Kansas City has long been recognized for its collaborative spirit and strong sense of community. Now, one of its leading innovation catalysts — Kansas City Digital Drive (KCDD) — is taking that spirit a step further. The nonprofit organization is set to launch an Innovation Hub built on PassportOS, OneValley’s all-in-one ecosystem management platform.
The partnership marks an important milestone for both organizations. It blends KC Digital Drive’s on-the-ground community leadership with OneValley’s technology infrastructure to create a unified, data-driven hub for regional innovation.
Empowering Regional Innovation Through Connectivity
Founded to make Kansas City a more connected, equitable, and digitally empowered community, KC Digital Drive acts as a bridge between public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors. The organization’s mission is rooted in collaboration — helping leaders across these sectors leverage technology to solve real-world challenges.
From closing the digital divide to driving entrepreneurial activity, KCDD has become a key player in fostering innovation across the region. Its programs support a diverse group of stakeholders — from startups and small businesses to research institutions, universities, and civic leaders.
“We think of ourselves as an ecosystem connector,” shared the KCDD team. “Our goal is to help local innovators access the resources, tools, and partners they need to create meaningful change.”
This work is now entering a new phase. With the creation of their Innovation Hub, KC Digital Drive aims to centralize and strengthen the community infrastructure that supports early-stage entrepreneurs, researchers, and ecosystem partners — bringing them all together under one digital roof.
From Spreadsheets to a Seamless Digital Platform
Before partnering with OneValley, KCDD — like many innovation-driven organizations — relied on a combination of tools, forms, and manual workflows to manage community activities, events, and partnerships. While effective in the early days, this approach made it difficult to maintain a clear view of community engagement, member participation, and program outcomes.
That’s where PassportOS came in. Explicitly designed for entrepreneurship support organizations, universities, and innovation hubs, PassportOS enables teams to streamline their operations, applications, communications, and analytics — all in one intuitive interface.
“It’s exciting to bring everything together in one platform,” the KCDD team said. “With PassportOS, we can better connect our network, manage relationships, and grow our impact faster.”
Through the Community Hub module, KCDD can now foster real-time communication among its members, share resources, and encourage collaboration. The platform’s Admin Dashboard provides visibility into engagement metrics and participation trends, helping the organization make data-driven decisions to guide programming and outreach.
Already, KCDD has onboarded dozens of stakeholders to the platform, marking the first step toward building a digitally connected regional innovation ecosystem.
Building the Foundation for the Kansas City Innovation Hub
The innovation hub represents a major strategic initiative for KCDD — one designed to create a physical and digital space where entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and civic leaders can come together to collaborate. The launch of PassportOS forms the digital foundation of that vision.
Once fully operational, the hub will house a range of programs and initiatives designed to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship, while PassportOS will serve as the digital infrastructure to manage those activities efficiently.
In addition to the Community module, KCDD plans to expand into Program and Application Management within PassportOS — enabling them to run open calls, accelerator programs, and collaborative research initiatives directly through the platform.
“We’re excited about the flexibility of the system,” said the team. “It’s not just a community space — it’s a toolset that can grow with us as we expand programming and partnerships.”
With their innovation hub already under construction, the organization has begun onboarding tenants and program participants, building momentum toward a full launch in the coming year.
A Partnership Rooted in Shared Vision
For OneValley, the partnership with KCDD represents a continuation of its mission to empower ecosystem builders worldwide. OneValley’s PassportOS platform is already being used by a diverse group of clients — from universities like the University of Tulsa and the University of North Dakota, to nonprofit organizations like the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership and global hubs such as Hub71 in Abu Dhabi.
Each deployment shares a common goal: helping innovation organizations better manage their communities, streamline operations, and amplify their impact.
“KCDD embodies exactly what PassportOS was designed for,” said Sabah Baxamoosa. “They’re building a connected, inclusive ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and innovators. We’re proud to help them bring that vision to life.”
The collaboration also reflects a broader trend among regional innovation organizations — moving from siloed systems toward integrated platforms that make data and collaboration more accessible. With PassportOS, KCDD joins a growing network of forward-thinking organizations modernizing their infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of their communities.
Scaling Innovation for Regional Impact
KC Digital Drive’s implementation of PassportOS aligns closely with its long-term growth goals. By consolidating engagement, communication, and data management into one cohesive system, KCDD can now focus on what matters most: nurturing innovation and supporting the people behind it.
The organization sees this transformation as more than a technology upgrade — it’s a strategic investment in the future of Kansas City’s innovation ecosystem.
“When you’re building something from the ground up, it’s about setting the right foundation,” Jim Starcev explained. “PassportOS gives us that structure — so we can scale thoughtfully, build stronger connections, and measure our progress along the way.”
As KCDD continues to expand the Innovation Hub and engage new partners, PassportOS will serve as the digital backbone supporting this ambitious regional initiative. The result will be a more connected, collaborative, and data-driven innovation landscape — one that reflects Kansas City’s enduring commitment to inclusivity and growth.
About Kansas City Digital Drive
Kansas City Digital Drive (KCDD) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Kansas City a leader in digital inclusion, innovation, and smart city solutions. Through partnerships with civic institutions, universities, and entrepreneurs, KCDD develops programs and initiatives that strengthen the region’s digital infrastructure, accelerate innovation, and support equitable access to technology.
About OneValley
OneValley is a global platform that empowers entrepreneurs, accelerators, and innovation ecosystems with the tools, programs, and networks they need to thrive. Its flagship product, PassportOS, is an all-in-one innovation ecosystem management platform used by organizations worldwide to manage communities, applications, programs, and data — enabling them to scale impact and collaboration seamlessly.
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