Full-circle victory for UMKC grad who retook the stage to win RVCC with her startup

Winning the top prize for community startups at the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge was a transformational way to cap Antoinette Redmond’s UMKC experience, the Neuru founder said Friday, after earning $20,000 of the record $180,000 awarded to student and community entrepreneurs.

“I’m so incredibly excited and blessed to have won the competition,” Redmond said after winning first place in the James and Rae Block Kansas City Community Startup Awards track at RVCC. “I’m still in awe, complete awe.”

Antoinette Redmond, founder of Neuru, speaks in November 2024 during a founder panel conversation at UMKC’s First Tuesdays event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

The annual RVCC competition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City brought together founders at varying stages, all working to turn ideas into reality while refining their approaches along the way.

Redmond’s platform, Neuru, connects families of children with disabilities to educational, medical and therapeutic resources, addressing a broken system she experienced firsthand.

“I knew that there were options out there for parents to be able to find resources, but all of it was fragmented in multiple places,” said Redmond, “That is why I created Neuru.”

The moment carried added significance as her venture traces its beginnings back to the university.

“This competition is definitely a full-circle moment for me,” she said. “What began as an idea at UMKC during my MBA program has now developed into a full business that is not only supporting families, but also changing the healthcare ecosystem to make it more connected and less chaotic.”

Organizers and speakers also emphasized the importance of support systems as founders navigate the uncertainty of entrepreneurship.

“Entrepreneurship is hard, and it’s uncertain,” said Brian Klaas, dean of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management. “Entrepreneurs in these early stages need support and resources to make progress, and that’s what this program is about.”

Rethinking what it means to win

Keynote speaker Matt Condon, the successful founder behind Kansas City-built ARC Physical Therapy+ and Bardavon Health Innovations, framed the venture challenge experience as one that goes beyond outcomes, encouraging founders to rethink how they measure success.

Executive entrepreneur Matt Condon speaks to students gathered for the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge at UMKC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“You guys have already won, you’re the 1%, the people who are crazy enough to go and pitch an idea,” said Condon.

That perspective carried into a panel featuring past participants, who shared how RVCC continues to influence their entrepreneurial paths.

For Nhung Hoang, founder of Origin: Cội Nguồn Coffeehouse and a previous RVCC winner from 2025, the competition provided early validation at a critical stage.

“RVCC was the first time we ever had some external validation for our idea,” she said. “For two years, it was just me and a business and not a lot to show for it.”

Click here to read more about the startup and student winners from the 2025 competition.

Tom Bloch, right, shares a laugh with past RVCC competitors Bryan Shannon, managing director for ORDP at TreviPay; and Nhung Hoang, founder of Origin: Coi Nguon Coffeehouse and past first-place RVCC winner; during an announcement event at UMKC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Andrew Clark, executive creative director at Sonos, Inc., right, receives the Mentor of the Year award from Alex Matlack, director of the Regnier Venture Accelerator; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Bryan Shannon, a former competitor and founder of TreviPay, pointed to consistency and coachability as key drivers of long-term progress.

“I would just keep showing up,” said Shannon. “Because I kept showing up and I kept taking heed to what the mentors and the professors were saying, we ultimately did well.”

Andrew Clark, executive creative director at Sonos, Inc., was named Mentor of the Year, recognizing his role guiding entrepreneurs through the program.

ICYMI: Regnier, Bloch family foundations invest $3M in UMKC venture challenge, resources

LaToya Ebony Sirls, founder of SomeDay Sunday, center, accepts the second place award in the James and Rae Block Kansas City Community Startup Awards track; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Returning founders, stronger footing

LaToya Ebony Sirls, founder of Someday Sunday, earned second place in the community startup track, winning $15,000 after returning with a more refined pitch and stronger traction.

“I feel amazing, once again feeling seen,” she said.

After previously competing at RVCC without placing, Sirls applied past feedback from judges to strengthen both her business and her presentation.

“I learned a lot from the feedback from the Q&A, and I decided to try again,” she said. “My pitch is better. I understand how to answer questions better. Now my company has grown, there’s so much more traction.”

“Essentially, everything I said I was going to do last year, when I pitched, I did and accomplished,” she added, “So I think that was the most rewarding part of it.”

$180K in prizes

The Regnier Venture Creation Challenge distributed $180,000 in prize funding across several categories:

Founder’s Lab Awards ($3,000 total)

Most Improved ($1,000 each): 

• • HealthGuide USA
  • Petal & Dough

Best Overall Presentation ($1,000): 

• • Good Day Cafe

RVCC Spotlight Awards ($3,000 total; $1,000 each)

• Hold Tight Baby
• On the Rocks Gourmet Jams
• True Legal Innovations

James and Rae Block Kansas City Community Startup Awards ($50,000 total)

• Fourth Place ($5,000): Sendback
• Third Place ($10,000): Scoutz
• Second Place ($15,000): SomeDay Sunday
• First Place ($20,000): Neuru

Regnier College Startup Awards ($124,000 total)

Creative, Arts & Culture

• • Fourth Place ($1,000): SOS
  • Third Place ($5,000): The Zion Woodshop LLC
  • Second Place ($10,000): Scallop Ruler
  • First Place ($15,000): Chic On

Products, Services, Retail & Experiences

• • Fourth Place ($1,000): Brainberry Organics
  • Third Place ($5,000): Five Alarm Junk Hauling and Roll Offs
  • Second Place ($10,000): Wallace Manufacturing LLC
  • First Place ($15,000): State Street Spices

Health, Wellness & Medical

• • Fourth Place ($1,000): Ocutasta
  • Third Place ($5,000): Geometry Neuroscience; ReThrive
  • Second Place ($10,000): Vitrona Technologies
  • First Place ($15,000): Nanolit

Tech & Digital Innovation

• • Fourth Place ($1,000): DermDx AI
  • Third Place ($5,000): Voyance
  • Second Place ($10,000): Cosmos Cannabis Consulting
  • First Place ($15,000): True Legal Innovations

Founders and mentors alike returned to a consistent message throughout the competition: success is defined less by outcomes on stage and more by the commitment to keep building afterward.

“You already won, whatever happens today, as long as tomorrow you show up for your business, and then you show up next week, and then next month and the next year,” said Hoang. “That is what winning means. So show up tomorrow and then keep showing up for your business.”