10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023
December 14, 2022 | Tommy Felts and Austin Barnes
A new startup community has emerged in a post-pandemic world — and 10 scaling players are on the front lines, ready to redefine what startup success looks like in the Heartland.
The newsmakers featured in Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023 list are no strangers to our readers or their fellow entrepreneurs. Not only are they improving broken industries — they’re creating new ones altogether, blazing (up) trails, unlocking next-level potential, and stitching success that promises to drive the local economy for decades to come.
These companies range from healthtech and sales platforms to scaling apparel brands to Esports and NFT startups and even the list’s first-ever founder featured on two Startups to Watch roundups — with different ventures.
Startland News’ annual showcase of innovation is back — and you’re invited.
Join the publication’s editors, reporters, and founders from the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch companies for an afternoon networking session and open house in recognition of the collective accomplishments of their companies.
Click here for tickets to the Jan. 24 event.
In the wake of the COVID-era, all bets are off. And these companies are eager to prove the next great American startup will be built by starters settling the silicon prairie.
Narrowing the list down to just 10 companies is nearly impossible — even after eight years of following startup newsmakers. The talent and tenacity of Kansas City’s startup scene is fierce. The final result is but a small reflection of the entrepreneurial energy that’s building throughout the city and is intended to highlight the companies Startland News’ editorial team believes hold serious newsmaking potential in the year ahead.
Let us be clear: there’s no contest between companies — and no “top startup” to declare better than the rest. The list exists to amplify cutting-edge innovation and unlock new opportunities for some of the city’s fastest growing startups that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The 2023 list was compiled through more than six months of research and recurring conversations with community experts, funders and support organizations. Ultimately, curation of the list relied heavily on the honesty, openness and track record of founders.
The Startland News editorial team culled 35 semi-finalists from nearly 300 nominations and newsroom-generated leads, narrowed that list to 25, and finally to the 10 selected Startups to Watch class of 2023 — a cohort of founders so eager and well-poised for success, we’re confident they’ll dominate the conversation within the tech and innovation space in the months ahead.
Navigate through the photo carousel below to see the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023.
Click here to check out Startland News’ 2022 list, or look back at our original predictions in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023
[slide-anything id=”691097″]
Startups to Watch presented in partnership with Social Apex, supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and independently produced by Startland News.
Social Apex connects you to the modern consumer.
As a digital marketing agency based in Kansas City, Missouri, we create customized marketing experiences to better connect to your customer.
Social Apex works with you hands on with strategic consulting and content geared to drive results and help reach long-term growth.
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New focus will offer jobs to formerly incarcerated people on the path to second chance entrepreneurship, says nonprofit
Kansas City-based Determination, Incorporated is refocusing its mission with a new social enterprise business that will directly place formerly incarcerated individuals into employment soon after they return home. Strong Start Make Readies is expected to provide jobs to people exiting incarceration as members of make ready crews at Kansas City area apartment complexes, single-family rental…
Kauffman leader: Our economy can’t afford to leave half the population behind; there’s a new way forward
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Wendy Guillies is president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Startland News is financially supported by the Kauffman Foundation and other sponsors. This commentary originally appeared in The Hill. I am not oblivious to the political divisions that dominate national news outlet…
J. Rieger spices up its strategy with KC culinary star; new tastes already hitting destination distillery’s menu
Deep fried and doubling down, the minds behind J. Rieger and Co. are distilling a new era that’s expected to make the local tourist destination one of Kansas City’s best places to work — and to grab one of its most legendary spicy chicken sandwiches. “If you didn’t already know, you quickly come in here and…
Why many ‘deskless’ workers think management is out of touch — the good news: tech can fill the gap
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Bob Butler, chief customer officer at SafetyCulture, which has its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, oversees operations for the global tech company and has led it through its greatest stages of growth. Click here to read more about SafetyCulture’s strategy…