The Center of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED) has unveiled two major initiatives this week: Startland News, a digital news outlet covering KC-based startups, and Village Square, a co-working space in KCK’s Startup Village neighborhood.
A large crowd attended an open house on April 15 at Village Square, 4436 State Line Road. CEED worked on remodeling the Village Square building for about a year, organizers said.
“This has been a dream of the village’s for a long time,” said Adam Arredondo, CEED’s co-founder and a leader in Startup Village.
What Is Village Square?
The Startup Village area, which was the first in the metro to receive access to Google Fiber, is already home to several early-stage companies. The addition of a co-working space will make it even easier for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to get started and connect with other startup founders.
Village Square has work stations for 20 entrepreneurs, a conference room and Google Fiber service.
“Over the years, the Village has grown to become an area with a dense population of early-stage startups with new needs,” Arredondo said. “To address that, we’ve created a centralized space for entrepreneurs to collaborate and get their businesses off the ground. Ultimately, Village Square is a place for early-stage entrepreneurs to thrive and, in doing so, further strengthen Kansas City’s greater startup community.”
What is Startland News?
Startland News, meanwhile, will be devoted to stories about the local startup community. Bobby Burch, formerly of the Kansas City Business Journal, is the editor in chief.
“Our startup community is more than a group of entrepreneurs,” said Abby Tillman, CEED co-founder and Startland News managing director. “It includes city leaders, educators, investors and corporations in Kansas City who strongly support innovation and entrepreneurship. Our team has spent years building relationships with those key stakeholders, and now we have a chance to share their stories, locally, and with the rest of the country.”
Both projects fit with CEED’s larger mission of fueling the growth of Kansas City’s startup community.
