KC’s founders of color

By Tommy Felts / September 14, 2021

It’s time Black-led companies went from over-mentored and under-resourced to well-connected and infused with capital, Keenan Beasley said, announcing plans for establishing more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems that begin, in part, with a presence in Kansas City.  “Kansas City is a very mature market,” Beasley, founder of Venture Noire, said of what he’s observed among the…

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