KANSAS CITY, MO – Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, DoorDash, and a cohort of ten local entrepreneurs gathered at Wah Gwan to celebrate the successful completion of the 2025 DoorDash Accelerator for Local Businesses in Kansas City.
Running a small business is challenging: 18% of small businesses fail within their first year and 65% by their tenth year in business. To help local Kansas City entrepreneurs build more resilient businesses, the Accelerator for Local Businesses provided small business owners with dedicated mentorship, specialized programming, and grant funding to strengthen operations while fostering long-term growth through local government connections. The 2025 cohort marks the most robust iteration of DoorDash’s Accelerator yet, designed in partnership with City Hall to support the city’s thriving local business landscape.
Over the course of the program, participants engaged in hands-on learning, including:
- One-on-one mentorship from seasoned DoorDash peer merchants;
- Targeted business workshops focused on menu optimization, business operations, digital storefronts, and accessing local support resources;
- A $5,000 grant to support business development efforts; and
- $1,000 in DoorDash ad credits to expand customer reach.
The 2025 Kansas City Accelerator cohort included:
- Fifth & Emery Frozen Yogurt & Chocolate
- Gomers Wine and Spirits
- Jovitos Italian Cafe & Deli
- Mixing Bowl On The Go
- PH Coffee LLC
- Ruby Jean's Juicery
- SAUCED
- Shop Local KC
- Wah Gwan
- Zero Zero Handmade Pasta
“When small businesses thrive, communities thrive,” said Mayor Lucas. “I’m incredibly proud of our DoorDash Accelerator for Local Businesses graduates. You represent the best of Kansas City, and it has been inspiring watching you grow over the last several months. I’d like to thank DoorDash for recognizing the talent of our local entrepreneurs and for reinforcing that there’s no place like Kansas City to operate a small business.”
“It’s been an honor to bring the Accelerator to Kansas City this year,” said Esther Ladipo Hill, Social Impact Manager at DoorDash. “We’re grateful to Pathway Financial Education for kicking things off with a strong foundation, to KC BizCare, and Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City of Kansas City for championing small businesses throughout the program. This Accelerator is about investing in small businesses that power our communities. It’s been so encouraging to hear how the DoorDash webinars and in-person workshops have helped merchants tackle real challenges in their businesses. Thank you to all the local experts who shared their insights and made this programming possible. We’re excited to see what’s next for this incredible group of entrepreneurs.”
“Running a small business is tough work, and it meant so much to receive support from DoorDash and my home of Kansas City,” said Tanyech Yarbrough, owner of Wah Gwan. “The DoorDash Accelerator for Local Businesses has been instrumental in ensuring that Wah Gwan is equipped to deal with whatever the future holds. I found the Advertising Credits especially impactful, after launching a marketing campaign utilizing best practices shared by the DoorDash team, the amount of customers at my business tripled. I’m incredibly grateful to have been included in this year’s programming and would strongly recommend DoorDash Accelerators to any small business owner who wants to see their businesses thrive.”
“When I think of the Accelerator for Local Businesses, I think of one word: opportunity,” said Katie Mabry, owner of Shop Local KC. “It was an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to meet like minds, and an opportunity to further grow Shop Local KC. I want to thank DoorDash and my home of Kansas City for investing in local businesses like mine.”
Learn more about the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Businesses.