LISTEN: Meet the partners behind Plug and Play Topeka’s growth (and impact)
October 10, 2025 | Austin Barnes
On a special episode of Startland News’ 12-part podcast series diving deeper into Plug and Play, we explore how the Topeka-based program and its partners work to turn bold ideas into Kansas success stories.
Cole Ahlvers, NQV8 Fund, right, speaks on a panel at the Plug and Play Animal Health & AgTech Expo in Topeka; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Guests includes Bret Lanz from Kansas State University’s Technology Development Institute; John G. Brown of StenCo; and Cole Ahlvers from NQV8 Fund.
RELATED: Global startups plug into Topeka: How Kansas connections are powering their innovation
Together guests unpack collaboration across universities, corporations, and investment firms is accelerating innovation in the Midwest — fueling everything from advanced manufacturing to agtech and animal health.
Recorded live at the Plug and Play Animal Health & AgTech Expo in Topeka, hear how Plug and Play connects these players, why Kansas is quietly becoming a national hub for commercialization, and what it takes to turn breakthrough ideas into scalable companies.
Listen to a teaser below or click here for the full podcast episode.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Three-peat threads: 30+ Super Bowl-bound Chiefs fan fits (haters will say the refs wrote this)
With the Chiefs ready to stand on business in the Big Easy, Kansas City fans — at home or at the big game — will need to dress for the win they want. Here’s how small business owners from across the region stand ready to help them suit up ahead of the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl…
How ’bout those cheeeeeese mochis? Korean chicken spot gets into the game with its own head-turning plays
After their decade of conversation got old, three lifelong friends finally achieved their dream of opening a restaurant together, Kue-Jin Hwang shared. Now they’re hoping to capture Chiefs’ fans’ hunger for a three-peat at their Overland Park restaurant. Hwang, Kyoungmin Kim, and Sung Jo — friends for more than 30 years (each represented in the…
KC startup founder pivots into pickleball haters’ biggest complaint, eliminating court noise
SLN/CR is serving the sweet sound of silence to neighbors of outdoor pickleball courts, said Eliot Arnold, a serial entrepreneur-turned avid pickleball player who’s taking a swing at the source of critics’ irritation. His Kansas City-based startup — pronounced “silencer” — offers a fabric-based noise mitigation system that uses nanotechnology to absorb nuisance noise, said…
Kansas student’s mobility tech for visually impaired users wins Congressional App Challenge
An Overland Park eighth grader’s app idea — using object detection and text-to-speech technology to help visually impaired individuals navigate their surroundings — earned him a visit to the principal’s office, then an opportunity to showcase his innovation in Washington, D.C. “I actually came across a video online, and it was about this blind woman…