From Pizza Hut to Freddy's to Weavix, Wichita has a history of supporting new ideas and small business startups.
Many established businesses in Wichita have made a commitment to help startup organizations and serve as mentors. Sometimes large businesses give capital or help with business plans.
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"We're deeply committed to fostering and supporting startups and entrepreneurs," said Adam Tannehill, who is networking officer for business development for Lange Companies. "We all started as a startup, and it turned into one of our cultures, which is the entrepreneurial spirit."
Tannehill works with dozens of startups, as do a number of other large, Wichita-based companies, including Koch Industries, Occidental Management and Emprise Bank.
Koch Disruptive Technologies, a Koch company, looks for ways to support the growth and development of businesses within the local startup ecosystem and globally, said Navin Maharaj, the senior director of Koch Labs, in an email.
In Wichita, that has included an investment in local technology-based startup Weavix, which produces a smartphone-type communication system for on-the-ground industry workers, or helping secure speakers for Wichita Startup Week.
"The unique value we bring to start-ups is a global network of partners and entrepreneurs in diverse sectors and the learnings we've gained from their experiences, as well as our own capabilities," Maharaj said in an email. "So, if someone approaches us with an idea or a challenge, we can tap into deep knowledge networks to provide actionable insights into how a start-up might better serve its customers."
Ben Renn, the manager of the business banking division at Emprise Bank, said the bank enjoys supporting startups in whatever way it can. In addition to offering advice, the bank offers connections, putting startups together with bookkeepers, accountants, attorneys, the Kansas Small Business Development Center and Wichita-based startup groups.
"Generally with a startup business, what we would be looking at is some form of a business plan and financial projections," Renn said.
If the startup is not ready for a bank loan, Renn, like others in the industry, sends them to NXTUS, Startup Grind Wichita or the Kansas Small Business Development Center to try to formulate a business plan.
"What works for one entrepreneur is not necessarily valuable or comfortable for other entrepreneurs," said Gary Oborny, the CEO of Occidental Management, a local development and commercial real estate company. "In order to get companies that can scale, you have to have startups that are the initiation of that. A startup is the start of creating a new company that can hopefully someday scale into a bigger company."
Oborny said the risk level for startups is much higher than an ongoing company.
"But if you don't constantly have new companies pushing technology and innovation and disrupting the business environment, then it's very difficult," he said. "It's somewhat the lifeblood of the ecosystem. Once you create those ecosystems that allow for the entrepreneurs to be in an environment that's conducive to what they're doing, then the next thing is, as they start to identify and initiate their company startup, ... you have to identify those companies that are in that position to move to the next level."
Once the startup reaches a certain level, experienced leaders step in as mentors.
"Then, the next (item) is to have access to capital," Oborny said. "Through NXTUS and several other programs, we create the ability to provide capital either through low interest lending or capital investment from investors."
Startups often face a decision, look for a loan at a bank or rely on investors. Either way, they must come up with a business plan. Usually, a mentor, a small business group or a startup organization is useful to help businesses figure out the next move.
"It takes courage and strength for them to be able to find what their passion is and to pursue that and do it," Renn said. "That's great that people have those ideas and are willing to follow through on them."
Startups often embrace innovation and creativity, which Tannehill calls essential elements for new businesses. But, he said, startups also need help with technology and direction as well as a way of turning their thoughts on paper into something concrete.
"Lange basically wants to help empower those entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality," he said. "The second piece is to walk (them) through the entrepreneurial spirit. We're deeply committed to fostering and supporting startups and entrepreneurs."
