Ennovation Center

What Ennovation Center does

Ennovation Center is a nonprofit business incubator founded in 2010 in Independence, Missouri, that provides entrepreneurs with physical workspace, specialized infrastructure, and business support services. It operates out of a repurposed former hospital comprising more than 28,000 square feet of flexible offices, co-working labs, Bio-Safety Level 1 laboratories, and a 24/7 certified commercial kitchen with dedicated gluten-free facilities. The Center serves primarily early-stage food entrepreneurs, technology startups, service-based microbusinesses, inventors, and, through its Real World Learning Partnership, K-12 students in partnership with local schools.

Its core offerings are Workspace & Labs, the Commercial Kitchen Program, Business Support Services (planning, licensing, compliance, marketing guidance provided at no cost), the Startup Growth Program, the iNtech Growth Program (which connects tech startups to Digital Sandbox KC grants of up to $20,000), and Facility Rental for events of up to 100 guests. There is no proprietary technology platform; the differentiated assets are physical infrastructure, a curated resource library, and a network of mentors and advisors. Since 2010 the Center reports having launched more than 600 businesses and generating approximately $20 million in economic impact for Independence and $40 million for the State of Missouri.

The revenue model is a nonprofit blend of facility rental fees (weekday daytime rooms at $25/hour rising to $70/hour on weekends, with add-on security, janitorial, and event manager charges), ticketed programming (Marketing Masterclass series, Book Talk Club), donations, and corporate sponsorships from CentralBank, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Musketeer Healthcare, and StewardShip Capital. Go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, relying on referrals from the City of Independence, the Independence School District, the Independence Economic Development Council, and the Independence Chamber of Commerce, supplemented by signature events such as Taste of Ennovation, The Power of Inventing, and the Juneteenth Independence Celebration.

Name

Ennovation Center

Legal name

Ennovation Center

Website

https://ennovationcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ennovation Center is a nonprofit business incubator in Independence, Missouri that provides 28,000+ sq. ft. of workspace, BSL-1 labs, and a 24/7 certified commercial kitchen, along with no-cost coaching and grant access, to food entrepreneurs, tech startups, and small businesses in the Kansas City metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Business incubation services
• Commercial kitchen rental
• Entrepreneur support programs
• Startup workspace access
• Small business mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Independence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Facility Rental and Usage Fees: Revenue from renting event spaces and commercial kitchen access to entrepreneurs and community members. Facility rental rates range from $25/hour (weekday daytime) to $70/hour (weekend), plus security and janitorial fees.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The nonprofit receives donations and corporate sponsorships from partners including CentralBank, EMKF, MusketeerHC, and StewardShipCapital to fund operations and programs.
3. Program Sponsorship: Companies sponsor specific programs and events at the Ennovation Center, gaining visibility and community engagement in return.
4. Event Revenue: Revenue from ticketed events and workshops such as the Marketing Masterclass series and Book Talk Club sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Ennovation Center operates a nonprofit business incubator that rents affordable workspace, a 24/7 certified commercial kitchen, and Bio-Safety Level 1 laboratories to entrepreneurs, food businesses, and technology startups. It bundles these facilities with no-cost business coaching, licensing and compliance guidance, mentorship connections, and access to startup grant funding (Digital Sandbox KC grants up to $20,000 via the iNtech Growth Program). The organization also runs K-12 entrepreneurship education through the Real World Learning Partnership and hosts signature community events and facility rentals.

Product overview

Ennovation Center is a nonprofit business incubator offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and facilities to support entrepreneurs at every stage. The core offerings include Workspace & Labs (private offices, co-working labs, and Bio-Safety Level 1 labs across 28,000+ sq. ft.), a 24/7 Commercial Kitchen Program with gluten-free facilities, and Business Support Services covering planning, licensing, and marketing. Specialized programs include the Startup Growth Program for mentorship and investor connections, the iNtech Growth Program for tech startups (with Digital Sandbox KC grants up to $20,000), and the Real World Learning Partnership for K-12 entrepreneurship education. Supporting services include Client Services & Resources (resource library, advisory network), Facility Rental (event spaces up to 100 guests), and ongoing community events such as the Ennovation Center Book Talk Club, Marketing Masterclass Series, Conversations With... speaker series, Taste of Ennovation, The Power of Inventing, and Juneteenth Independence Celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ businesses launched since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Independence Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Key partner for community events including ribbon cuttings and Juneteenth Celebration. Refers local businesses to incubator services.
• Independence Rotary ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Community sponsor of Juneteenth Independence Celebration event.
• City of IndependencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding partner that helped transform the former Independence Regional Hospital into the Ennovation Center business incubator. Provides ongoing support and referrals to entrepreneurs.
• Independence School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding partner in establishing the business incubator. Collaborates on K-12 Real World Learning Partnership programs for student entrepreneurship education.
• Independence Economic Development CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founding partner that helped establish the incubator. Works together on economic development initiatives for Independence.
• Global Entrepreneurship Week KCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive Director Danielle DuPree serves on the Steering Committee. Partnership for entrepreneurship advocacy and awareness.
• Food Biz ConcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive Director Danielle DuPree serves on the Steering Committee. Partnership for food industry entrepreneurship promotion.
• Re:Art FestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive Director Danielle DuPree serves on the Steering Committee. Partnership for creative entrepreneurship and community arts.
• Juneteenth IndependencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Danielle DuPree serves on the Steering Committee. Ennovation Center hosts and co-organizes the Juneteenth Independence Celebration.
• Mayor's Prayer BreakfastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director serves on the Steering Committee, connecting civic leadership with entrepreneurial community.
• iNtechcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology-focused growth program partner providing Digital Sandbox KC grants up to $20,000 for early-stage tech startups.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global for-profit accelerator running cohort-based programs with mentorship and investor connections for early-stage startups. A much larger and better-capitalized analogue of Ennovation Center's Startup Growth and iNtech programs.
• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit startup accelerator offering cohort-based programs, mentorship, and programming for early-stage founders across multiple industries. Operates a broader geographic and program footprint than Ennovation Center but serves a similar entrepreneur-support function.

Direct peers

• KCSourceLink: Kansas City-based resource network connecting entrepreneurs to local business support organizations, programs, and events. Shares the same regional footprint and entrepreneur-referral model that Ennovation Center uses with City and Chamber partners.
• BetaSpring: Indianapolis-based nonprofit startup accelerator providing mentorship, workspace, and programming to early-stage tech and science founders. Similar nonprofit incubator operating model with sector-agnostic founder support.
• 1871 Chicago: Nonprofit technology and business incubator in Chicago supporting hundreds of startups across coworking, mentorship, and programming. Closely matches Ennovation Center's model of combining workspace, coaching, and community programming for early-stage founders.
• Digital Sandbox KC: Kansas City-based proof-of-concept fund providing grant capital (up to $20,000) to early-stage tech startups. Directly partners with Ennovation Center via the iNtech Growth Program and serves an overlapping founder segment.
• BioEnterprise (BioGenerator): Midwest life-science and healthcare business accelerator offering lab access, mentorship, and capital to biotech/health startups. Directly comparable to Ennovation Center's BSL-1 lab offering and biotech/sciences entrepreneur segment.

Regional players

• LaunchCode: St. Louis-based nonprofit focused on tech skills training, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurship pathways. Comparable in mission orientation and Kansas City regional presence, though oriented more toward workforce-to-tech-career pipelines than direct incubation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/in_ennovation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheEnnovationCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ennovation-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ennovation Center