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
Pipeline rotates The Innovators gala to Omaha for celebration of fellows, incoming cohort
Pipeline hopes moving its The Innovators gala to Omaha for 2019 will help keep the premier startup event fresh after more than a decade in Kansas City, said Joni Cobb. “Change and experimentation are what Pipeline is all about,” said Cobb, president and CEO of Pipeline. “We are an entrepreneurial organization, and as such we…
KCultivator Q&A: Lesa Mitchell talks eating eyeballs, remembering names, growing startups
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Growth is a daily driver, Lesa Mitchell said, but it can be limited by the environment around entrepreneurs. “If…
STEM education bill backed by KC Tech Council passes MO Senate, heads back to governor
Despite initial pushback, a bill that would broaden access to computer education in Missouri high schools, could be gaining momentum, said Ryan Weber. If passed, the legislation would increase STEM awareness in public schools and require districts to count computer science courses as math and science credits, the KC Tech Council president and an advocate…
Beyond language barriers: DivvyHQ partners with translation tech firm for greater global reach
A newly announced partnership provides DivvyHQ an expanded toolset to open the doors to a global market — translating and delivering any type of marketing-related content across any device, channel or language, said Brock Stechman. “We’ve been working so hard over the past few years to really build this company from the ground up,” said…