Get tickets to the Starty Party: MidxMidwest opens doors to SXSW-flavored startup-investor summit

Polsinelli-powered celebration at Knuckleheads puts homegrown headliner, community collaboration on stage

A trio of innovation-infused collaborators are taking over Knuckleheads — an East Bottoms landmark that perfectly captures the region’s grit, creativity and unmistakable live music vibe, organizers said — for a new community event to help launch MidxMidwest 2025.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 12 for the “Starty Party” — an official kickoff for the annual investor conference that brings together Polsinelli, Flyover Capital and Pipeline Entrepreneurs for the biggest startup celebration of the season. The event is presented by GK2.

“Powering the MidxMidwest Starty Party felt like a good way to celebrate Kansas City’s creativity, its entrepreneurial energy, and the local businesses and talent that make this city so dynamic,” said Greg Kratofil, co-office managing partner for Polsinelli in Kansas City, as well as technology transactions and data privacy chair for the firm. “With so many clients, investors, and friends coming to KC for these events, we wanted to make sure Wednesday night showcased something special.”

Headlining the evening, The Greeting Committee, a nationally touring indie-pop band with roots in the Heartland, is set to bring their high-energy sound and infectious spirit to the stage. Their live performance will fuel an evening of connection, creativity, and community.

Click here for free tickets to the Starty Party.

​Arrive early for local food trucks, craft drinks, and a chance to mingle with founders, investors, and innovators shaping the region’s next wave of growth.

Greg Kratofil, Polsinelli, left, participates in a panel at the first MidxMidwest in 2022, alongside Christie Zarkovich, Health Forward Foundation, and Tristan Mace, Flyover Capital; Startland News photo

MidxMidwest returns the next day, Thursday, Nov. 13 at Hotel Kansas City with curated sessions designed to help founders, investors, disruptors, and the broader entrepreneurial community come together to celebrate what’s next in innovation across the Midwest. (Event registration has closed for MidxMidwest, but the Starty Party is open to the public.)

Action continues Friday, Nov. 14 at the Aspiria campus in Overland Park for the Energy & Data Center Innovation Summit, organized by the KC Tech Council, to explore the future of sustainable infrastructure from next-gen data center design to cross-sector energy demand, policy innovation, and startup-driven disruption.

“Polsinelli is proud to sponsor both MidxMidwest and the Energy & Data Center Innovation Summit,” said Kratofil. “These events will bring together some of the most forward-thinking companies and innovators in areas that are important to Polsinelli and reflect industries where we have significant experience, including technology, energy, data privacy, and venture capital.”

Barreling behind the scenes

Powered by Polsinelli — with funds redirected to Starty Party from the former ARTechBBQ, an annual gathering that brought together the tech community for more than a decade at the American Royal — the new event came together thanks to a brainstorm between GK1 and GK2, Kratofil said.

The duo — two friends with shared initials (Greg Kratofil and Greg Koehler) — first collaborated a few years ago when together they adopted a barrel of bourbon at Knuckleheads’ neighbor, J. Rieger & Co. distillery.

“We were patient, visited it frequently and finally bottled our ‘GK2’ bourbon, complete with our own logo and custom label,” said Greg Kratofil. “It was fun to put together. We ended up with 219 bottles to drink and mostly gave it away to friends and family. We now jokingly refer to it as the most exclusive bourbon in Kansas City, with probably fewer than 100 bottles left in existence. We aren’t making any more of it.”

Tossing around ideas for GK2’s next move, the two landed on another shared passion: live music.

“We were just talking about what would be fun to do next,” said Koehler. “We aren’t trying to start a bourbon brand or an events company. In the spirit of ‘Bill Graham Presents’ we decided ‘GK2 Presents’ would help bring a band to town so people can have some fun. The GK2 name gave us an excuse to do it.”

Selecting the Overland Park-formed headliner marked a great fit for the kind of celebration GK2, Polsinelli and fellow organizers hoped to create, Kratofil added.

Lead vocalist Addie Sartino performs in 2023 with The Greeting Committee; courtesy photo

“The Greeting Committee has the kind of highly infectious energy and creativity that embodies Kansas City’s tech and innovation scene,” he said.

Following Starty Party, GK2 Presents could continue down the concert path, or pivot into something new, Kratofil acknowledged.

“We might be one and done,” he joked, “or we might decide to do it again next year. We’ll see how it goes. But if you are in Kansas City, this is where you want to be that night.”

MidxMidwest organizers Maggie Kenefake, Iron Prairie Ventures, and Dan Kerr, Flyover Capital, speak during the 2024 summit; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Perfect timing in the pipeline

The timing of MidxMidwest dovetails with the start of Pipeline’s Module 4 — an overlap organizers identified as potential, not a conflict, said Melissa Vincent, CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurs.

“A lot of the MidxMidwest attendees are also Pipeline members, and it made sense to support their efforts to build a stronger network of investment opportunities in Kansas City and the Midwest,” she said, noting Pipeline and MidxMidwest also partnered in 2024 to program sessions and a happy hour on the eve of the summit for event guests who’d traveled to Kansas City early.

With great turnout and engagement last year, Vincent said, another collaboration seemed obvious when dates once again coincided.

“Bringing in a powerhouse like Polsinelli adds a fun flair,” she continued. “It’s going to be a really entertaining event while still maintaining opportunities for networking and connections between the founder and investor communities — as well as the broader community.”

Vincent drew parallels to event series like SXSW that blend music and tech culture in an intentional way. She expressed appreciation for organizers like Flyover’s Dan Kerr — a core MidxMidwest organizer who dubbed the celebration with its Starty Party name — for embracing the new vibe.

“It’s a fresh approach that comes at an exciting time — a time when it’s more important than ever to not only support the ecosystem, but to collaborate with other organizations that are working diligently to bring in resources, funding and opportunities for founders in the region,” she said.

The Pipeline leader also offered a shoutout to Polsinelli for rerouting its previous BBQ gathering to make the joint event a reality.

“It’s such a great example of how Kansas City’s startup ecosystem comes together to celebrate collaboration and connection,” Vincent said.