‘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
Canadian firm to house in KC, Techstars Demo Day announces other developments for cohort (Photos)
Local government has the most impact on people’s lives, said Ryley Iverson, co-founder and CEO of Townfolio, a Canada-based firm providing city data as a service that was among the 2018 Techstars Kansas City cohort. Townfolio announced a partnership with the Kansas City Area Development Council Thursday during the accelerator’s Demo Day: fuel the international firm…
Pure Pitch Rally passes $1 million in prizes; FastDemocracy and TheraWe lead winners
A quick-paced pitch competition Wednesday saw big wins for political tracking startup FastDemocracy and child therapy resource TheraWe Connect, with more than $1 million in prizes awarded between 10 young companies. “Our sponsors felt a funding head-rush like a speeding train — throwing money everywhere,” said Michael Williamson, an IP attorney for Polsinelli, one of…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
Rick Usher: How can KCMO balance policy and micromobility technology?
Update: On Thursday, KCMO City Manager Troy Schulte authorized Bird to deploy up to 500 scooters, as authorized in the city’s interim operating agreement. Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. This piece by Rick Usher was originally published by the National League of Cities, and comes days after Kansas City…