Wednesday Office Hours with Sophia Drouhard/ Network Kansas

Meet Sophia Drouhard, Venture Investment Manager at Network Kansas! You’ll find her at Groover Labs in the mornings during Open Coworking on Wednesdays. We interviewed her to learn more about her and the work she does with Network Kansas.

Network Kansas helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. What does that support look like?

We started as a referral network over 20 years ago and have grown into a 25+ person team offering a full range of services. Our support shows up in a lot of ways: connecting entrepreneurs to statewide resource partners, offering no or low-cost educational programs, and providing business financing through our loan and equity programs. None of it would be possible without our partners!

How does Network Kansas connect entrepreneurs with financial resources? What does the process look like?

Photo of Sophia Drouhard

We start with curiosity, asking what someone is starting or growing, and match them with either our loan or equity program. One important note: both programs are companion instruments, not standalone funding. If you use our loan program, you also need a loan from a financial institution like a bank. If you use our equity program, you need other investment coming in alongside our dollars. For both, expect a 30–90 day process once an entrepreneur is ready to take on capital, though it always depends on their individual needs and situation. Sometimes we find our programs aren’t the right fit right now, and when that happens, we use our network to make the right connections.

Tell me a little bit about the eCommunity Partnership program. How can entrepreneurs and other communities get involved in this program?

Our eCommunity Partnership program builds community support through coaches located all across Kansas. They lead and organize with local partners like economic development organizations, financial institutions, and local governments, giving communities access to resources they may not have had otherwise. Our coaches have decision-making authority to bring resources to their communities because they’re truly boots on the ground, spending real time in conversation to learn what each community actually needs.

Getting involved starts with a conversation. Entrepreneurs in Wichita can engage through our urban eCommunity partnership with the Create Campaign, and organizations can reach out to find where the gaps are and how to help fill them.

Is there anything in particular that you would like local entrepreneurs to know?

Network Kansas is a resource partner you should be leveraging. No matter where you are in the process, reach out to me at sdrouhard@networkkansas.com,and we’ll figure out how to get you plugged in.

You’re starting to hold open office hours on Wednesdays at Groover Labs. Who would you like to connect with?

In my specific role at Network Kansas, I’d love to meet with founders thinking about raising capital, debt or equity. I genuinely enjoy business consulting, so I’m just as happy to meet with folks who don’t fit that description!