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
12 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2019
They aren’t in it for the headlines. The companies on Startland’s list of Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2019 are challenging themselves. They’re disrupting industries. They’re seeking a payoff, sure, but ultimately are driven by a desire to be masters of their own destinations. These are success stories in the works. And we think…
Year-end roundup: Checking in with Startland’s 2018 Startups to Watch
It was a year of refinement, said Chris Goode, as well as a time to rejoice amid highs and lows at Ruby Jean’s Juicery. Startland checked in with the founder, along with his fellow 2018 Startups to Watch companies, to see if the past 12 months unfolded as predicted. While working to expand Ruby Jean’s…
Nickel & Suede couple create their hook with style, influence and fast-selling leather earrings
Feeling is believing, said Kilee Nickels, the fashion inspiration behind Nickel & Suede. “You may not remember you’re wearing our earrings until someone compliments you,” she said of the light-weight, leather statement accessories that earned the business she co-founded a top spot on Inc. 5000’s 2018 fastest-growing companies list. Based in Liberty, the company boasted…
Startup connector Thou Mayest closing Crossroads coffee shop, hints at new flagship
Thou Mayest plans to shutter its Crossroads coffee shop — a popular collision point for startup leaders and community members — on Christmas Eve, founder Bo Nelson said this week, teasing a pivot to an enhanced wholesale operation and search for a new retail home. “This has been an amazing year of change for Thou…
Epic Aloha: KC startup opens interactive, photo-ready experience in Hawaii’s biggest hotel
Surrounded by lush Hawaiian scenery, Epic Aloha waves to vacationers with an unexpected ask: Trade the Waikiki sunshine for another kind of island escape. “It’s a really hard concept to talk about. It’s such a visual thing,” said Matt Baysinger, searching for words to describe the 6,000-square-foot Epic Aloha experience space. “Is it a selfie…
AltCap winner launching its first Rightfully Sewn-label little black dress at TEDxKC Women
Winning $10,000 in this week’s AltCap Your Biz Competition will help Rightfully Sewn expand, Jennifer Lapka said — a move coming on the heels of the social endeavor releasing the first dress under its own label to support the Crossroads-based seamstress training program. “It’s a stylish, well-made LBD (little black dress) that women can wear…
Hustle in the making: Startups scaling ‘maker’ concept with high-growth models (Photos)
Andy Talbert is in no way crafty, the Snow Pops co-founder said. “At all,” he emphasized, eliciting laughter from the crowd at Startland’s “Hustle in the Making” Innovation Exchange. The event — sponsored by Plexpod and Polsinelli — explored the evolving spectrum of startup businesses that could be considered “makers” in modern entrepreneurial culture. Kansas…
Lenexa-based Aloe soothes health insurance enrollment pains with human touch
A patient’s “wow” moment shouldn’t be when he or she opens a medical bill and discovers procedures that unexpectedly aren’t covered by insurance, said Andrew Belt, co-founder of Aloe. “People are frustrated — frustrated because they don’t understand how their coverage works or what’s included, and it doesn’t seem like anyone they talk to understands,”…
Skipping the line: PayIt driver’s license renewal tech iKan puts DMV stigma in reverse
The market is hungry for consumer-grade digital experiences, said John Thomson, founder and CEO at Kansas City tech startup PayIt. Tuesday’s launch of the firm’s iKan driver’s license renewal technology is a step toward satisfying motorists starved for time and frustrated with inconveniences like long lines and packed parking lots at licensing offices. “Kansas residents…
Talent pipeline: Missouri Hyperloop could be a light at the end of the tech jobs tunnel
A high-speed Missouri Hyperloop route connecting Kansas City and St. Louis would power a state-spanning metro area with fluid access to tech jobs and talent, as well as a region pumped for economic growth, leaders familiar with the proposed project said. “You could easily live in St. Louis and work in Kansas City, and have…