The 2024 AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition

Welcome to The 2024 AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition!

Entering its 9th year, the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition empowers Kansas City’s emerging entrepreneurs by providing a platform to showcase their businesses and community impact. Finalists will compete for over $40,000 in cash prizes by delivering live pitches on the Global Entrepreneurship Week stage.
Join this event to learn about inspiring businesses, mingle with business owners, and connect with Kansas City's entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders.
Join us for Happy Hour during the judges' deliberation and following the awards presentation.

Congratulations to our Top 10 finalists for 2024! The Top 10 Finalists are competing for the $25,000 grand prize, $10,000 second prize, and the $2,500 Fan Favorite Award. Head to to watch founders’ pitch videos and to cast your vote.

1. — Founded by Debra Smith, Spirit Life Apparel & Screenprinting specializes in screen printing, embroidery, and sublimation to deliver custom apparel with style and creativity, helping clients express their unique identity with top-quality, personalized designs.
   
2. — Founded by Taylor Burris and James Spikes, The AI Hub is an art Incubator that empowers creatives to start, grow, and legitimize their ideas by providing services, resources, and paid opportunities.
   
3. — Founded by Ebony Paul, Brown Suga is a Black-owned bakery that hosts community events and pop-ups.
   
4. — Founded by Raphael Frazier, Family and Friends Lawn Care is a one-person company that provides lawn care services to the KC Metro area.
   
5. — Founded by Atticus Sloan, E-Z Pedicabs enhances short-range urban travel for people and businesses using pedicabs to connect disconnected parts of the city.
   
6. — Founded by Brenda Ochoa-Burciaga, Drill Green KC is a construction company that installs conduit and fiber for internet services in the metro area and rural communities.
   
7. — Founded by TJ Roberts, Kinship Cafe is a specialty coffee shop that combines coffee and people to create a community.
   
8. — Founded by Amanda Blancarte, Third Place Lounge serves unique drinks and hosts fun, free events and collaborations with local artists to foster connections in the community.
   
9. — Founded by Lesly Romo, Golazo creates unique, competitive, social soccer experiences with variations of soccer from all over the world.
   
10. — Founded by Keliah Smith, CRWND Illustrations sells signature designs and products ranging from wall art, vibrant tote bags, hand-crafted greeting cards, notebooks, stickers, and stationery to empower and uplift women of ethnic and multi-cultural backgrounds.
    
    And congratulations to the five Change Maker Award finalists! Each Change Maker finalist is in the running for a $5,000 prize, awarded to the entrepreneur who demonstrates the most significant potential to create meaningful change in our community.
    1. Loyal Academy — Loyal Academy's mission is to empower the community through education in the technological and digital area and to give them the resources and tools necessary to achieve professional and personal success.
    2. — Raise Health's AI solution, DASH, combines lived experiences and evidence-based research to provide real-time mental health detection, enabling early identification, better engagement, and effective support by analyzing communication patterns.
    3. — A Traveled Path Homes is committed to addressing healthcare inequities by providing safe, affordable, and convenient housing for traveling medical professionals, enabling them to focus on patient care in underserved communities.
    4. — Equal Minded Cafe’s mission is to create a safe and welcoming space where diverse cultures and backgrounds come together to form lasting relationships. It supports local artists, activists, and creatives by giving them the opportunity to host pop-ups, showcase their work, and perform for the first time.
    5. — Embrace Your Shine addresses hidden homelessness in Kansas City by providing stable housing, support services, and resources, empowering young adults to turn their passions into professions while promoting long-term stability through job training, education, and healthcare access, ultimately creating a positive community impact.

Host or Publisher AltCap