Right to Start Announces Launch of Missouri Starters Coalition
The Coalition Will Champion Entrepreneurship as a Civic Priority Statewide
Kansas City, Mo. – September 11, 2025 – Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, announced today the launch of the Missouri Starters Coalition, a statewide initiative to enhance the landscape of entrepreneurship. The coalition held a launch event this morning at the Keystone Innovation District in Kansas City, Mo. The coalition is composed of seven initial member organizations: Back2KC, Cortex, E-Factory, Keystone Innovation District, LaunchKC, NextMO, and Right to Start.
The Coalition will advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority across the state: convening entrepreneurs, identifying barriers to starting new businesses, and engaging all communities including those that have been historically excluded. It will build on exciting recent developments in Missouri, including enactment in 2024 of the Right to Start Act, which created a statewide office of entrepreneurship, among other features including government contract tracking for new businesses under three years old.
The coalition will grow to include both organizational and individual members. Organizational members will include entrepreneur support organizations and other civic entities; individual members will include entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and other supporters of entrepreneurship. Managing the growth of the coalition will be Jim Malle, Missouri Coalition Manager for Right to Start, and a resident of St. Louis. He will be supported by Jessica Powell, Right to Start’s Advocate in Missouri, and a resident of Kansas City.
The launch event this morning featured a keynote speech by Victor Hwang, Right to Start’s Founder and CEO, and a panel discussion focused on the “FIFA World Cup & Small Business.” The panel was moderated by Jason Grill, Chief Government Affairs Officer of Right to Start. Panel members included Taylor Overton, Co-Chair of the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network; Wes Rogers, City Councilman (2nd District), Kansas City, Mo.; Jana Wagner, Division Manager for the City of Kansas City’s Small Business Division at KC BizCare; and, Tracy Whelpley, Director of Regional Impact for KC2026.
Right to Start has been working in Missouri throughout its five-year history and has close ties to the state. Victor Hwang lived for many years in Greater Kansas City. Two key members of Right to Start’s leadership team live in the Kansas City region: Jason Grill, Chief Government Affairs Officer, and Jason Wiens, Senior Policy Specialist. Right to Start also has two Ambassadors in Missouri: Rachel Munday in Springfield and Natalie Self in St. Louis. Another Ambassador, Melissa Roberts Chapman, lives in Greater Kansas City. Kim Lane, Right to Start’s Chief Operating Officer, worked in various capacities with the Kauffman Foundation over nine years.
Jason Grill plays a central role in helping to build awareness, education, and support around the importance of entrepreneurship and new businesses in Missouri and across the country. Recently, Missouri enacted a Right to Start Act and created a statewide office of entrepreneurship. These policies, which were spearheaded by Senator Travis Fitzwater, passed in the Missouri House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2024: by votes of 117-7 in the House and 31-1 in the Senate. The legislation was signed into law by Governor Mike Parson in July 2024 and took effect that August.
“As a lifelong Kansas Citian, entrepreneur, and former member of the Missouri House of Representatives, it gives me great joy to see Missouri embracing the importance of new, young businesses to the economy and well-being of the state,” said Jason Grill, Chief Government Affairs Officer of Right to Start. “Entrepreneurship-led economic development leads to higher lifetime incomes, more homegrown jobs, and more opportunity for all.”
“Having spent much of my career advancing entrepreneurship in both Kansas City and St. Louis,” said Jim Malle, Missouri Coalition Manager for Right to Start, “I’m excited to see this coalition emerging to promote entrepreneurship as a civic priority statewide. It’s especially important, as entrepreneurship benefits literally everyone in Missouri.”
New and young businesses create virtually all net job growth in America. They are leading indicators of GDP growth, and they increase community wealth and goods and services.
Every new business per 100 people adds nearly $500 to average household income in a county, according to data from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab. Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a state correlates with a 2% decline in poverty.
Right to Start’s expanding presence in Missouri (described in a previous press release here) is supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth through their Mastercard Strive USA program, which is funding similar work by Right to Start in three other states: California, Michigan, and North Carolina. Mastercard Strive USA supports small business resilience and growth in a changing digital economy by unleashing the potential of small businesses as catalysts of inclusive growth.
For more information, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com or 917-921-8034.
Right to Start is a national nonpartisan movement to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority throughout the United States. Entrepreneurship has long been viewed as a solitary endeavor – the lone starter in a basement or garage. Right to Start’s vision is to transform America so that all communities prioritize entrepreneurship, clearing away obstacles to ensure that every American has an equal right to start and a level playing field on which to embark.
About the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise, and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs, and empower a community of thinkers, leaders, and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the Center on LinkedIn, Instagram and subscribe to its newsletter.
About Mastercard Strive
Mastercard Strive is a portfolio of philanthropic programs supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and funded by the Mastercard Impact Fund. With programs around the world, Mastercard Strive has reached more than 18 million small businesses to go digital, get capital, and access networks and know-how. Follow Mastercard Strive on LinkedIn and subscribe to its newsletter.