Introducing the 2024 AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition Finalists

AltCap is thrilled to introduce the 2024 AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition Top 10 and Change Maker finalists!  

This year’s applicants showcased the incredible talent, passion, and innovative spirit of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community. Our judges spent hours deliberating over the inspiring submissions from dozens of entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area.  

Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their vision for building stronger businesses and communities!

The Top 10 Finalists are also now facing off in the Fan Favorite competition to attract the most fan votes to win a $2,500 prize. Head over to the Fan Favorite voting page to watch founders’ pitch videos and to cast your vote.

Congratulations to our 2024 finalists: 

1. Spirit Life Apparel & Screenprinting — 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. The AI HUB: An Art Incubator — 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. Brown Suga* — Founded by Ebony Paul, Brown Suga is a Black-owned bakery that hosts community events and pop-ups.

4. Family and Friends Lawn Service — 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. E-Z Pedicabs — 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. Drill Green KC — 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. Kinship Cafe — Founded by TJ Roberts, Kinship Cafe is a specialty coffee shop that combines coffee and people to create a community.

8. Third Place Lounge — 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. Golazo — Founded by Lesly Romo, Golazo creates unique, competitive, social soccer experiences with variations of soccer from all over the world.

10. CRWND Illustrations — 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.

These entrepreneurs will present their live pitches during Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 at Union Station. Be sure to mark your calendars for the live pitch event, where finalists will compete for the $10,000 second-place prize and the $25,000 grand prize! 

In addition to the Top 10 finalists, we are excited to recognize our Change Maker Award finalists. These entrepreneurs have demonstrated a deep commitment to social impact in Kansas City through their mission.  

Congratulations to the five Change Maker Award finalists: 

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 Innovations — 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 — 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 & Event Center — 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 — 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.

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. 

Don’t miss out on the live pitch event at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 at Union Station, where we’ll crown this year’s grand prize and second-place winner, Change Maker, and Fan Favorite! 

Now in its 9th year, the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition has awarded more than $200,000 in cash prizes to entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area.

Good luck to all the finalists — we’ll see you on Nov. 20!