A Champion Perspective: Signals that show depth & Momentum of Talent

Craig Moore II is one of the leaders helping shape what KC TechBridge is building. As a KC TechBridge Champion and senior manager of entrepreneur experience at Endeavor Heartland, he works alongside founders scaling some of the region's highest-impact companies.

We caught up with him to hear what's working, what's missing and where the opportunity is.

What workforce data has helped him make better decisions?

Craig looks for signals that show both depth and momentum of talent. A few things he watches:

• Supply-demand alignment — open roles vs. available talent

• Wage growth — is the market heating up or cooling?

• Retention rates — are employers keeping the people they hire?

• Migration patterns — are skilled workers staying or leaving?

He also tracks education-to-employment pathways: completion rates tied to in-demand fields, and how quickly workers can be re-skilled into new roles.

“I look for signals that show both depth and momentum of talent."

The takeaway: a single data point doesn't tell the story. Founders need to see whether the talent pool is growing, shrinking, or shifting — and how fast.

Where the data still falls short

Ask Craig what would change the game for small employers and investors, and he points to one word: real-time.

The gaps he flags:

• Skills, not just degrees. Credentials matter less than what someone can actually do.

• Credential effectiveness. Which programs translate into employment outcomes — and which don't?

• Career mobility. How quickly can workers move between roles, sectors, and companies?

For investors backing high-growth companies, that visibility matters even more. Founders need to know how quickly a regional talent pipeline can flex to meet portfolio needs, and right now, that picture is taking too long to come into focus.

The bottom line

Founders and investors are asking workforce data to do something it isn't yet built to do: show real-time skill availability and credential ROI at the local level.

That's the problem KC TechBridge is built to solve — and Champions like Craig are helping us define what better looks like.