Dan Smith
Porter House KC receives $175K from JPMorgan Chase Foundation to support inclusive entrepreneurship
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…
In the Black: Why Venture Noire is bringing capital resources from Arkansas to KC’s founders of color
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…
Coffee for the culture: Porter House KC founders partner with Messenger to craft Black-owned coffee brand
Black Drip Coffee brewed from within a desire to bring coffee culture to historically disenfranchised and underserved communities, said Charon Thompson and Daniel Smith. “It’s more than coffee,” noted Smith, who co-founded the brand, Black Drip Coffee, as well as the Porter House KC with Thompson. “We always talk about breaking down barriers and creating…
GEWKC conversation: Black women are building tech — but are we building them?
A coalition of organizations working to connect early-stage founders to critical resources — with an emphasis on equitable access — is shining the spotlight on Black women in tech during this week’s premier entrepreneurship event series, Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City. “Black women are launching businesses at the fastest clip of any racial group. Despite…
Heartland Challenge: Meet Kauffman’s 17 grantees (and the projects getting funded)
The only way to regain lost momentum in the Heartland’s cities and rural areas: work together to develop, catalyze, and expand inclusive programs and strengthen regional ecosystems, said Melissa Roberts Chapman. A new portfolio of 17 grantee organizations is up to the challenge, she added. “Entrepreneurship represents an opportunity for this region to reverse a…
