The Porter House KC’s Alchemy Sandbox program has funded 20 local entrepreneurs since launching in January 2022.
It’s an investment in Kansas City’s urban core and one that builds sustainability, The Porter House KC co-founder Daniel Smith said. The program, made possible through a $350,000 grant from UMB Bank, provides $5,000 grants to entrepreneurs for uses such as rental assistance, equipment repairs, back-office support and other business operations.
It’s a small amount, but it makes a big difference. Some of the program’s entrepreneurs have used the funding to repair kitchen equipment or install signage for their businesses, a key marketing component they couldn’t previously afford. Ice Studios School of Dance, which teaches ages 2.5 to 18, is using the grant to hire more instructors.
For Kansas City-based The Rolling Garden, the $5,000 grant removes a major stressor — running out of room to store its tropical house plants. Co-founder Tryce Nelson described the startup, which launched last year, as a “plant shop on wheels.” The mobile truck travels throughout the metro for popups at local businesses and events such as Boulevardia. The grant will enable The Rolling Garden to build a greenhouse to store plants and increase plant quantities.
“We don’t have a shop, so we are running this out of our house right now. If you can imagine having 100-plus plants in your house; we have every one of our windows filled,” Nelson said. “The greenhouse will greatly decrease the amount of work we have to do. We’re watering them in our shower right now.”
With the greenhouse, co-founders Nelson and Steven Morrill envision hosting a variety of video workshops and potentially hosting some in-person ones too.
“Having this greenhouse decreases so much stress. It puts us in a position where our business can really thrive,” Nelson said.
Eventually, the partners want to open a brick-and-mortar plant shop and make it a full-time business.
Alchemy Sandbox’s benefits transcend the funding and the winners, Smith said. To apply for the grants, entrepreneurs must participate in a 2.5-hour pitch class led by the Missouri Small Business Development Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and other community stakeholders.
“A lot of these folks are really great at the products they sell or what they do, but they’re not really great at talking about it or the formalities,” Smith said. “We’ve gotten testimonials back from a lot of businesses that didn’t even win that appreciated the opportunity to learn more about what it means to pitch your business and what it means to be fully organized.”
To date, about 150 entrepreneurs have participated in the pitch class. The class, along with the judging process, gives entrepreneurs access to individuals who can help them further their business, he said. Alchemy Sandbox will fund another 20 entrepreneurs this year, and the organization hopes to continue the program beyond 2023. It builds on The Porter House KC’s mission of reducing barriers to entrepreneurship.
“Our goal is to have an impact on the small businesses we support in the community, so they can continue to scale deep into the community and be a viable resource for the neighborhoods and communities that they serve,” Smith said.
