Startup Crawl returns Sept. 19, marking Startland’s 10-year anniversary with KC innovation focus

Kansas City’s largest startup open house is back this fall — celebrating a decade of innovation alongside emerging builders and newsmakers.

Set for Sept.19 and organized by Startland News, Startup Crawl will mark the newsroom’s 10-year anniversary with a high-energy showcase of the city’s entrepreneurial community. The event, presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, places dozens of startups — from sports tech to AI — on display in venues across the Power & Light and Crossroads districts.

Click here for free tickets to the Startup Crawl.

“This isn’t just a celebration. It’s a statement about what’s next for Kansas City and for Startland,” said Austin Barnes, publisher of Startland News. “For a decade, we’ve been telling the stories of founders and business owners with big ideas. As we step into our next era, we’re doubling down on connecting the tech and traditional startup communities in ways that help both grow stronger.”

Click here to book time for Startland News’ listening tour. Get involved or hear more about the team’s vision for the future.

Startup Crawl invites attendees to explore the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem at their own pace, meeting founders face-to-face, sampling products, interacting with demos, and discovering what’s coming next in Kansas City’s innovation economy.

Businesses already set to join the fall showcase range from pet tech, drone solutions and Kansas City-built comics, to bioscience innovations, relationship building apps, and AI-infused political engagement tools.

“Innovation doesn’t happen in silos,” said Tommy Felts, editor-in-chief at Startland News. “When we bring these communities together — whether they’re building apps or crafting a new catnip — we see ideas collide and opportunities multiply.”

Click here for photos and a recap from the 2024 Startup Crawl.

JQ Sirls, Storytailor, speaks with a Startup Crawl attendee along Walnut Street during the 2024 Startup Crawl; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Alongside the Crawl, the anniversary celebration will feature special moments honoring a decade of storytelling and a preview of Startland News’ vision for the future.

ICYMI: They just wanted someone to notice: 10 years (and an exit) later, the first founders featured in Startland News have come 360

“Startup Crawl has always been about showcasing the best of KC,” Barnes said. “This year, we’re making it clear — we’re here to serve, connect, and champion founders for the next 10 years and beyond.”

Further support for Startup Crawl has been generously provided by sponsors at: 2KC, Accelefund, AltCap, Bank of America, BOK Financial, Capitol Federal, Tiny Thunder Studio, EDCKC, Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Husch Blackwell, KCBizCare, KCSourceLink, the KC Tech Council, the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Kemper Family Foundation, Launch Code, Made in KC, the Mid-America LGBT Chamber, the Missouri Technology Corporation, Morgan Stanley, NMotion by gener8tor, Polsinelli, SeedFolk Partners, Spark Coworking, Switchyards, Tenfold Security, the UMKC Bloch School, the University of Kansas School of Business, and Urban Prairie Consulting.

Additionally, Startup Crawl is funded by a grant from The Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) — a program of the City of KCMO which provides support to non-profit organizations through contracts for services, established by State law in 1989 to help promote Kansas City’s distinct and diverse neighborhoods through cultural, social, ethnic, historic, educational and recreational activities in conjunction with promoting the city as a premier convention, visitor and tourist center.

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Startland News is entering its next decade with a bold new model: our future is member-supported. If you believe Kansas City deserves independent, solutions-focused journalism that keeps innovation in the spotlight, now is the time to act.

Click here to become an annual or monthly supporter or here to join our Founders Club.