NXTUS expands enterprise-focused program beyond Kansas; four KC-area startups selected
August 13, 2025 | Startland News Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — An ongoing initiative to demystify the relationship-building process between emerging entrepreneurs and potential enterprise partners just expanded deeper into the Midwest, welcoming 20 growth-minded innovators from Wichita to St. Louis.
Mary Beth Jarvis, president and CEO of NXTUS, speaks in March during the Gamechangers & Champions summit in Wichita; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“For entrepreneurs whose success depends on forging relationships with ‘the big guys,’ this unique program is so valuable,” said Mary Beth Jarvis, president and CEO of NXTUS, which organizes the NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series. “The entrepreneurs build their knowledge and confidence to more effectively approach large organizations. And the enterprise partners benefit from getting to know these startups as potential suppliers and collaborators, helping advance the ‘grow our own’ economic development efforts that are crucial to keep our region moving forward.”
Advancing in program, four Kansas City-area businesses — Archia, Overland Park, Kansas; OnSight, Spring Hill, Kansas; ROZ, Olathe, Kansas; and ULOM, Kansas City, Missouri — are set to meet weekly with the cohort through the end of September, gaining the tools and insights needed to build meaningful partnerships with the medium-to-large enterprises they hope to collaborate with and sell to in order to grow.
New this year, the program expanded its reach by welcoming startup applications from across the Midwest, moving beyond Kansas for the first time.
Through a curated selection process, NXTUS accepted startup founders from across a wide-range of industries, from advanced cybersecurity and AI-driven health and wellness platforms to inclusive workforce integration, transformative HR services, and specialized professional support that spans logistics, compliance, creative marketing, and more.
Members of the NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series cohort; photo courtesy of NXTUS
The just-announced cohort includes:
- Accelerate Physical Therapy and Performance (Ashton Reichmann), Wichita, Kansas
- Adelitas Coffee Co. (Oscar Pineda), Wichita, Kansas
- Archia (Gharib Gharibi), Overland Park, Kansas
- Capacity (Janice Perkins), Wichita, Kansas
- Eck Fabrication (Ethan Eck), Kingman, Kansas
- Good Works Talent (Rachel Biggs), Wichita, Kansas
- Kwema (Ali Jabry), St. Louis, Missouri
- Logical A (Chris Weakly), Wichita, Kansas
- Malibu Creative (Austin Calam), Wichita, Kansas
- Mid-American Language Services (Maya Navarro Williams), Wichita, Kansas
- MMNT (Miguel Johns), Wichita, Kansas
- Moonbase (Nic Wentling, Christian Taylor), Wichita, Kansas
- OnSight (Errick Quartucci, Alex Snook, Hunter Haufler), Spring Hill, Kansas
- Phy-Cy.X Security Group (Clint Stevens), Wichita, Kansas
- POURPIS (Vanessa Tillemans), Wichita, Kansas
- Primor Fitness (Deb Whitney-Johnson), Kechi, Kansas
- ROZ (Donnie Hampton), Olathe, Kansas
- State of Becoming (Candice Smith), Wichita, Kansas
- Tranbarger AgriVision (Ty Tranbarger), Hutchinson, Kansas
- ULOM (Zik Nwanganga, Bing Low), Kansas City, Missouri
The 2025 program is expected to culminate with live pitches Sept. 29 at Cargill Protein Headquarters during the Startup-Enterprise Summit, the kickoff event of Launch Week, formerly known as Wichita Startup Week.
Now in its fourth year, the NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series has graduated 60 startups across 15 counties in Kansas. Collectively, these entrepreneurs have generated more than $44 million in lifetime revenue and created or retained 125 jobs since 2022.
Enterprise partners for 2025 include:
- Berry Companies
- Cargill
- City of Wichita
- Equity Bank
- Evergy
- Kansas Department of Commerce
- Koch Supplier Strategies
- LANGE Companies
- iSi Environmental
- Sedgwick County
- Textron Aviation
- USD 259 Wichita Public Schools
- Village Travel
In addition, the 2025 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series is made possible thanks to support from NetWork Kansas, the Greater Wichita Partnership with Opportunity Wichita affiliate, Fidelity Bank, and Forvis Mazars.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
If support for LGBT employees doesn’t seem obvious, this new chamber leader would like a word
Kansas City’s LGBTQ+ community shouldn’t have to face its battles alone, said Tracey DeMarea, emphasizing the impact of allyship and the growing need for stronger support from the region’s business community — regardless of whether a company considers itself LGBT-owned. “Equity isn’t just an issue for businesses that know they have LGBT leadership or employees,”…
Anchor Island pours into coffee shop’s potential with unique investment round
A crowd-funded investment opportunity through HoneyComb Credit would allow customers to help a Troost Avenue coffee shop enhance its kitchen equipment and expand the Anchor Island Coffee brand’s popular menu. Franchising and a liquor license could also be on the horizon. “We need support for the vision that we have, the product we serve, and…
Health tech entrepreneur opening spa on the Plaza; Here’s how its ‘accessible luxury’ comes served with collaboration
After 20 years as a hospital executive, Ashley McClellan has a new way to help people on their wellness journey, the budding Kansas City serial entrepreneur shared. In January, McClellan and her husband, Brett, plan to open Sojourn Spa in the Cascade Hotel on the Country Club Plaza. “From my perspective, we want our guests…
Ingredients in your burrito bowl could be grown by agbots; Chipotle’s $50M venture fund wraps investment in Kansas robotics startup
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. A minority investment from Chipotle Mexican Grill’s $50 million Cultivate Next venture fund is expected to help bring a Kansas tech company’s autonomous weeding robots into the fold as the…