Every Service at the UMKC Innovation Center That Can Help Your Business
The UMKC Innovation Center is at the heart of Kansas City’s thriving entrepreneurial scene, offering a wide range of programs to support small business owners and tech ventures, provide entrepreneurial education and strengthen our startup ecosystem.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow your business, the UMKC Innovation Center is here to help you sharpen your skills, explore business growth opportunities and connect you with the resources you need to succeed.
If you’re ready to take your business or business idea to the next level, here’s a closer look at some of the invaluable services the UMKC Innovation Center has to offer:
Empowering entrepreneurs with education
From start to scale and beyond, the UMKC Innovation Center has classes, coaching and consulting to help entrepreneurs and small business owners test their ideas, develop an entrepreneurial mindset and find new customers and markets.
The Missouri Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UMKC is one of Kansas City’s leading resources for growing and developing businesses. Through ELEVATIONLAB, the training program of the Missouri SBDC, participants can learn everything from the basics of writing a business plan to making financial projections, pitching to investors, winning government contracts, creating social media strategies and more.
Some of the SBDC’s key training programs include:
- ScaleUP! KC helps Kansas City business owners prepare their businesses for scalable growth with a 16-week program that blends comprehensive training with expert speakers, peer mentoring and one-on-one business coaching.
- GROWTH360 is a 10-session course that teaches businesses to avoid blind spots and make smarter decisions. This workshop introduces the GrowthWheel® Framework, and participants take home tools, decision sheets and 30-, 60- and 90-day plans.
- ELEVATIONLAB NEW VENTURE is a program that helps aspiring entrepreneurs look at all aspects of their business idea, explore the feasibility of their new venture and learn how to develop a viable business.
- ELEVATIONLAB TECH VENTURE is an intensive nine-session course designed to give technology- and science-based entrepreneurs a proven framework and network of connections to help grow a great idea into the next viable innovation.
The SBDC also offers business coaches who provide no-cost coaching to entrepreneurs and small business owners who need assistance launching or growing their small business. SBDC coaches are experienced, and knowledgeable business advisors work with you, providing expertise, guidance, accountability and feedback, as well as access to a wide range of local, regional and national resources.
Click here to see all of the SBDC’s upcoming classes and events.
Connecting you with the right resources
Through the center’s Regional Ecosystem Development, entrepreneurs and small business owners are connected to the right local and regional resources to start, grow and accelerate their businesses, while our organizations work on developing the ecosystem to support them.
KCSourceLink is the connection to Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. With a network of 230+ business-building organizations in the Kansas City region, KCSourceLink helps aspiring and existing business owners find relevant resources. Check out the metro’s most comprehensive calendar of upcoming classes and events or explore the KCSourceLink Resource Navigator and search more than 200 business support organizations in the Kansas City area.
MOSourceLink extends this support across the state, helping entrepreneurs and small business owners find the resources they need to succeed. Its statewide network ensures you have access to valuable tools and support wherever you are.
SourceLink helps communities improve the visibility of and access to business-building resources to help build more inclusive entrepreneurial communities and drive local economies forward. SourceLink fuels over 200 organizations in more than 30 states.
Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City is the region’s largest annual educational conference for entrepreneurship, drawing in thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned small business owners each year. GEWKC sessions are crowdsourced from entrepreneurs, service providers, policymakers and champions of entrepreneurship. All GEWKC events are 100-percent free and open to anyone.
Support for startups and innovations
Through Technology Venture Studio, the UMKC Innovation Center provides robust support for tech startups and innovations. The studio helps move early-stage innovations from concept to reality, creating jobs, spurring economic impact, attracting equity funding and positioning Kansas City as a technology hub.
Some of the key programs under Technology Venture Studio include:
- Digital Sandbox KC provides critical proof-of-concept funding, mentoring and connections to help founders build viable innovations. To date, the Sandbox has supported more than 200 startups with project funding and propelled them to receive more than $243 million in follow-on investment.
- KCInvestEd raises awareness within the community about the significance of investment activity in driving economic development and strengthens investors’ ability to connect and gain insights.
- The Missouri APEX Accelerator at UMKC helps businesses — including small, disadvantaged, veteran and women-owned firms — obtain federal, state and local government contracts.
- Whiteboard2Boardoom facilitates the connection between entrepreneurs and established businesses with available technologies for licensing from institutions of higher education, hospitals and corporations in the bi-state region.
Discover how the UMKC Innovation Center can elevate your business now
At the UMKC Innovation Center, we’re passionate about supporting your entrepreneurial journey. Whether you’re seeking educational resources, valuable connections or innovative support, we’re here to help you turn your vision into reality.
Explore our courses, connect with one of our programs and discover how we can assist you in reaching new heights in your business ventures.
