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LaunchKC studio cultivates regenerative look at social challenges; this founder grew his business too
Joining the third cohort of LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio forced Jacob Canyon to get out of the day-to-day operations of Good Oak — even if for just one day a week — and instead focus on building the business, he shared.
“Having that time set aside to do the long-term thinking and strategic stuff has been big,” explained the co-founder of Good Oak, which builds farms that promote biodiversity and rich soil, restoring ecosystems on public and private lands and teaching regenerative agriculture practices.
Social Venture Studio — launched in 2022 to help boost promising social ventures as they create sustainable business models to tackle social, racial, or environmental issues — just celebrated the conclusion of its third cohort with a demo day, where companies revealed their updated pitches to potential funders and supporters, at Keystone Community Corporation’s event space in the East Crossroads.
Keystone and Social Impact Advising Group administer programming for the studio.
Steve Gardner, a veteran entrepreneur and mentor to Good Oak during LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio, speaks during the cohort’s demo day; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“This is one of the coolest programs that I get a chance to be a part of because, as an entrepreneur myself, I love entrepreneurs for a very, very simple reason,” said Steve Gardner, Canyon’s mentor during the program. “As much as we may look at the news and go, ‘Man, this world is kind of rough and there’s a lot of problems, a lot of big challenges ahead of us.’ Entrepreneurs solve those.”
Canyon and Good Oak are tackling significant food-related issues through regenerative agriculture — just a “really tiny, tiny issue” — Gardner joked.
“We’ve got a few of those,” he added.
Before launching Good Oak, Canyon worked in conservation and prairie restoration for nonprofits and local municipalities, he shared. He loved it but felt like the model was limited.
“We were working so hard to protect these couple of different natural areas that were really threatened and slowly losing ground, frankly,” he explained.
Jacob Canyon, Good Oak, pitches his company during a demo day event for LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Meanwhile, he noted, while volunteering for an urban farm and community garden, he saw the opposite happen.
“I got to see vacant lots that were full of trash and hard-packed clay converted into really beautiful, thriving ecosystems in the context of farming,” he recalled. “It helped me see that there was a way to start to regenerate the damage that’s being done to the earth.”
Social Venture Studio has helped Canyon to understand how to communicate Good Oak’s mission effectively to potential funders, he said. However, the best thing about the program is the connections built with the other cohort members, along with experts and key players in the Kansas City business community.
“Engaging with a wide swath of entrepreneurs, professionals, and mentors gave me a great education in moving a startup through different stages of development and exposed me to the collective wisdom of subject matter experts that have helped refine my business’s operations,” he explained.
Mandy Shoemaker pitches Connectivities during a demo day event for LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Mandy Shoemaker — founder of Connectivities — agreed with Canyon that the relationships in Social Venture Studio were key for her and her business, which creates ready-to-go, hands-on learning kits specifically designed for teaching social skills and special education. She said the program provided a super supportive environment where the focus was not solely on the bottom line.
“I learned something every week because of the diverse backgrounds of the other founders,” she continued. “The program provides an excellent network and connections to people who have their finger on the pulse of what is happening in KC.”
Cohort members and organizers from LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio; photo courtesy of Jacqueline Erickson Russell, Social Impact Advising Group
Social Venture Studio is valuable for entrepreneurs who value financial performance equally as much as they find worth in making a positive impact in a given community, noted Godfrey Riddle, founder of Civic Saint, which sustainably creates artful, affordable homes using compressed earthen blocks (CEBs) for revitalization and wealth creation in redlined areas.
“The program allows you to apply the tools of business to solving long-standing social challenges that must be corrected in order to move Kansas City, and society, forward,” he explained. “You will leave a more thoughtful, pragmatic, and confident social leader.”
Jacqueline Erickson Russell, Social Impact Advising Group, speaks during a demo day event for LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Other cohort members include:
- Base Academy of Music, Clinton Velazquez — Through the private music lesson format, students at BAM develop relationships with caring mentors, dive deep into learning, and come regularly to a place where joy is emphasized, celebrated, and prioritized.
- CoBuild, Tate Williams — CoBuild is a residential construction employment social enterprise providing sustainable employment and trade skills training for young people while simultaneously building housing supply, including affordable housing for non-profit clients.
- Integrity Capital Management, Terrell Jolley — Integrity Capital Management provides more than just housing; it aims to offer comprehensive support and services, ensuring residents not only have a place to live but a supportive environment in which they can thrive.
- Storytailor, JQ Sirls and Herston Fails — Storytailor provides AI-powered, personalized storytelling for children aged 3-8, offering customizable stories that cater to individual preferences and developmental needs.
ICYMI: CoBuild’s Tate Williams plans to sell his startup (but he’s not looking for an exit)
Check out more photos from the demo day event below.
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