UH freshman, food truck owner stands out for National Women's Small Business Month

HOUSTON - October is National Women’s Small Business Month and a young entrepreneur from the University of Houston stands out from the rest of her peers. Kayce Ekpenike, a freshman in college, is the owner of not one, but two food trucks in the city! 

Ekpenike is the owner and founder of Funnelocity Gourmet Funnel Cakes. She started her business during the midst of the pandemic. The UH student and her loved ones celebrated the grand opening of her second investment while inspiring other women to chase their dreams on Wednesday.

"We used to set up in a tent, so we would sell funnel cakes from that," said Kayce Ekpenike, an 18-year-old businesswoman.

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With no financial help from her parents, Kayce decided it was time to grow her company. 

"We did that for about a year, and so we raised enough money just from Funnelocity funds to start the first food truck," said Ekpenike. 

"She started with very little capital. I can say that everything she’s purchased and earned came directly from the business. We did not put one dollar into this business," said Kentrell Jones, Kayce's mother. 

After another year of profits, the young entrepreneur knew it was time to broaden her business. 

"When we kept getting so many calls like ‘come to our school, come to our church’ and we were like we can’t do it all with just one truck," said Ekpenike. 

Friends and family gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Kayce's second food truck Wednesday afternoon at the Lighthouse Church in Humble.

"It's an amazing story of just a young woman who just has this fire and vision for the future," said Sieon Roberts, the chief of ministry at Lighthouse Church. 

What sets her funnel cakes apart from the rest is the variety of toppings customer can choose from.

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"We have so many different toppings like ice cream, cheesecake strawberries, Oreos, all the fun stuff," said Ekpenike. 

The UH medical student hopes her story can inspire other women who want to start their own businesses. 

"But I feel like all small businesses should be appreciated and get all the light that they deserve," said Ekpenike. 

Although Kayce is going into medical school, she still plans to continue her business while handing some of the responsibility to members on her team.