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
Olathe startup remixes graduation apparel for students with hair that won’t fit the mold (or cap)
Graduation is an important time in a young person’s life, said Rashawnda Wright, noting students should look and feel their best on perhaps the biggest day of their educational careers. After watching her daughter, Myayla, struggle to wear her graduation cap atop her big, curly hair, Wright was inspired to come up with a solution.…
$500K Etsy grant expected to help AltCap offer microloans to artists, creative entrepreneurs
AltCap this week announced a new partnership with the global marketplace Etsy to provide microloans to artists and creative entrepreneurs in America’s Heartland. Etsy has awarded AltCap, an impact-focused small business lender, a $500,000 grant to provide $1,000 to $10,000 loans through the ARTcap Microloan Fund to artists and creative entrepreneurs in Kansas, Missouri and…
Blue Springs farm, retail space invites city diners to the orchard for ‘Alpaca Brunch’
Brunching with a multicolor trio of alpacas is just one of the experiential offerings coming to Colonial Gardens this spring and summer as the rural Blue Springs retail space leans into agritourism and hands-on education, said Grace Ames. Not only can community members buy plants, trees, and flowers for their yards at Colonial Gardens, the…
Equal Minded Cafe serves a wealth of wins as taste buds power Troost bistro’s word-of-mouth appeal
Dontavious Young will happily brew customers at Equal Minded Cafe a chai or latte, but his main goal is to blend ideas, not ingredients. “Our mission is to provide resources, opportunities, and connections to people from all districts of Kansas City,” said Young, the property owner, event coordinator, and cafe manager at Equal Minded Cafe.…


