‘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
Mental health startup StartTalking announces partnership with QuikTrip
Editor’s note: In response to readers’ desire for quick-hitting stories, Startland News is launching a new segment, “News Flash,” to enable more coverage. Let us know what you think! Lenexa-based StartTalking has announced a pilot partnership with QuikTrip that will make its service available to all 3,000 QuikTrip employees in the Kansas City area.…
Skeleton of the Missouri Innovation Campus is now complete
Editor’s note: In response to readers’ desire for quick-hitting stories, Startland News is launching a new segment, “News Flash,” to enable more coverage. Let us know what you think! A huge facility that’s dedicated to filling an area employment gap by educating area high school students with technology courses is beginning to take shape.…
Hear KC newsmakers’ backstory with Startland’s ‘Innovation Exchange’ Oct. 20
Rarely are all the facts of breaking news included in the stories we read. From the coincidences that led to a business deal to the personal challenges along the way, there’s often a fascinating patchwork of details that remain in reporters’ notebooks. Think of the Innovation Exchange as a chance to open a news organization’s notepad…
Embracing the chaos, LaborChart soothes the calamity of construction
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Entrepreneurship is often attractive to personalities that don’t mind dealing with uncertainty. And though Ben Schultz never envisioned himself an entrepreneur, his experience as an electrical contractor forced him to embrace a myriad of unknowns in the construction industry. “Construction is…