UMKC Innovation Center

Rhonda Dolan, Udo, Urban Business Growth Initiative alum and 2019 Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year

Newly launched Dare to Venture competition set to award $30K in micro-grants

Participants in a series of select entrepreneurship courses this winter will be eligible to win a total of $30,000 in micro-grant awards thanks to the Urban Business Growth Initiative. Funded by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and administered by the UMKC Innovation Center, the new Dare to Venture Micro-Grant Competition is expected to feature…

Show Me Capital: 6 key goals can help fill funding gaps for early-stage Missouri companies

Missouri is leaving millions of dollars on the table that could fuel early-stage startups, which create nearly 80 percent of net new jobs in the state. A new report from MOSourceLink, a program of the UMKC Innovation Center, reveals Missouri is lacking in alternative loans, access to resources, early-stage capital and locally activated venture capital….

Digital Sandbox KC cohort; Mario Pabaroue, Len Frye and Brandon Dunlap, FilmDove Inc.; A.J. Mellott, Ronawk LLC; and Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics LLC

Digital Sandbox KC selects diverse health, AI and filmmaking startups for latest funding

The latest trio of Digital Sandbox KC companies pushes the proof-of-concept program deeper into Johnson County with a new Overland Park partnership. “This group showcases the wide spectrum of businesses assisted by the Sandbox, from a data platform for creative filmmakers and studios, to improved patient care in asthma, to biologics in regenerative medicine,” said…

Jill Meyer, UMKC Innovation Center

ScaleUP! KC leader Jill Meyer tapped to run Digital Sandbox KC, Whiteboard2Boardroom, KCInvestED initiatives

A newly created role at the UMKC Innovation Center will see leadership for its early-venture and tech initiatives consolidated under the guidance of Jill Meyer. “New businesses, jobs — and good jobs — are key indicators of a strong economy,” said Meyer, the center’s new senior director of technology ventures. “We need to continue to…

Project United Knowledge, Cohort 2

Project UK banks $50K JPMorgan Chase Foundation investment via ‘united effort’ with UMKC Innovation Center

A hefty infusion of funding is expected to help Project United Knowledge offer more tools to black, Latinx and other professionals from underrepresented groups, according to the UMKC Innovation Center.  The $50,000 investment from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation was awarded to the UMKC Innovation Center, which partners with Project UK to deliver programming, resources and…