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
‘If you don’t own yourself, you own nothing’: Why one founder says he’ll relocate his business if Kansas bans abortion
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series on the 2022 election produced by the KC Media Collective, an initiative designed to support and enhance local journalism. Members of the KC Media Collective include Startland News, Missouri Business Alert, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, KCUR, The Kansas City Beacon and American Public Square. Andrew Morgans has…
Shop Local KC gets minimalist makeover as local maker retailer opens Leawood store
Katie Mabry van Dieren is no stranger to the Ranch Mart Shopping Center in Leawood, the Shop Local KC owner said, returning to her roots this weekend to open a second location for her Kansas City maker retail store. “One of my greatest childhood memories was riding my bike to Ranch Mart and either getting…
KC wants to be the nation’s most equitable hub for biologics; prestigious MIT pick could help
Biologics is the entryway to personalized medicine, said Sonia Hall, and Kansas City is aiming to create the most inclusive hub for the development, production and distribution of biologics as part of its acceptance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program. “When you talk about personalized medicine, you’re talking about greater equity…
PropTechHD looks beyond the façade of drone use to see sky-high potential for capturing high-quality data
A lot can go wrong when flying a drone around a high-rise building, acknowledged Andrew Patch. Think restricted airspace, pigeons, hawks, turbulence, swirling winds, pressure changes, trees, powerlines, and other unexpected obstacles. But behind the sticks of a controller, Patch steers into the challenge. In February 2017, he founded Heartland Drone Company, an Federal Aviation…