UMKC Innovation Center

05/27/2026

You can do this too. Small business owners like Naomi Hill Photography and Sammie Gore of Waffle Crunch completed StartSmart and Proof to Profit to learn how to grow their businesses and find their target customers.

Register by May 29.

https://sbdc.umkc.edu/event/proof-to-profit/2026-06-02/

05/26/2026

Today, 12-1 PM, don't miss this free online session on how to pitch Digital Sandbox KC.

Have a tech startup idea ready for a funding boost? Join us for How to Pitch to the Sandbox, where we'll walk you through, step-by-step, what goes into an effective startup pitch deck.

Link in the comments.

05/26/2026

05/20/2026

KCSourceLink Navigator Paola Zapata often meets with people who want to move from a hobby to actually starting a business.

"I love talking to them and guiding them on the steps on how to do it," she says.

Paola and her fellow Navigators help people find the resources they need to start and grow a business.

Read her full story as an entrepreneur, how being a dog mom inspired her business Pawstel LLC, and her work to serve other small business owners, often meeting them at The Toolbox: Small Business Resource Center.

Link in the comments to the blog post.

05/19/2026

"If you don’t get the business part right, how are you going to be able to do the creative stuff?" said Naomi Hill of Naomi Hill Photography.

Naomi built a site and shot everything from sports to maternity portraits, but found she wasn't growing her business.

Led by Senior Business Development Consultant Joel Barrett at Missouri SBDC at UMKC, Proof to Profit helped her pivot to a different and more profitable audience. Proof to Profit helps entrepreneurs test and validate their ideas early.

“If I never went to the classes, I would have never known to find the right people and ask the right questions,” Naomi says.

The next Proof to Profit series begins June 2nd. Registration deadline is May 29th. Link to her full story and more information about Proof to Profit in the comments.

05/14/2026

"👏BET👏ON👏YOURSELF👏

At a crossroads, artist turned entrepreneur Anthony AO Oropeza chose risk over safety — not because it was easy, but because staying put wasn’t an option."

Every creative small business owner and entrepreneur has a story. How did you invest in yourself?

05/13/2026

A few of us are grabbing tacos today, May 13, to support the Startland News fundraiser at Tiki Taco, and you can too! There is still time for you to grab lunch, takeout for your family, or simply stop by anytime today to support an amazing mission helping Kansas City entrepreneurs thrive.

Here’s how it works:

✅ Visit any Tiki Taco location

✅ Mention you’re there to support Startland

✅ 20% of your order — including drinks — goes back to Startland

Ordering online? Use code: STARTLAND

This is a great opportunity to support the story tellers of our entrepreneurial ecosystem.

05/13/2026

KCSourceLink is proud to be a co-sponsor of WDAF-TV FOX4 News Kansas City's Great Day KC series, City of Entrepreneurs. Great Day KC's hosts chatted with James Thomas, Owner of Brainfreeze Daiquiri and Nia Webster, Program Lead for Open Doors!

Link in comments to watch the full video segment.

Kansas City, in partnership with the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, MO, is launching a five-week business marketplace at Union Station’s Grand Exhibition Hall during the summer of 2026 as Kansas City hosts matches for the FIFA World Cup™.

Open Doors! is a city-led storefront activation initiative that connects small businesses, artists, and property owners to create vibrant, community-driven retail experiences across downtown Kansas City.

“Open Doors! and the City of Entrepreneurs marketplace are about expanding access to opportunity,” said Nia Webster, Assistant Director of the Neighborhood Services Department. “We’re creating pathways for small businesses and creatives to step into high-visibility spaces and grow in ways that might not have been possible otherwise."

05/11/2026