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
KC Tech Council celebrates tax fix in Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ that boosts growing businesses
A tax fix included in the recently signed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — sprawling legislation meant to overhaul taxes in the United States — marks a major win for Kansas City’s tech and innovation economy, said Kara Lowe. At issue: a long-awaited change to Section 174 research and development expensing that now allows businesses to…
Crossroads distillery asks KC to make a toast in honor of founder lost in weekend motorcycle wreck
Update: A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support the family of the late Jeff Evans. Click here to learn more or to donate. With doors temporarily closed early this week (July 21-22) to mourn the loss of co-founder Jeff Evans, the team behind Mean Mule Distilling is asking its community to “grieve with us,…
Match this: ‘Ted Lasso’ filming in KC another win for city’s tax credit pitch, mayor says
Scoring state-side shooting locations for the newest season of “Ted Lasso” reflects a strategy by the KC Film Office that’s straight from the hit Apple TV+ series’ playbook: the harder you work, the luckier you get. “‘Ted Lasso’ filming in Kansas City represents everything we’ve been working toward,” said Rachel Kephart, director of the KC…
How this Top 10 small biz says ScaleUP! KC kept her company on the right path amid growth spurts
Entrepreneurs tout business program’s impact as it hits 10-year mark Over the course of a decade, ScaleUP! Kansas City not only has helped develop a foundation of success for dozens of companies; the acclaimed initiative built a legion of champions from within 14 cohorts of growth-minded small business owners. “There’s no other program like it,”…
Transportation company’s move to consolidated HQ expected to bring 250 workers to KC site
Consolidating five locations into a single, state-of-the-art Kansas City campus means Master’s Transportation — a leading provider of commercial buses and vans — will relocate 130 Missouri employees to its new headquarters, with plans to expand to 250 by the end of the year, the company said. “This expansion reflects the company’s rapid growth and…
Investors laud emerging founder’s expertise as CarePilot logs $2.5M for AI healthtech tool
It’s rare for a regional venture capital firm like KCRise Fund to invest in an entrepreneur just out of college, the Midwest-focused firm told Startland News, detailing the remarkable talent that led it to join an early round for Joseph Tutera’s digital health startup. Overland Park-based CarePilot recently announced a $2.5 million seed round led…
How this startup founder earned $200K in unrestricted, trust-based funding to transform KC’s relationship to food
Long-term community change comes one meal at a time, acknowledged one of Attane Health’s biggest supporters, reflecting on the Kansas City startup’s growth from the “spark of an idea to a full-fledged solution” — ultimately earning its founder a game-changing funding boost. The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health this month announced its inaugural Spark Prize…
Founder’s resolve earns KC mental health practice ‘Small Business of the Year’ title
Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. Kansas City’s newest Small Business of the Year is on a years-long journey to create safe, inclusive spaces for its clients and team, the resilient entrepreneur behind…
Call for Heartists: Sprawling sculpture project needs storytellers willing to open portal to KC’s soul
When the Parade of Hearts returns in April 2026, as many as 150 pieces of Kansas City’s story will be scattered across the metro — offering a summer-long scavenger hunt of the region’s identity for hometown fans and World Cup revelers alike. “The Parade of Hearts is more than public art — it’s a catalyst…
KCMO sets aside $1.4M to get small biz, artists in the front door before World Cup arrives
A city-led and funded effort to fill vacant storefronts in downtown Kansas City ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still taking shape, officials said this week, noting that crafting the infrastructure for the program alongside private property owners is expected to extend through the summer. “The World Cup is just the beginning of…