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Dodie Jacobi
 

40 Years of Entrepreneurship...so far

Dodie Jacobi has throughout her long career in innovation and entrepreneurship created inflection point strategies for entrepreneurial ventures and the organizations that support them. She’s worked in more than 75 industries from highly technical, scientific startups to avant garde creative artists. She's built and advised for- and not-for-profit companies. Past clients include all types of business: Mom and Pop shops, service firms, soloists, fast companies, and manufacturers with more than 200 employees. She's helped secure funding from every funding type and source including bootstraps, venture capital, debt loans, crowdfunding, angel investors, and philanthropists. And she’s worked at every stage of venture maturity many times – from research and development to startup, expansions pivots, acquisitions, mergers, and closings.

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Dodie has collaborated with such recognized organizations as IBM, Jim Henson's Muppets, Harrison/Erickson (most famously Phillie Phanatic's creators), Children’s Television Workshop, PBS’ History Detectives, Hallmark, Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Sprint, Universal Press Syndicate, The Kansas City Star, and hundreds of other organizations.

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In Dodie’s latest venture, Dodiodo, she collaborates with experts to develop intellectual properties for market-leading brands, media, and entertainment acquisitions.

 

Dodie has a Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance degree from Southern Methodist University and has sung in 9 languages. She lives in Hyde Park in Kansas City, Missouri, with dog Simon and cat Fiona, and rides horse Taye in choreography to music and on happy trails.

 

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  • Founder 7 for-profit and 3 not-for-profit organizations

  • Creator, Fun and Profit™, a portfolio of 17 evergreen, synchronous and asynchronous non-matriculated learning and support programs for small business owners delivered for more than 20 years

  • Strategist and Advisor for 20 years with these for- and not-for-profit organizations

  • KC Maker, one of three women selected from among 50 nominees by KCPT for impact in entrepreneurship

  • Raised career-cumulative millions of dollars in equity, debt, and philanthropic funding through corporate sponsorship, Angel and VC investor pitches, grant requests, fundraiser events, and crowdfunding

  • 100% success rate funding business plans Dodie developed

  • Originated CMO roles for Shepherd's Centers of America, Zahner Metal Fabrication, and emfluence digital marketing

  • Fractional Executive Director during launch of artist residency program Review Studios

  • Publisher Review Magazine, a regional monthly print and digital visual art publication for 3 years

  • Founder Designs & Details, first wedding planning firm in GKC producing top tier events for 13 years

  • Creator proprietary two-day course for wedding planners also presented annually at special event industry convention

  • Founder, President, Kansas City Wedding Group, marketing consortium of select luxury market professionals

  • Founder GiftNet, the first, pre-internet, aggregate gift registry, a joint venture with The Kansas City Star for 3 years

  • Produced StarBride, a two full-page special section each Sunday, including a vendor directory that generated more ad revenue per inch than any other ad space in The Kansas City Star – enduring on its own for a number of years after the section ended

  • Designed test and training program for Hallmark Cards in-store event production service offering

  • Strategist at startup Terabridge Technologies and liaison to institutional investor Newbridge Networks  

  • Member strategy development team for new technology with Sprint’s Technology & Planning group

  • Research and development division of Henson Associates (aka The Muppets), collaborating with all Ha! business units including film; television in Canada, NY, and London; publishing; recording; and licensing to identify, develop, and maintain quality control for new projects; liaison for strategic partner Shipstad Productions to produce the scripts, programs, commercials, press materials, costumes, and licensed merchandise for the touring arena shows, The Muppet Babies Live, and Big Bird Goes Hollywood; member of the character development team for the television special, The Christmas Toy

  • Followed Muppet mentor, Bonnie Erickson to Harrison/Erickson, the firm she co-operated with Wayde Harrison, her partner and husband; in addition to business administration, Dodie helped develop new concepts for stage, television, film, video, and children’s licensed merchandise for clients such as The Children’s Television Workshop, The Philadelphia Phillies, The National Child Safety Council, The New Jersey Nets, The Montreal Expos, The Chicago White Sox, and Grey Advertising; part of the development team creating characters for Lee Breuer and Bob Telson’s “The Warrior Ant” that premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; researched new talent and sources, cast performers, and supervised workshop personnel

  • Freelance props fabricator, House Beautiful Magazine

  • Singer, dancer, actress performing in Kansas City, Dallas, and New York, from age 11 till now

  • Beta tested two IBM products while on staff at KC Southern Industries: a mainframe-based system that enabled every terminal to function as a word processor; and the first IBM personal computer. Accompanied IBM’s senior sales team to demonstrate products to new prospective clients

  • Minority partner and head of vacuum cleaner operations, Jacobi Janitorial Services, the family business affording cars, college, and vacations for a family of six

Entrepreneurial Impact

Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Impact

  • Discovered need for a portal to connect owners and entrepreneurs with low-to-no-cost resources, developed the initial business plan and secured funding from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, then donated the property to the community for what launched as KC Sourcelink under Maria Meyers’ talented leadership. US Sourcelink now is in more than 35 markets

  • Created and delivered "Business Edge," a six-week educational program that turned more than 300 business owners into entrepreneurs and differentiated KC-based mobank as a small business market leader, culminating in its $102.5M acquisition by BOK Financial

  • Co-founded Launch Plans Venture Partners, a boutique venture development firm focused on the telecommunications sector that also launched the first for-profit, virtual business incubator in three markets: Kansas City, MO; Santa Rosa, CA; and Austin, TX

  • Led development, beta test, and subsequent program delivery for The Entrepreneurial Effect, a Kauffman Foundation-funded program to teach communities how to establish and grow entrepreneurship ecosystems

  • Collaborated with the deans of Greater Kansas City's top B-schools to model interdisciplinary entrepreneurship education across three universities: KU, UMKC, and Rockhurst University

  • Volunteered for entrepreneurship programs including:

    • Guest lecturer, Southern Methodist University, Arts Entrepreneurship Program with Jim Hart

    • Crossroads Community Association Arts District, founding President, Greater Kansas City small business hub and economic development success story.

    • Athena’s Power Link, mentor for women entrepreneurs

    • Women’s CEO Roundtable, facilitator for peer group

    • Springboard and Invest Midwest, pitch advisor for VC investor forums

    • The Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program, mentor for college students

    • Arts Incubator, advisor for studio and professional development program

    • The Art In Development, advisor for gallery, creative space, and support programs for emerging artists

  • LinkedIn
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