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
Homegrown startups can redefine KC, leader says; they just need help surviving long enough to do it
Editor’s note: The following is the third in a four-part series exploring the verticals and impact of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Leave KC better than you found it: How matching growth to city’s needs is paying off Wrong tool can wreck a neighborhood; Precision development…
This AI scans for auto damage in 30 seconds; Here’s how it’s gaining instant trust, KC tech industry veteran says
A growing number of automotive-sales and related businesses are turning to Click-Ins, an AI-assisted startup on a rapidly upward trajectory, to solve a long-standing problem: how to inspect vehicles quickly, accurately and consistently without relying solely on human judgment. But the value isn’t in replacing humans in the workforce, said Josh Parsons, a 20-year auto…
Power moves: Electric vehicle infrastructure stalled in Kansas where liquid fuels still dominate
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. The number of people buying electric vehicles in Kansas is steadily growing, and as the number increases, the need for accommodation will be balanced with…
Five years after being built, dream spot on streetcar line finally brewing opening date, tavern owner says
A never-opened space along the KC Streetcar line in the Crossroads — once planned as high-profile culinary destination — is expected to be remodeled by the owner of a popular brewery and restaurant chain with its long-awaited opening as soon as late summer. Matt Moore, the entrepreneur behind Martin City Brewing Company and Martin City Tavern,…


