The HERImpact Kansas City Entrepreneurship Summit is a free, public event taking place on Friday, November 11 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Attracting diverse leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals from across the region, the summit provides an opportunity to connect with emerging founders and learn about the fundamentals of building a business and fundraising, among other workshop topics. Participants will leave with a better understanding of what it means to be a social entrepreneur and how to scale their operations. To attend, please register here.
HERImpact is a national program powered by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the global philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company and 1863 Ventures since 2018, designed to help social entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses in order to increase their impact and long-term sustainability.
Thoughts from organizers
“Entrepreneurs and small business owners are the lifeblood of our communities,” said Yisel Cabrera, senior manager of economic mobility at Ford Motor Company Fund. “But for too long, systemic barriers to financial resources and investments have prevented women, under-represented and under-resourced founders from starting and growing small businesses. Through our partnership with HERImpact, Ford Fund has the opportunity to expand the resources necessary to increase the number of women-owned businesses and women founders across Kansas City and beyond.”
The HERImpact Kansas City Entrepreneurship Summit is a day of empowerment replete with technical assistance, mentorship and business development resources to encourage creatives, startups and small business owners to accelerate and enrich their communities. Following the summit in November will be the HERImpact Kansas City Pitch Competition in early 2023, reserved for women social entrepreneurs to apply for various cash prizes.
“Entrepreneurship is an increasingly viable pathway to build wealth,” said Melissa Bradley, Founder and Managing Partner of 1863 Ventures. “New business applications have increased more over the last two years than they had in the past 15. In 2021, 11 percent of new business owners were Black, compared to just three percent in recent years. 49 percent were also women, but obstacles remain and men still outnumber women 3-1 when it comes to business ownership. An astounding 17 percent of Black women are in the process of starting or running new businesses. That’s compared to just 10 percent of white women and 15 percent of white men. Latina women, moreover, are the fastest growing segment of business owners, having grown 87 percent since 2007.”
About the event
- HERImpact Kansas City Entrepreneurship Summit
- November 11, 2022
- 10 AM – 5 PM
- University Missouri-Kansas City
- Bloch Executive Hall
- Room 218
- 5108 Cherry St, Kansas City, MO, 64110
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company. Established in 1949, Ford Fund invests in transformational programs that advance innovation, empower people, promote social mobility and improve community prosperity. Ford Fund works with local and global partners to create opportunities in education, encourage safe driving, enlist employee volunteers and enrich community life. For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.
About 1863 Ventures
1863 Ventures is an independent, Black-led national business development nonprofit and venture capital accelerator for New Majority founders (i.e., individuals who have been historically marginalized). The District of Columbia-based organization supports over 3,200 entrepreneurs across the United States, leveraging capital investments, owned curricula, grant support, and corporate partnerships to scale businesses from high potential to high growth. Learn more at 1863ventures.net.
If you’re looking for more free resources, check out the 2022 Resource Guide for Female Entrepreneurs.
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