KC Startup Village could put a dent in the fabric of Kansas City

(Guest post by Matthew Marcus.) During one of his more memorable speeches, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his employees, “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” At first glance, one might presume Jobs was simply telling his minions that he wanted Apple to change the world.…

About the author: Matthew Marcus is an organizer of grassroots initiative Kansas City Startup Village.

Note: With the Startup Village in the spotlight recently, including attention from CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, Silicon Prairie News invited Marcus to share his perspective of the effort.

During one of his more memorable speeches, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his employees, “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

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At first glance, one might presume Jobs was simply telling his minions that he wanted Apple to change the world. But, I believe Jobs had a deeper meaning in mind. I think he used the word “here” not just in reference to a location, but also to a moment in time. As if the powers-that-be purposely decided that they should all exist in the same place, at the same time, so their combined and predetermined fate of altering the direction of mankind’s existence could go its due course. These unseen energies came together in the 1980s in Cupertino, and I think they’re amassing again right now and right here in Kansas City.

The simple definition of the Kansas City Startup Village (#KCSV) is “an entrepreneur-led, organic, grassroots initiative helping to bolster the Kansas City entrepreneur and startup scene by creating a concentrated and collaborative community of startups.” But what really is the #KCSV?

It’s a product of its own vision: a series of serendipitous occurrences and collisions that have led to the creation of something not foreseen (or planned for that matter). The fortuitous list is long, but anyone who knows the whole story of how the #KCSV came to be and where it stands now will probably tell you there is something bigger happening than meets the eye.

The #KCSV and the wonderful, impassioned, dedicated volunteers and organizations behind it have, in just a few short months, achieved nothing short of greatness. Together, they have not only built a community which bridges the two sides of Kansas City and consists of 15-plus startups and countless entrepreneurs, but they have also greatly strengthened and furthered the nationally recognized entity known as the “Silicon Prairie.” Can this simply be attributed to their weekly meetings and their group emails, or does something or someone want this to happen?

It’s likely we will never know the truth, and it would be downright foolish to think the #KCSV will alter the course of mankind as Apple has done. But if 5, 10, 20 years from now the startup, entrepreneur and business landscapes of Kansas City are in a better place thanks to the efforts of the #KCSV and the leaders and feeders that make it possible, it might be because, “we’re here to put a dent in the fabric of Kansas City. Otherwise why else even be here?”

For more information about the Kansas City Startup Village, please visit kcstartupvillage.org.

Credits: Image courtesy of IconDesignLAB. Matthew Marcus photo courtesy of Marcus.


About the author: Matthew W. Marcus is the co-founder and CTO of Kansas City, Kan. startup Local Ruckus, the easiest, most enjoyable way to discover and share local events. He’s also responsible for the creation of MWM Consulting, KULA Causes and the #boomsizzle hashtag. In his spare time, he enjoys fumbling around on his guitar, pretending he can beat Phil Ivey heads-up, and dreaming that he can make the world a better place before his days are done.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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