KCSourceLink, a part of the UMKC Innovation Center, helps lead the effort to make Kansas City America’s most entrepreneurial city. That means they connect entrepreneurs to resources, coaches, funding, education, and help coordinate events for entrepreneurs, like Global Entrepreneurship Week. They also help monitor Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem: they measure outcomes, work with their Resource Partners to fill gaps in resources, and bring national resources to the community through grants such as the i6 Challenge and the University Center grants from the Department of Commerce EDA.

This work has only increased since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In fact, challenging economic times have historically seen increases in entrepreneurial activity. During the third quarter of 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reported an uptick in business application and formation statistics.

Here in Kansas City, KCSourceLink has seen a 176% increase in calls to their help desk from April to October as well as a 367% increase in the number of people who reported starting a business.

In response, they have curated this list of free and low-cost classes for would-be entrepreneurs. 

*This entry is an abbreviated version of a larger blog post from KCSourceLink