We interviewed Adam Arredondo, co-founder and CEO of Local Ruckus and a current resident in the Kansas City Startup Village (KCSV), and asked him a few questions about KCSV and his experiences there.
Q. Twentyseven Global: How would you describe the culture at Kansas City Startup Village?
A. Adam: First off, it’s important to know that it was not planned. It was a series of serendipitous events that initially started KCSV. Once we saw this exciting opportunity, our focus turned toward creating startup density which would result in more collaboration and communication between startups. Physical density leads to serendipitous collisions (unplanned meetings) of like-minded innovative people often resulting in great ideas and allows startups to leverage the experiences of other entrepreneurs.
Q. Twentyseven Global: What makes KCSV unique?
A. Adam: It is the only place in Kansas City that offers dense startup community with companies at many different stages of development and with people from all over the country. It is also the only live and work startup space in Kansas City. It’s also located right on the state line which makes it unique and helps eliminate the constant pull back and forth between Missouri and Kansas.
Q. Twentyseven Global: What does the future look like for KCSV?
A. Adam: We are excited to expand to Missouri. The first Missouri residential property is coming online around July 1st. We currently have 10 startup properties within three blocks of 45th and State Line Road with roughly 20 startups. We would like to see more properties pop up and get to the point where we reach critical mass and it becomes self-sustainable.
Q. Twentyseven Global: How does KCSV compare to Silicon Valley or any other national tech ecosystems?
A. Adam: KCSV is simply an important part of the larger KC startup community. KCSV is a unique community that has a Kansas City-flare with live and work spaces popping up almost overnight in one neighborhood. I haven’t heard of anything like this anywhere else.
Q. Twentyseven Global: Has the recent national media attention added value to the initiatives or just enhanced the visibility?
A. Adam: Yes. It has opened a lot eyes and is giving us credibility with civic and corporate leaders in the Kansas City community and beyond. It’s put us in a position to really change the economic future of Kansas City for the better. The next year is going to be very exciting!
—-
The Kansas City Startup Village describes themselves as an “entrepreneur-led, organic, grassroots initiative helping to bolster the Kansas City entrepreneur and startup community.”
Their mission is to help build a community of startups that focuses on collaborating while trying to make Kansas City the premiere startup city in America. The Startup Village is located in the Google Fiber “fiberhood” in Hanover Heights nears 45th and State Line Road. There are currently 19 startups in Kansas City Startup Village.
