Very little of our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem happens on an island. So much of the success for our businesses, founders and events can be traced back to a small army of supporters, networkers, mentors and investors. If you’re ever overwhelmed, there’s no doubt someone to keep you upbeat.
Community leaders don’t often toot their own horn, so I wanted to take a minute to say a big thanks to one of the leaders that has been with us every step of the way. The entire Sprint team has been critical to not only our success, but countless others. They have a passion for helping and connecting entrepreneurs who want to call Kansas City and the greater region home. To say thanks, let me count some of the ways they do amazing work for our community (it’s a lot more than letting us crash their beautiful building in the Crossroads):
- The Sprint Accelerator building: We get to call it home, but it’s much more than any one purpose. It’s a community gathering point and co-working hotspot packed with programming and meetups. Athena League, Boys Grow, KC Digital Drive, Blue Valley Caps and many others are upstairs all the time—and often using it for free. The team is bringing great minds together all the time.
- Techstars: You may have heard of this, but it’s not every day that a city brings a high-profile, highly valuable centerpiece like an accelerator powered by Techstars. It’s bringing national talent and exposure to KC and the connections already made are astounding. You really should apply right now, or pass it on to a great startup!
- The Mentor Network: Sprint execs are taking the time to match up with Kansas City entrepreneurs who need help in their areas of expertise. It’s a much-needed effort we’ll be following as the third session begins next month.
- The Corporate Startup Collaborative: There had been a bit of a divide between entrepreneurs and corporations just a few years ago. Sprint continues to tackle that challenge head on (read no. 3), especially by starting the CSC, which includes companies like Hallmark and DST. They’ve turned the group over to KCnext to lead great events like the Reverse Pitch.
- Sponsor, and sponsor even more: The glue that holds everything together, Sprint constantly supports events that matter to our community. Whether it’s SPN’s own Big Kansas City or 1 Week KC, they’re involved and engaged. It’s rare to find an event without someone from their team.
This is just a simple thanks for all of their efforts, and I hope you’ll join in me in giving them a high five the next time you see any of their folks out and about. They’ve been partners in our journey from day one and I couldn’t pass up a chance to give them a shoutout.
Thanks to our sponsor
Credits: Photo from TEDxKC’s Facebook page.
