Supporting & Celebrating Local Entrepreneurs

Marlin Bates
Douglas County Extension Director

marlin speaking close up In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, Douglas County Extension hosted an entrepreneur summit to discuss the state of the ecosystem of supports that we have across the county. Those discussions led to the development of a coalition of entrepreneurs, service providers, and supporters. Through a series of listening sessions, Douglas County CORE surveyed the landscape of entrepreneurial support providers, identified gaps, and began building a reputation as an entrepreneur-led economic development catalyst.
several participants and attendees sitting at tables looking at speaker This Spring, Douglas County CORE partnered with Black:30 to host the 2nd Annual Douglas County Pitch Competition. Organizers of the event received 56 applications from entrepreneurs but only had 18 pitch slots to fill. Regretfully, 38 entrepreneurs were turned away and encouraged to continue looking for opportunities to hone their pitching skills.
Eighteen entrepreneurs (9 tech-enabled, 9 non-tech) presented their business plan pitches on April 25, 2024, at the Jayhawk Welcome Center on the KU Campus. DiehlPerry and MedsPaw tied for first place in the tech-enabled track and Erell Institute took the prize in the non-tech track. Every business that pitched was awarded something – a hopeful gesture that acknowledges the value of each of these entrepreneurs.
Since the pitch competition, Douglas County CORE has hosted a feedback session where entrepreneurs provided their ideas on how to make next year’s competition even better. If you’re interested in supporting entrepreneurs, have a business idea of your own, or just want to engage with a community of innovators, we invite you to reach out via the website: https://douglascountycore.com/

Pictures by: GASKINS PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION, LLC