Show-Me Network Launches Show-Me Founders: A Statewide Series to Get Missouri Entrepreneurs Investment-Ready for Missouri Technology Corporation Funding

Cape Girardeau and Springfield, Mo. — August 26, 2026 — Missouri has capital set aside for its early-stage tech companies. What too many founders lack is the preparation to access it. Today the Show-Me Network announced Show-Me Founders, a year-long series of workshops and webinars offered at no cost to help Missouri entrepreneurs become investment-ready and apply for equity from the Missouri Technology Corporation’s (MTC) IDEA Fund, the state’s SSBCI-funded equity program.

The series is delivered through the Show-Me Network by Codefi under Missouri’s federal SSBCI Technical Assistance program — administered by Missouri State University’s efactory with Codefi as a subawardee. Sessions are scheduled around MTC’s quarterly IDEA Fund deadlines so preparation lines up with real application windows.

At the center is Traction Studio AI, Codefi’s flagship platform: an AI-native operating system that walks founders through deciding whether to raise, building financials and a deck, rehearsing the pitch, and applying to MTC. Where traditional programs hand entrepreneurs reading assignments and recorded presentations, Traction Studio AI gives them agentic tools that produce the artifacts investors and MTC reviewers actually expect — a validated business model, market signals and a customer funnel, product being sold, credible forecasts, and a growth plan. Legal and accounting workshops, led by contracted firms specializing in venture law and finance, round out the core categories SSBCI Technical Assistance is built to deliver.

“Missouri has done the hard part — it has put real capital on the table for its founders through MTC’s IDEA Fund. The gap now is readiness, and that’s exactly what SSBCI Technical Assistance is for. Come to the one session you need, or follow the whole path to a funded MTC application. Either way, you leave knowing how to get investment-ready — no matter where in Missouri you’re building.” — Dr. James Stapleton, Founder, President & CEO, Codefi

How to take part
Registration is open now. Missouri founders can register for any session at the Show-Me Founders Series page. Reminders and registration links will also be shared through Show-Me Network connectors statewide.

About Codefi
Codefi Foundation is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that eliminates the skills and opportunity gaps preventing talent and entrepreneurs in rural and underserved regions from thriving in the digital economy. Since 2014, Codefi has supported 100+ startups, trained 1,000+ tech and AI learners, helped companies raise $60M+ in follow-on capital, generated $100M+ in economic impact, and served 47+ Missouri counties. Codefi operates Traction Studio AI and co-founded the Show-Me Network. codefiworks.com

About the Show-Me Network
The Show-Me Network is a statewide collective connecting Missouri entrepreneurs, small business owners, and communities to the resources and programs that help them grow — built on connection, not competition, so opportunity isn’t limited to metro areas. It is a partnership between Codefi and Missouri State University’s efactory, which administers Missouri’s SSBCI Technical Assistance program with Codefi as a subawardee.

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