One of the best-known accelerators in the Midwest has put out its call to entrepreneurs for the upcoming year.
Pipeline Entrepreneurs in Kansas City this week opened applications for its 2023 fellowship program — a year-long series for selected startups working to scale their business.
Applications are now available online and the process will remain open through Nov. 16.
“The content and camaraderie are invaluable,” says Maria Flynn, a past Pipeline participant through Orbis Biosciences who now helps consult other entrepreneurs in Kansas City. “If you are building a high-growth company and thinking about applying, go for it. Pipeline is so worth your time.”
Pipeline, which was founded in 2006, has built a portfolio of more than 180 entrepreneurs through its programming. The organization says those startups have generated a combined $2.2 billion in revenues, grown to employ more than 3,500 people in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, and raised $765 million in outside capital since becoming part of Pipeline.
Recent Pipeline participants from Wichita include mmnt (formerly KingFit) founder Miguel Johns, Jessica McDonald of Jenny Dawn Cellars, Lawn Buddy’s Steven Werner, and Ramsey Jamoul of Unified eSports Association.
In addition to its traditional fellowship program, Pipeline has also opened applications for the second cohort group of its new Pathfinder program that focuses on underserved entrepreneurs.
Pipeline Pathfinder will look to again support women, minority and rural entrepreneurs with resources and mentoring, in addition to bringing those participants together with its other fellows for networking and professional development through 2023.
“We are incredibly excited to see this important program continue to expand in 2023 with our second Pathfinder cohort, while still providing resources to our 2022 Pathfinders,” said Pipeline executive director Melissa Vincent. “Our hope is that by building out this earlier entry point into the Pipeline Fellowship program we are able to create a continuum of resources, network and support for underserved entrepreneurs looking to build high growth companies that previously did not exist.”
While there were no local entrepreneurs in the 2022 fellowship program, Jacob Calhoun of on-demand fuel service Soya LLC in Wichita was a 2022 Pathfinder member.
