Kauffman Foundation-sponsored initiative to help small businesses

ScaleUP! KC is set to return in January for its 11th cohort, which now is a 16-week interactive virtual experience that blends high-impact training with expert speakers, peer mentoring and one-on-one business coaching, said Jill Hathaway, program director for ScaleUP! KC.

The program seeks 15 growth-oriented entrepreneurs and firms that already have a strong foothold, with special emphasis on recruiting under-resourced communities/populations.

Funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the City of Kansas City, Mo. and the U.S. Small Business Administration, it is administered by the UMKC Innovation Center. Applications are open through Dec. 23, 2020, 

The new cohort comes at a time when small businesses need the tools to help them scale and remain resilient in the future, Hathaway said.

“ScaleUP! KC offers something vital for these scaling small businesses that fuel the economy in our metro,” Hathaway said. “Even after the course ends, the lessons, insight and connections that ScaleUP! KC small businesses get from the program last well into the future and equip them to navigate challenges they might face down the road.”

The program is intended for companies in business for at least two years, have at least two employees, have revenues greater than $200,000 and are ready to aim well beyond $1 million in revenue, Hathaway added. ScaleUP! KC helps business owners forecast revenue and expenses, create value, carve a niche market, hire the right employees and formulate a succession plan.

In addition to lessons from expert coaches, business owners also learn from their peers who hail from the tech sector, manufacturing, service industries and many other areas of business.