The
evening of Friday, February 8 was Kansas City’s inaugural Startup Crawl. As the
buzz built for weeks, and the RSVPs stacked up, everyone seemed to be wondering
exactly how things would shape up. An event of unprecedented scope and
partnership, the Startup Crawl, organized by Red Nova Labs (the mastermind
behind Venture Fridays),
showcased some of Kansas City’s fastest-growing startups.
I
was lucky enough to attend Startup Crawl from start to finish (or should I say
from Kauffman to Startup Village). Here’s a little recap of exactly what my
crawl looked like:
STARTUP CRAWL STOP
1: The Kauffman Foundation
I started at the Kauffman Foundation at 4801 Rockhill Road. The Kauffman Foundation is perhaps
the single largest source of support for Kansas City entrepreneurs. Host of the
weekly forum 1 Million Cups,
a meeting which gives two companies the opportunity to present to a wide range
of Kansas City entrepreneurs, mentors, and advisors, the Kauffman Foundation is
near the epicenter of the Kansas City startup scene.
The
organization’s dedication to exposing local companies to broad audiences showed
in their food selection alone. Given prominent placement at the food table were
local companies like Milk & Honey, creators of flavorfully innovative, artistic, and original
French Macaroons.
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| Milk & Honey macaroons were full
of complex flavor and texture |
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| Locally-made finger foods like these
fruit tarts were a real treat at Kauffman |
In
addition to the gourmet finger foods and beverages (including a soda
refrigerator full of Mountain Dew!), Kauffman also had a variety of activities.
You could attend Marketing Trivia, with a new game starting every 15 minutes,
or you could have your photo taken at the Kauffman Lab photo booth (the
pictures will soon be uploaded to their Facebook page). You could even write
your Twitter handle on the networking whiteboard, or engage in the main draw of
the evening: conversation. Walking through the room, I could hear dozens
of people networking – explaining what they did, why it mattered, and how they
could potentially connect with the person they were talking with. The room was
humming with energy, insight and prospect.
 |
| A Kauffman Labs photographer was on
hand to take pictures for their Facebook page |
STARTUP CRAWL STOP 2: Think Big Partners
After
a half hour at Kauffman, the shuttle arrived and we boarded. The shuttle ride
was heated, spacious and relaxing. Our next stop was Think Big Partners
at 1800 Baltimore. Choosing the stairs over the elevator, it was exciting to
hear the conversations grow louder with each step. Upon walking through the
glass doors, the first thing to be noticed was the Roasterie coffee bar, Kansas City’s great coffee company being a
staple in the Thing Big offices. The next was the panoramic view. The third was
the keg of Boulevard Wheat beer, which a group of Kansas City entrepreneurs
were heartily enjoying. Tyler Prochnow, senior partner and co-founder of Think
Big Partners, was welcoming visitors and readily answering any questions they
had.
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| The Roasterie coffee bar with the
Kansas City skyline as a backdrop |
But
the beer wasn’t the only thing keeping people flowing through the doors at
Think Big Partners. The sprawling office space, with its panoramic views of the
city and multiple stories of collaborative use, was thoroughly engaging. Revdel, a cloud-based events-scheduling service provider founded
by Patrick Stoddart, was being showcased on the fourth floor.
 |
| The 6th floor of Think Big Partners
houses the stunning bizperc event space |
The
fourth floor of the building boasts meeting rooms, a productivity center, a
resource library, a kitchen, a mailroom, and Roasterie coffee bar. More
established startups and entrepreneurs are housed on the fifth floor, including
reclaimed material marketplace Planet Reuse,
mobile banking platform Dwolla,
and community engagement platform Mindmixer,
to name a few. CandyCam Multimedia Robotics
was even demoing their Skyhook Prototype, an innovative approach to camera technology
that will certainly be a game changer (shown below).
 |
| The Skyhook Prototype is a
fascinating, mathematically brilliant innovation in camera technology |
STARTUP CRAWL STOP 2:
OfficePort
The
next stop on the tour was OfficePort,
a coworking space at 208 W. 19th Street. Outside the office, the iconic
Roasterie Airstream was serving hot coffee. After getting a coffee warm-up, we
walked inside and were greeted by friendly staff.
 |
| The Roasterie Airstream made an
appearance outside OfficePort |
The
OP staff explained the OfficePort concept: a month-to-month office space rental
that can be scaled to meet your size needs at any time. The innovative office
space concept felt highly conducive to collaboration and creativity. In
addition to boasting a roof-full of solar panels, OfficePort also houses EventPort, a 3,000 square foot event space
which is often used for performance events.
 |
| The month-to-month, on-demand sizing
concept ensures that startup companies can grow at their own pace |
OfficePort
was highlighting its collaboration with Kansas
City B-Cycle, a membership-based city-wide
bicycle rental concept. Right next to the bicycles was an open whiskey bar, an
OfficePort Friday tradition. The room was full of Kansas City entrepreneurs
networking and having fun. The mood was relaxed and inviting.
 |
| Just one of the many whiskey’s
available for tasting at OfficePort |
STARTUP CRAWL STOP 4: BetaBlox
Next
up on the tour was BetaBlox
at 3101 Mercier. BetaBlox, a seed accelerator/startup incubator, is housed in
the incredibly unique Downtown Underground. Because of the nature of being housed
underground, it doesn’t require heating in the winter or very much cooling in
the summer.
 |
The Downtown Underground is an
innovative entrepreneurial environment
|
We
weren’t sure what to expect from an underground office, but we were pleasantly
surprised. Similar to other stops on the tour, BetaBlox had Boulevard beer on
tap. The mood at BetaBlox felt more focused on the networking aspect of the
tour, with beer and snacks being all they needed to inspire countless
conversations among guests.
 |
| The stripped-down feel of BetaBlox
radiated focus on the work |
The
space at BetaBlox was impressive, with the exposed limestone underground
drawing a lot of attention from visitors. BetaBlox had the feel of a lean
startup environment akin to an early-day Facebook. While the space didn’t have
the city views of some of the other spaces, it was nonetheless captivating. The
room was alive with energy.
 |
| The exposed and painted limestone was of high interest to guests |
STARTUP CRAWL STOP 5: Red Nova Labs
Our
next stop was Red Nova Labs
at 4830 Rainbow. Red Nova Labs is a diverse work space, housing web developers,
marketing agencies and technology think-tanks in its large space. A keg,
self-serve bar and food center (including hot dogs!) and ping pong table set
the fun mood.
 |
| Red Nova Labs made sure to create a fun, engaging environment |
Local
startups were being showcased around the room. The CEOs of Ruxter and BuzzMeDo,
mobile marketing platforms changing the ways companies communicate with
companies, were manning an information booth and networking. The Kansas City Cupcake Co.,
a company which makes custom cupcakes for businesses, was sampling their
different varieties. Stand Up For Good, a community mobilization platform, and KC Roundtable, an entrepreneurial leadership group, both had networking
tables as well.
 |
| Ruxter and BuzzMeDo were two of many companies networking at Red Nova Labs |
Like
so many other spaces we had seen over the course of the evening, it was clear
that the space at Red Nova Labs was intentionally designed with collaboration
in mind. The open floor plan, centrally located kitchen, and multi-level space
all encourage startups and entrepreneurs to create together.
 |
| The hot dog bar was a big hit with guests |
STARTUP CRAWL STOP 6 (LAST STOP!): Kansas City Startup
Village
Our
final stop of the Startup Crawl was Kansas City Startup Village
at 4454 State Line Road, a grassroots entrepreneurial initiative. We were
surprised when the shuttle pulled up to a house! Upon entering, however, it was
clear this was no ordinary space. Innovative startups lived inside – from the
mobile search app Leap2, to the mobile authentication app EyeVerify, to the social voting platform SquareOffs, to
multiple others, the house was packed to the brim with startups.
 |
| The Weston Brewing Company showcased their entire selection |
The
house was packed with guests who were enjoying regional brewery Weston Brewing Company’s
entire selection. A live band filled the air with music, and a fire pit kept
the outside guests warm. The offices inside were spacious. One can only imagine
how much collaboration a typical day brings.
 |
| What on the outside looks like a regular house turns out to be an innovation nexus on the inside |
Since
this was our last stop, we stuck around for a little while and enjoyed the
music and conversation. It felt like the perfect end to an unprecedented
evening.
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| A bluegrass band completed a fun-filled evening |
Carrie
Royce, co-founder/CMO/CSO of Red Nova Labs and organizer of the Venture Fridays
Startup Crawl, did an amazing job organizing this event. Unprecedented in
scope, the Startup Crawl shined a bright spotlight on the Kansas City startup
scene. If it wasn’t before, it is clear now that Kansas City is full of
entrepreneurs who are bringing innovative, game-changing products and services
to the world. The sheer proximity to so much creativity was stunning.
Whether you were an industry veteran or a first-timer looking to learn more
about the Kansas City startup scene, this event had something for everyone.
It
was clear throughout the evening that every participant in the Startup Crawl
had invested time, money and thought in how best to facilitate networking in
their respective spaces. These initial investments are investments in the
future. Throughout the evening I kept thinking about how much money was being
generated through the crawl, in terms of future collaborations, inventions and
companies that will be created from networking. It might not be immediate, but
eventually the fruits of the startup crawl networking will show, and if the
countless conversations throughout the night are an indicator, they will occur
in abundance. So while this startup experience was fun and informative, it was
also a boon to the local economy. Here’s to the future we’re creating together,
and to more events like this one that help make such a future possible.
Locations included Red Nova Labs, KC Startup Village, Kauffman Foundation, Think Big Partners, Office Port and BetaBlox. Five Overland Park Limo coaches looped the route, picking up from each spot on the half-hour mark from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
