As host cities across North America prepare to welcome the world in 2026, Kansas City entrepreneurs are already getting in formation — with a choreographed assist from backers at the City of Entrepreneurs initiative.
That REP URS spirit was on full display Wednesday during an Open Doors! Spotlight event at DISTRKCT, offering a closer look at the businesses, partnerships and plans intended to help locals benefit from the FIFA World Cup.
The showcase centered on Open Doors!, a program designed by leaders at City of Entrepreneurs — a partnership between the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) — to help entrepreneurs move into storefronts, grow their visibility and meet the expected wave of visitors headed to Kansas City next summer.
“We are going to build the ecosystem in Kansas City that we have needed to have for years,” Mayor Quinton Lucas told attendees. “We’re not waiting for anybody else to build it for us.”
Open Doors! helps participating businesses with subsidized leases, grants for buildouts and inventory, and access to legal, financial and marketing support.
“We’re not going to have the same stories we had after previous events in this city,” Lucas said, referencing frustrations that followed the NFL Draft in 2023, “where we heard small businesses were left out or people weren’t allowed in it. Instead, we’re going to build something special for Kansas City.”
Organizers stressed that the initiative is meant to create staying power, not just short-term buzz around the World Cup.
“We didn’t just put entrepreneurs in storefronts,” said Nia Webster, assistant director of KCMO’s Neighborhood Services Department and the chief organizer behind City of Entrepreneurs. “We said, OK, what else do you need for you all to be successful?”
Filling storefronts, fueling growth
Wednesday’s event gave attendees a first look at the entrepreneurs selected for the program, which received more than 400 applications before narrowing participants to nearly two dozen businesses across food, fashion, art, retail and culture.
Many of the selected concepts are clustered near downtown, River Market, 18th & Vine, Midtown and along the KC Streetcar route, making them easier for visitors and residents to discover.
“We started off with 463 applications,” said Webster. “We had a different challenge where we had to identify spaces and find businesses at the same time, and then match them up.”
City leaders hope the initiative becomes a long-term economic development tool, not a one-off World Cup experiment.
“When it comes to this program, there is nothing that I can think of that is an economic development tool around attraction and retention for small businesses,” Webster said. “If this program works out, we can absolutely have a tool and a way to help our businesses retain, expand, and grow.”
Airbnb opens a digital front door
A new partnership with Airbnb aims to help visitors discover Kansas City through local businesses.
Jonathan Buckner, Airbnb’s public policy manager, detailed plans for a digital small business guide — expected to launch June 1 — that highlights Open Doors! entrepreneurs alongside recommendations from local Airbnb hosts.
“Big events and entrepreneurs are in the DNA of Airbnb,” said Buckner. “Airbnb was created in 2007 where two guys were trying to pay their rent, and three people needed somewhere to stay.”
The guide is expected to direct tourists toward local restaurants, retailers, artists and neighborhood destinations during the World Cup.
“We wanted to make sure that all of the guests from across the world who were coming to Kansas City had that guide at their fingertips,” said Buckner.
IKEA, Union Station join the lineup
The evening also shined a spotlight on partnerships taking shape beyond storefronts.
At IKEA Merriam, local artists are being featured through a rotating exhibit developed in partnership with the African Americans Art Collective. Brandon Adams, market manager for IKEA Merriam, said the company also expanded restaurant seating ahead of the World Cup as part of broader preparations.
“This has been super rewarding,” said Adams.
Webster also previewed plans for a World Cup marketplace at Union Station, expected to feature more than 90 small businesses, artists and organizations during a multiweek activation next summer.
The project came together quickly after organizers learned earlier this year that space in the iconic venue’s Grand Hall was still not reserved.
“We found out Union Station was available back in March,” said Webster. “We had to pivot in our plans to figure out how to find a half a million dollars to go make this happen.”
For Webster, the work represents a bigger bet on Kansas City’s entrepreneurial identity, one she said should last beyond soccer season.
“Kansas City — with Kauffman in our backyard — has no excuse to not be that city of entrepreneurs and be the example for other cities,” Webster said.
This story was first published in Startland News.
