KC summit calls on high-potential entrepreneurs to do more than just show up: Embed

A year ago, Dulcinea Herrera added a dream to her vision board; she wanted to connect with entrepreneurs from across the country and ultimately make her way to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit. Not content to wait, she began manifesting what would become a three-day launching pad for that reality.

With the help of the young Café Corazón co-founder and CEO, global community Quarter Life Crisis (QLC) is gathering a curated, high-impact collective of Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, venture investors, elite athletes, founders, and creators this week in Kansas City.

“I’m so excited to bring this to Kansas City,” said Herrera, whose business is among the 10 finalists for the KC Chamber’s Small Business of the Year honor. “Kansas City already has the talent, culture, and momentum. This is about making sure the world sees it.”

Vivek Pandit

Running Thursday through Saturday, the immersive experience centers on mentorship, business collaboration, and national storytelling, according to organizers, which include Herrera and Vivek Pandit.

Pandit is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, TEDx speaker, and founder of QLC, a community helping ambitious individuals in their 20s and 30s navigate identity, career, and purpose through real conversations, actionable frameworks, and meaningful connections.

“For me, it’s really just plugging a national network into the city that wasn’t here before,” Herrera explained. “I love Kansas City. I’m not originally from here, but when I came here and I started my business with my family, we just had so much support from the community, through COVID, the break-ins, everything. I just have so much love and I want to connect my people here to them because connections have changed my life for the better.”

“This is about real connection — not just showing up — but embedding into Kansas City’s ecosystem and building relationships that last beyond the weekend, “ Pandit added.

The public Kansas City portion of the event series culminates with the KC Unfiltered Summit from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at The Distrkct, 1328 Agnes Ave. 

Expected highlights include a panel discussion with Herrera, Pandit, Ironman world record holder Ariana Luterman, and serial founder and podcast host Andres Concha — moderated by Zik Nwanganga, founder of ULOM and host of City Entrepreneur — networking, a live podcast, DJ, photo booth, and food trucks. Café Corazón will be offering four speciality drinks, curated specifically for the summit.

Click here to RSVP to KC Unfiltered.

“We’re going to help people rise in their businesses,” Herrera said. “This is also going to be in Joe Blaq‘s new multimedia venue (The Distrkct), which I thought was a perfect fit. You have all these other rooms with other activations going on. I just feel like it’s a really fun, cool space.”

Answering the call is the answer

A week after placing connections with national entrepreneurs on her dream board, Herrera shared, she got a call from a friend who was at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit.

“He’s like, ‘Hey, you should be here,’” she recalled. “I want to connect you with some people.”

Her friend introduced Herrera to Pandit, she continued, and she started joining QLC organizer calls.

“They have a call every week with people from all around the world who are under the age of 30 and who are entrepreneurs at a high level, too,” Herrera noted.

Dulcinea Herrera, Café Corazón, speaks during a panel conversation with the finalists KC Chamber’s 2025 Small Business of the Year or “Mr. K” award; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

When the group announced a pitch competition to bring a summit to a city, Herrera pitched Kansas City, she said. Eight months later, her pitch paid off and this week’s event will give Kansas City a chance to shine in the national spotlight.

“I feel that this is an underrepresented city with a lot of talent and great things that you don’t know about if you’re outside of the city,” she explained.

“When people ask where the energy is — Kansas City should be part of that answer,” added Pandit.

On top of the KC Unfiltered Summit, the four-day experience will also include small-group mentorship sessions for college students and young professionals, private conversations with business and civic leaders, partnering with local businesses, creatives, and community spaces, collaborating with high-level influencers and media creators, and producing cinematic content capturing Kansas City’s story, organizers noted.

On Sunday, a select group will fly out to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Phoenix.

“One thing that I feel with KC — although I’m so grateful for the city, and I love it so much — there is a moment as an entrepreneur here, where you kind of can hit a ceiling,” Herrera said. “There’s always more to explore, don’t get me wrong. But if you want national connections in certain fields, you have to usually go outside of KC, so you have a lot of talent that moves.”

“So I’m trying to make it so that people don’t have to move, including myself, to gain this national clientele, recognition, and connections,” she added.