KANSAS CITY, Kan., April 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED) announced two large-scale projects focused on supporting and growing the local startup community: a new digital publication, Startland News, and a new co-working space, Village Square.
The organization will celebrate the two projects at a free, open house event, 4 p.m., April 15 at Village Square, 4436 State Line Road, Kansas City.
Founded in 2014, CEED is dedicated to advancing Kansas City's startup community and ultimately growing the local economy. In addition to its newest projects, CEED also works with city leaders and educators to develop programs that support and inspire entrepreneurship. According to a recent Kauffman Foundation study, startups account for nearly all net new job creation and almost 20 percent of gross job creation.
"Kansas City's startup community has built a solid foundation, but in order to make a substantial impact on our economy, it needs widespread support," said Drew Solomon who leads entrepreneurship and industry initiatives with the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. "CEED's programs and its new publication are creating another pathway to make that happen and raise Kansas City's visibility."
Scheduled to launch this Spring, Startland News will be 100 percent focused on telling stories about Kansas City's startup community.
"Our startup community is more than a group of entrepreneurs," said Abby Tillman, CEED Co-Founder and Startland News Managing Director. "It includes city leaders, educators, investors and corporations in Kansas City who strongly support innovation and entrepreneurship. Our team has spent years building relationships with those key stakeholders and now we have a chance to share their stories, locally, and with the rest of the country."
Abby will work closely with a team of writers, led by Bobby Burch, Startland News Editor-in-Chief and a former reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal.
CEED's second major project is Village Square, a co-working space for early-stage, high growth startups. Located in the heart of the Kansas City Startup Village, the space offers tenants daily networking opportunities, dedicated desk space, a conference room and access to Google Fiber.
The Kansas City Startup Village now hosts 30 startups, up from just five companies when it was settled in 2012.
"Over the years, the Village has grown to become an area with a dense population of early-stage startups with new needs," said Adam Arredondo, CEED Co-Founder and Kansas City Startup Village Co-Leader. "To address that, we've created a centralized space for entrepreneurs to collaborate and get their businesses off the ground. Ultimately, Village Square is a place for early stage entrepreneurs to thrive and in doing so, further strengthen Kansas City's greater startup community."
CEED Open House Details:
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Time: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: 4436 State Line Road, Kansas City, Kansas, 66103
Free to attend. Register at hellovillagesquare.eventbrite.com
About CEED
The Center of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED) is dedicated to growing Kansas City's economy by advancing our entire startup community.
We work with city leaders and educators to develop programs and approaches that support and inspire entrepreneurship. To further our mission, we founded a digital publication, Startland News. We also own and operate Village Square, a co-working space in the Kansas City Startup Village for early-stage, high growth startups. CEED is a part of the Affinity Enterprise Group of companies.
For more information, visit www.ceedthefuture.com or call (816) 225-1636.