‘This is the dream’: Starty Party turns up the volume on Kansas City tech, collaboration (Photos)
November 13, 2025 | Tommy Felts
It isn’t a party without the people, said organizers of the Starty Party, gathering a crowd of startup veterans, early stage founders, investors and community leaders Wednesday for a one-night celebration of innovation — set against the backdrop of homegrown music and vibes.
Melissa Vincent, Pipeline Entrepreneurs, right, speaks on stage alongside Dan Kerry, Flyover Capital, during the Starty Party at Knuckleheads; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“This is amazing,” said Melissa Vincent, CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurs, from the Starty Party stage at Knuckleheads in Kansas City’s East Bottoms. “The thing I love about Kansas City is that we know how to collaborate. And because of our collaboration — instead of it being competition — we bring everybody in together.”
A crossover event, Starty Party notably combined the people power and resources of Pipeline (opening its latest module this week), the Flyover Capital-led MidxMidwest startup-investor summit (returning today in its fourth year), and law firm Polsinelli (a longtime supporter of the tech and innovation community).
Click here to learn more about the origins of the Starty Party, which was presented by GK2.
Wednesday’s packed outdoor concert — featuring The Greeting Committee, a nationally touring indie-pop band with roots in the Heartland — came together with the help of a wide-range of community partners, organizers said, crediting Keystone, NXTUS, UMKC, Digital Sandbox KC, LaunchKC, and Digital Health KC for their support.
“The common thread in this whole region: We all want entrepreneurship in this city to thrive,” said Flyover’s Dan Kerr, a core MidxMidwest organizer who dubbed the celebration with its Starty Party name. “And to see this many people out here, I think we can say that we’re thriving; we’re gonna rock it.”
Greg Koehler and Greg Kratofil, GK2, speak on stage at Starty Party at Knuckleheads; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Looking across the crowd, gathered under the neon lights and heaters of the Knuckleheads venue, Kerr acknowledged support from Polsinelli’s Greg Kratofil had pushed MidxMidwest to new heights.
“Honestly, when we started MidxMidwest four years ago … the dream was to have entrepreneurs, investors, and awesome Kansas City talent come out and be part of the mix,” Kerr said. “We’ve always had live music, but Greg has taken it up 10 notches this year. This is the dream right here.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas speaks at Starty Party. “If you love Kansas City, if you love making money, if you love supporting entrepreneurs in business, you’re in the right place tonight. More than anything, make sure you get to know each other, get the chance to connect, and listen to some outstanding music,” Lucas said; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC entrepreneurial leader Wullschleger becomes new WeWork director
Before its doors even open, WeWork is making significant inroads to the area entrepreneur community. The international coworking giant — which announced plans to create a 40,000-square-foot space in Kansas City in March — has hired Erik Wullschleger to become its community director. Most recently the director of LiveKC and previously general manager of the…
Wide Ruled: The future of Kansas schools with education commissioner Randy Watson
Editor’s note: In partnership with the Wide Ruled podcast hosted by Brainroot Light and Sound, Startland News hopes to offer its audience more avenues to learn about innovators in Kansas City. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Wide Ruled is a Kansas City-based podcast focused on equality in education. Each episode showcases a…
ScaleUP! KC welcomes 16 new entrepreneurs to the program
On Wednesday ScaleUP! KC welcomed 16 new entrepreneurs into its incubator program’s sixth cohort. To qualify, ScaleUP! companies must be in business for at least two years, generate annual sales of between $150,000 and $750,000 and have the potential to reach to $1 million in sales. Startups from the latest cohort represent industries such as…
KC Digital Drive summits aim to catalyze engagement with tech, innovation
Area non-profit, government and tech leaders are planning to help broaden community involvement in the Kansas City metro’s innovation ecosystem. Organized by KC Digital Drive, the Gigabit City Summit: Local Edition — set for June 16 at Plexpod Westport Commons — will offer an immersive look into high-profile initiatives such as the Smart City effort and…