This month’s featured speaker is Jim Gruver, who brings more than 40 years of experience in construction and real estate development. His career has included everything from building new homes and rehabilitation projects to leading development organizations through changing markets, including the 2008 housing market crash.

Kansas technology founders can apply now for up to $25,000 through ACCEL-KS to build, test and advance early-stage products toward commercialization. StartUp Hutch is sharing the statewide opportunity with entrepreneurs in Reno County and across Kansas as part of its broader work to connect founders with useful programs, funding opportunities and business resources.

StartUp Hutch is launching Avante, a new six-week entrepreneurship bootcamp designed to help aspiring and existing business owners build a strong foundation and move their businesses forward. Avante will become a core entrepreneurship program offered by StartUp Hutch. The first cohort begins Monday, Sept. 21, with sessions held from 6–8 p.m. on Monday evenings. Registration is open now through Sept. 16.

StartUp Hutch has awarded the first Rural Business Resilience & Expansion Initiative Microgrant to Main Street Bodega founder Amy Allbright. The $2,500 grant will help purchase a cooler so the store can offer cold goods such as milk and other refrigerated essentials.

July's coaching highlight is Rewire Kansas. Started in 2026 by a group from Service Plus Electric, including Service Plus founder Steven Michael Brown, Rewire Kansas is a nonprofit based in Hutchinson that provides rewires for old homes to individuals who cannot afford them.

This month’s featured speaker is Tonya Witherspoon, founder of MindScapes. Tonya works at the intersection of infrastructure, workforce, and artificial intelligence, helping organizations connect investments that are often managed separately and turn them into systems that work together.

Applications are now open for StartUp Hutch’s Rural Business Resilience & Expansion Initiative Microgrants. Through a competitive application process, at least six microgrants of up to $2,500 each will be awarded to eligible small businesses. Funding is intended to support projects that help businesses expand, activate underutilized properties, strengthen essential services, or fill high-need industry gaps in rural communities.

This month’s featured speaker is Steven Brown, founder and master electrician of Service Plus Electrical, a Kansas-based residential electrical company on a mission to make homes safer, especially older homes with aging wiring systems.

Registration is now open for the Entrepreneurship Business Basics JUMP©+AI program, also known as EBB JUMP©+AI, a 12-week course designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners start, operate, and grow with confidence.

StartUp Hutch will host StartUp Pretty Prairie, an entrepreneurship workshop designed to support small business growth in Pretty Prairie and surrounding rural communities, on Wednesday, June 10, from 4:30 to 7:00 PM at the Pretty Prairie City Office/Library, 119 W. Main St.

This Entrepreneurship Connections is an opportunity to share exciting updates, celebrate local impact, and connect with the entrepreneurs, partners, and community members who make Reno County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem stronger.

StartUp South Hutch, an Entrepreneurship Workshop Series presented by StartUp Hutch, is coming to South Hutchinson, Kansas, on Thursday, May 21, at South Hutch Community Building.

If marketing your business feels scattered, inconsistent, or like a constant guessing game, this workshop will help you refocus.

Forged Automotive LLC has secured a $150,000 NetWork Kansas loan, made possible through matching funds from First National Bank, to launch a new full-service automotive repair and maintenance shop. Founded by Hutchinson native Elijah Crist, Forged Automotive LLC is preparing to launch at 800 South Main Street.

In April, we welcome Anna Crable, owner of a Farmers Insurance agency and co-owner of White Oak Real Estate Group. Anna has built her career around serving individuals, families, and fellow business owners through some of life’s biggest decisions.

StartUp Hutch has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation’s Fund for Reno County to support its Rural Business Resilience & Expansion Microgrant Initiative in rural Reno County.

StartUp Arlington, an Entrepreneurship Workshop Series presented by StartUp Hutch, is coming to Arlington, Kansas, on Tuesday, April 21, at Carolyn’s Essenhaus. The workshop is designed for rural and small-town residents who are interested in starting a business or strengthening an existing one.

In March, we welcome Shane Iwashige, an entrepreneur, business owner, and community leader who knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of building something from the ground up.

StartUp Hutch has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation to launch a new Housing Entrepreneurship Program aimed at strengthening the local contractor and skilled trades pipeline to support housing development in Hutchinson and Reno County.

We’re excited to share StartUp Hutch’s first-ever Annual Report! Inside, you’ll see the impact entrepreneurs are making across Reno County, the programs supporting them, and the partnerships helping our ecosystem grow.