Techstars co-founder Brad Feld launches $25K matching gift for Startland News donor campaign
October 14, 2020 | Startland News Staff
Editor’s note: The following is an update to Startland News’ Give A Start — an eight-week donor campaign seeking reader support for the nonprofit newsroom. Click here to donate.
One week into Startland News’ donor campaign — the nonprofit newsroom’s first big ask for readers’ financial support — the digital publication is announcing the Brad Feld Challenge.
Brad Feld — startup community pioneer, author and Techstars co-founder — revealed today he and his wife, Amy Batchelor — author and venture capitalist — are providing a $25,000 matching gift from their Anchor Point Foundation to Startland News’ Give A Start donor campaign.
They’ll match reader contributions up to $25,000.
Click here to learn more about the Give A Start campaign. Click here to donate.
“Since 2015, Startland News has helped Kansas City entrepreneurs shout their triumphs from the rooftops — a critical piece of storytelling as the local startup community evolves beyond good ideas written on napkins to the home of powerhouse startups and nine-figure exits,” Feld said in a FeldThoughts blog post announcing the matching gift.
“A thriving startup community also explores its failures, the ongoing challenges plaguing entrepreneurs, and how innovators not only can learn from them but also accelerate past the roadblocks to success,” he continued. “Startland News has been unafraid to identify and confront these issues and grow along with its ecosystem. When the nonprofit newsroom recognized the economic and racial inequity represented in its coverage of mainstream entrepreneurs, it expanded the scope of stories to include more innovators from outside the world of high-growth, high-tech startups and actively opened its platform for the voices of diverse risk-takers, creatives, makers, and small businesses.”
Click here to read Brad Feld’s full announcement of the challenge.
Click here to read more about Brad Feld’s thought’s on diversity as a culture add for startups.
“[Brad’s gift] means the impact of your donations just doubled!” said Tommy Felts, Startland News’ editor said in an email today to subscribers. “Brad gave a start to countless tech startups — many in Kansas City — through Techstars and beyond. Now he’s helping us Give A Start to even more through Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom.”
A monthly or one-time gift to Startland News can help the three-person team of journalists keep its momentum moving alongside the people they cover — from solopreneurs and artists to startup founders with hundreds of workers — amplifying the stories of Kansas City innovation, Felts said.
Click here to donate and join the Brad Feld Challenge.
Featured Business

2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC officially earns title of ‘Tech Hub,’ opening door to massive federal grant funding
The federal government’s designation of Kansas City as one of 31 U.S. Tech Hubs is expected to further cement the region’s reputation as a leader in vaccine development and biotechnology, said Quinton Lucas, as well as open access to newly launched federal funding opportunities. “The wins keep coming for Kansas City,” said Lucas, mayor of…
LaunchKC liftoff: Meet 13 startups competing for their share of $300K in grant winnings
Kansas City’s premiere grants competition returns in mere weeks with six $50,000 grants on the line, said Becca Castro, and more than dozen startup founders are being interviewed this week to help determine the winners. LaunchKC — a partnership between the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Downtown Council — plans to…
Critics challenge DEI as ‘immoral’; this VC has a message for those seeking equity for Black, Brown founders: We are not powerless
Pushing for equity in long-siloed industries might seem obvious to some, said Marcus Whitney, but advocates for change must remember that not everyone is on board — and some are actively working against level the playing field. “I hate to say it, but we have enemies,” Whitney told a crowd gathered Thursday at Vine Street…


