Tommy Felts
Editor-In-Chief, Startland News
Tommy is editor-in-chief for Startland News, a Kansas City-based nonprofit newsroom that uses storytelling to elevate the region’s startup community of entrepreneurs, innovators, hustlers, creatives and risk-takers.
Under Tommy’s leadership, Startland News has expanded its coverage from a primarily high-tech, high-growth focus to a more wide-ranging and inclusive look at the faces of entrepreneurism, innovation and business.
Before joining Startland News in 2017, Tommy worked for 12 years as an award-winning newspaper journalist, designer, editor and publisher. He was named one of Editor & Publisher magazine’s top “25 Under 35” in 2014.
Recent Articles by Tommy Felts
How watching a 1-minute video could help a Kansas City startup win $200K
TL;DR — Clara Biotech needs views and likes on a company explainer video in order to advance in a highly competitive pitch event. Click here to watch the video or keep reading. Online audience support could help propel a local biotech startup into the finals of an Oct. 15 pitch competition where the winner will…
An absent-minded workplace gaffe, a nationwide Starbucks controversy; why the CEO ‘leadership jersey’ demands fearlessness on diversity, inclusion
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Morgan Stanley, a New York-based multinational investment bank and financial services company, and is a follow-up to this summer’s “Nothing to Fear” virtual panel discussion on diversity and inclusion efforts. The conversation was led by Carla Harris, vice chairman and managing director at Morgan Stanley, with moderator Channa…
As new terminal nears, Cowork KCI sells amid 87-acre development along airport corridor
Cowork KCI might have new owners, but the coworking veterans behind the Northland venture aren’t stepping too far away from the gate, they said. The 8,000-square-foot flex office space at 12200 N Ambassador Drive — less than a five-minute drive from Kansas City International Airport — has sold to the Ambassador Building. Robert L. Curland and…
Chatbots to wedding insurance: Meet the four premium InsurTech startups selected for KC’s bcp tech accelerator
Four of the industry’s most-promising seed stage startups — an international mix of insurtech solutions — are expected to be the beneficiaries of Kansas City’s extensive insurance expertise, explained Nathan Kurtz, announcing the second cohort of the LaunchKC-backed bcp tech InsurTech accelerator. “We are very insurance focused,” said Kurtz, COO of Brush Creek Partners (bcp). “And there’s…
Who’s getting funded in KC? The answer requires a long look in the mirror, analysts say
Editor’s note: Startland News asked industry experts to take an early look at the data behind the 2021 Kansas City Venture Capital-Backed Companies Report — the culmination of a three-month collaboration between UMKC’s Technology Venture Studio and Startland News, and presented by Mylo, a Lockton Company. Below are some of their leading takeaways, along with…
2021 Kansas City’s VC-Backed Companies Report
Higher headcounts and more than a billion dollars in funds raised. The 2021 Kansas City Venture Capital-Backed Companies Report provides a rare snapshot into the bustling, two-state metro’s growth-stage, venture-backed companies. The 2021 report — the culmination of a three-month collaboration between UMKC’s Technology Venture Studio and Startland News — reflects not only ongoing deal…
Why a KC real estate icon is letting urban artists spray paint his high-profile Plaza building (again)
A massive, five-story mural project launched on the Country Club Plaza in late 2020 will grow even bigger over the next week, painting the potential for more representation in an otherwise traditional — and earth tone — Kansas City shopping district and neighborhood. “It adds a lot of conversation and excitement — and it shows an opportunity…
Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader
Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…
Grandview-based battery innovator — Evergy Ventures’ first investment — exiting to global power player
A Kansas City-area startup developing next-generation scalable lithium-ion battery storage systems for land, sea and air is being acquired by a global power management leader, the companies announced Monday. Financial terms of the transaction — through which Grandview-based Spear Power Systems will add its power and talent to Sensata Technologies — were not disclosed. The…
New ranking: How KC can break into the Top 10 Midwest startup cities (and why it hasn’t yet)
A freshly released ranking of Midwest startup hubs shows Kansas City maintaining its years-long position at No. 12, but warns — despite a few recent headline-grabbing wins — the metro faces the threat of stagnation without increased activity, startup reinvestment and government support. “You had to get more funding and big exits just to stay…