Kansas City Invention Convention

What Kansas City Invention Convention does

Kansas City Invention Convention (KCIC) is a STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) competition and educational outreach program serving students in grades 3-12 across the Kansas City metropolitan region and surrounding areas. Founded in 2021 and operated as a program of the Linda Hall Library Foundation (an independent 501(c)(3) public charity), KCIC runs an annual invention competition that guides students through a structured 7-Step Invention Process — from identifying real-world problems, through ideation, prototyping, and pitching — culminating in a judged competition day at Swinney Recreation Center at UMKC and an awards ceremony at Linda Hall Library. The program is an official affiliate of Invention Convention Worldwide presented by the Henry Ford Museum, giving KCIC winners a pathway to compete at the U.S. Nationals in Dearborn, Michigan.

KCIC's product surface is built around free, standards-aligned curriculum toolkits tailored for grade bands (3-5, 6-8, 9-12) and includes invention logbooks, pitch guides, display board guides, and educator orientation resources. The platform is augmented by a mentor and judge volunteer program drawing local inventors and entrepreneurs, transportation and supplies funding assistance for participating schools, and tiered grade categories that determine competition advancement. As of the 2026 cycle, the program has added a 3rd & 4th grade category and restructured admissions to an invitation-based tiered model to scale participation equitably across schools.

The business model is nonprofit contribution-based: KCIC charges no fees to students, educators, or schools. Revenue is generated entirely through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations, with published sponsorship tiers ranging from $2,500 (Community Sponsor) to $50,000 (Presenting Sponsor). Named funders include Kansas City National Security Campus (managed by Honeywell FM&T), Kauffman Foundation, JE Dunn, Mader Foundation, T-Serve Foundation, Commerce Bank, Forvis, Euronet, Evergy, and the J.B. Reynolds Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: educator registration (August through January) drives school participation, with invitations issued in February based on registration volume and competition day held in April. The program's defensibility rests on its ICW affiliation, Linda Hall Library's institutional brand, and a network of school partnerships across the Kansas City, St. Joseph, Columbia, and Topeka regions.

Name

Kansas City Invention Convention

Legal name

The Linda Hall Library Foundation

Website

https://kcinvent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KCIC is a free, nonprofit STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) competition for grades 3-12 in the Kansas City region, presented by the Linda Hall Library and affiliated with Invention Convention Worldwide. It guides students through invention, prototyping, and pitching, funded by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education & Invention Competition

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAMAD

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Technology Solutions

Keywords

• STEM education program
• Youth invention competition
• Entrepreneurship curriculum
• Educator invention resources
• Student innovation contest

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Donations: KCIC operates as a nonprofit program presented by Linda Hall Library, funded entirely through sponsorships and donations. There is no fee to participate for students or schools. Sponsorship tiers range from $2,500 (Community Sponsor) to $50,000 (Presenting Sponsor). The program also accepts donations from individuals and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kansas City Invention Convention (KCIC) is a free, year-long STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) competition and outreach program for students in grades 3-12 in the Kansas City region. It provides free interdisciplinary curriculum, workshops, and mentors that guide students from idea conception through prototype development, culminating in an annual competition with cash prizes and a pathway to Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at the Henry Ford Museum.

Product overview

The Kansas City Invention Convention (KCIC) is a unified educational program presented by the Linda Hall Library that functions as a STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) competition and outreach platform. The core KCIC Program serves students in grades 3-12 through a tiered competition structure, supported by educator curriculum resources, mentor/judge volunteer programs, sponsorship opportunities, and funding assistance for transportation and supplies. The main components work together to guide young inventors from conceptualization through prototype development, competition judging, and potential advancement to national/global Invention Convention competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KCIC Invention Competition Program A year-long STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) competition and outreach program for students in grades 3-12 in the Kansas City region that teaches problem-solving and creativity skills and provides resources, workshops, mentors, and competition opportunities to develop inventions from concept to prototype. Free for all participants.
• KCIC Educator Curriculum and Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• 220+ student inventors participated in 2023 competition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Linda Hall LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCIC is presented by Linda Hall Library, which serves as the parent organization providing infrastructure, staff, and funding. The library has been supporting science education since 1946 and brings 75+ years of expertise to the program.
• Invention Convention Worldwide (ICW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCIC is an official affiliate of Invention Convention Worldwide presented by the Henry Ford Museum. This affiliation provides access to curriculum resources, professional development through inHub (4,500+ educators), and pathways for Kansas City winners to compete at national and global levels.
• Henry Ford Museum / The Henry FordflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Henry Ford Museum hosts the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals competition where KCIC winners have the opportunity to compete. KCIC winners are invited to present their inventions at the national competition in Dearborn, Michigan.
• inHub Educator CommunitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerinHub is a community built by educators, for educators with over 4,500 educators enrolled. It provides access to resources, professional development opportunities, and experiences designed to inspire innovation, creativity, and invention for KCIC educators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MATHCOUNTS Foundation: MATHCOUNTS runs a regional-to-national math competition pipeline for middle-school students using a similar volunteer-judge, school-partnership, and corporate-sponsor model. It is comparable in scale and operational mechanics to KCIC's regional competition structure.
• Science Olympiad: Science Olympiad organizes team-based STEM academic competitions for K-12 students across a regional-to-national tournament structure. It targets the same educator and student segments as KCIC, with similar volunteer-driven operations and sponsorship funding model.
• Destination Imagination: Destination Imagination is a nonprofit K-12 competition that challenges student teams to solve open-ended STEAM problems, mirroring KCIC's project-based invention model. Both run regional-to-national pipelines and rely on volunteer judges, mentors, and corporate sponsors.
• VEX Robotics / Robotics Education & Competition Foundation: RECF runs VEX Robotics competitions for K-12 students, operating a regional-to-world-championship pipeline with school-based teams. It directly competes with KCIC for K-12 STEM engagement budgets, sponsor dollars, and educator attention.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement: Junior Achievement is a large nonprofit delivering K-12 entrepreneurship and workforce-readiness curricula in schools. It overlaps with KCIC on the entrepreneurship component of STEMIE, but operates at a much larger national scale through school partnerships.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs K-12 STEM competitions including FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics Competition that share KCIC's mission of inspiring young inventors and problem solvers through project-based challenges. Both organizations compete for the same K-12 STEM-engagement sponsor dollars.
• National Inventors Hall of Fame: National Inventors Hall of Fame operates Camp Invention, a national K-8 invention education summer program. It shares KCIC's invention-and-entrepreneurship pedagogy and serves overlapping school and educator channels across the U.S.
• Society for Science / Broadcom MASTERS: Society for Science runs student science competitions including Broadcom MASTERS and the Regeneron Science Talent Search. It shares KCIC's K-12 STEM-engagement mission, regional-to-national pipeline, and reliance on educator and sponsor networks.
• Invention Convention Worldwide: Presented by The Henry Ford, Invention Convention Worldwide is the parent network of which KCIC is an official affiliate. It runs the U.S. Nationals competition in Dearborn, MI and the inHub educator community (4,500+ educators), operating at a national scale versus KCIC's regional footprint.

Emerging players

• Maker Education Initiative: Maker Education Initiative promotes maker-centered learning in K-12 schools through curriculum, professional development, and community programs. Its focus on hands-on creation and invention aligns directly with KCIC's experiential STEMIE approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kcinvent
• Instagraminstagram.com/kcinvent
• TikToktiktok.com/@kcinvent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-city-invention-convention

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Kansas City Invention Convention