Photos: Founders plug into vibrant Startup Crawl energy as Startland celebrates decade of storytelling

By Tommy Felts | September 24, 2025

Startland News’ one-night, rolling innovation showcase Friday served as a launch for select founders — capitalizing on a crowd of 500-plus Startup Crawl participants to bring their emerging companies into the Kansas City spotlight, one conversation at a time. “I love that we got to share Portrayals XR with Kansas City first,” said Tricia Keightley,…

Read More

How KC transformed entrepreneurship from counterculture into a model for the mainstream

By Tommy Felts | July 25, 2025

Veteran ecosystem builders returned to the Heartland this week, urging a new generation of entrepreneur advocates to embrace Kansas City’s style of experimentation and its uniquely collaborative startup culture. “Entrepreneurship is not spreadsheets and business plans,” said Jonathan Ortmans, who founded the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) — the nonprofit parent of Global Entrepreneurship Week —…

Read More

Kauffman Foundation looks within, names new executive director for 1 Million Cups, FastTrac

By Tommy Felts | June 17, 2024

The new steward of two core programs from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation brings a wealth of experience in inclusive entrepreneurship and as a workforce development leader, the influential Kansas City philanthropic organization said Monday. Olatunji Ajani, a current associate at the Kauffman Foundation, begins his role as executive director for 1 Million Cups and…

Read More