‘Going bigger than ever before’: Meet the star finalists vying for $60K in AltCap Your Biz prizes

Nearly a dozen small businesses are set to compete this fall for $60,000 in prizes, AltCap Your Biz organizers said Friday, announcing 10 finalists in the expanded pitch competition’s 11th journey to the stage with Kansas City entrepreneurs.

“To mark this milestone, we’re going bigger than ever before,” said Brant Stacey, community partnership manager at AltCap, noting the competition already has awarded more than $260,000 in cash prizes over its first decade.

“We’ve doubled event capacity, and developed a seven-week intensive pitch training course culminating in professionally filmed pitches,” he continued.

A Nov. 18 “To the Stars”-themed pitch night at Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre at Union Station also puts 10 finalists for the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition on stage during Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City. For the first time, attendees will vote live for the AltCap Your Biz Fan Favorite — an honor that includes a $5,000 prize sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.

ICYMI: How AltCap Your Biz put one of World Cup’s biggest KC small biz winners in the driver’s seat

The 10 just-announced finalists have been pared down by judging panels that spent hours deliberating over submissions from dozens of entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area through two rounds, Stacy said.

They’ll now compete for a $35,000 grand prize and $20,000 second-place award, to be announced during the live event, hosted by Glenn Robinson, also known as The EpitomeKC and curator of “Hood Dude Food Reviews.”

Among the finalists for the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition:

• BONICEL DENIM (Easton Koch) — An American Clothing Manufacturer and Denim Brand started by Easton Koch in 2022. Today, BONICEL specializes in American Made 5-Pocket Denim Jeans and other Lifetime Clothing Products.
• Hella Good Deeds (Béty Lê Shackelford) — A 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to building long-term cultural infrastructure, community-rooted ecosystems, and systems of belonging for Asian communities in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest.
• INCLŪSIV Wellness (Wesley Hamilton) — An inclusive wellness space located in Midtown Kansas City that brings fitness, recovery, coworking, and community under one roof to create a place where people of all abilities can move, recover, work, and belong.
• Keliah Dyann Art & Paper (Keliah Smith) — Chic card, stationery and gift brand curated to uplift, empower, celebrate and provide representation for women of color in the card and gift space.
• Legacy Service Company (DeMarkus Paul) — A hands-on skilled-trades training program preparing the next generation of HVAC, plumbing, heating, and cooling professionals through real-world instruction and mobile training environments. The company’s mission is to bridge the skilled-labor gap by giving students practical experience, industry-ready skills, and a clear pathway to rewarding careers.
• Missouri Kansas Queer Law (Madeline Johnson, Arden Pearson) — A law firm dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community in the Kansas City metropolitan area and surrounding regions in Missouri and Kansas. Founded by attorneys with extensive experience in civil rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy, the firm focuses on providing affirming, accessible, and community-centered legal services
• Rescue ID (Fred Neis) — Designed to give people, families and businesses greater control and instant notification when emergencies happen. When the QR code is scanned, responders will get the critical information to make more informed decisions and a text is sent to designated contacts.
• Scream Queens (Zoe Mays, Nancy Mays) — A woman and queer-owned vegan ice cream pop-up. This is vegan s’cream like you’ve never had it before — fun, innovate flavors and a creaminess you won’t believe is vegan, all handcrafted locally in Kansas City.
• The BeVel Barber Lounge (Casie Murff, Erica Murff) — A Kansas City-based premium grooming company building a scalable pathway to economic mobility for barbers and beauty professionals. Through mentorship, professional training, premium products, and replicable business systems, The BeVel equips professionals to grow from skilled practitioners into operators — helping more barbers gain a blueprint to capitalize on this billion-dollar industry.
• Your Healing Touch (India Clark Stewart) — Provides specialized medical pedicures and advanced foot care services that promote healthy nails, improve mobility, and help prevent foot complications, especially for seniors, individuals with diabetes, and those with medical concerns. Through compassionate, professional care delivered in a relaxing environment and mobile services, the company is committed to restoring comfort, confidence, and overall wellness — one step at a time.

Atticus Sloan and Mark Manning, EZ Pedicabs; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

EZ Pedicabs rolled away with the $35,000 grand prize in 2025, after earning the competition’s Fan Favorite award the year before.

“It allowed us to grow in a way we wouldn’t have been able to, at a time when we needed it most,” co-founder Mark Manning said of the win. “That growth was absolutely needed for the demand of all the big events that were coming up, in particular the World Cup.”

MOC BOD — a Troost-based, collaborative, affirming retail and personal care services hub for the LGBTQ+ community and allies — took home the $20,000 second-place prize in 2025.

Click here to read more about the 2025 AltCap Your Biz competition.