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
‘This is the end of The Sundry’ — Sustainable food problem remains after startup’s closing, founder says
The Sundry market-and-restaurant concept at Plexpod Westport Commons simply wasn’t solving the problems of scope and scale within sustainable and local agriculture as intended, said Ryan Wing. Ultimately, that meant the venture itself couldn’t continue as originally envisioned, added Wing, founder of the sustainable food startup, which abruptly closed to the public last week. “Expectations…
New Black & Veatch accelerator bent on changing the world, powered by LaunchKC
A new accelerator powered by LaunchKC is Black & Veatch’s attempt to “create the world that we want,” said Hyleme George, director of the freshly announced IgniteX CleanTech program. “It’s a world that we want to invest in to accelerate the adoption of sustainable infrastructure,” George continued. “What that means is a world where there’s…
New industry-specific LaunchKC accelerators expected to bring more dollars, winners
Applications for this year’s LaunchKC program are going vertical, said Drew Solomon, announcing plans for three industry-specific accelerators — two of which will launch new funding-rich demo days in the fall. “We’ve always wanted to grow and expand not only the competition, but the program as a whole,” said Solomon, chair of the LaunchKC program….
Community rallies behind Chris Goode after ‘violating’ overnight Ruby Jean’s break-in
Chris Goode isn’t angry, the Ruby Jean’s founder said after an overnight break-in left shattered glass and an empty cash register at his juicery and kitchen on Troost. “When trials come, maintain the faith and just keeping pressing forward,” Goode said. “People responded to that message pretty quickly. We know that the business is supported…
Butter to eSports: Sprint Accelerator draws new class of startups from coasts to Canada
Josh Green is used to navigating the streets of Brooklyn, hand delivering artisanal butters, chilled in the back of a pickup, he recalled. As founder of Brooklyn Buttery — which crafted a line of flavor-packed, sustainably sourced compound butters designed to bring a high end restaurant experience to home cooks — the entrepreneur’s growth has now…
Experts: Coastal VCs getting FOMO on Kansas City; PayIt’s $100M+ investment proves it
Landing more than $100 million in funding is no small feat for PayIt — or any startup, John Thomson said with a mix of humble confidence. “Wins beget wins, and it helps to build the ecosystem,” said Thomson, CEO and co-founder of PayIt. Click here to read more about PayIt’s investment from Insight Partners. For Thomson,…
‘Transformative’ $100M+ investment for PayIt means KC GovTech startup will boost hiring
A massive investment from a New York-based venture capital and private equity firm is expected to help push Kansas City GovTech startup PayIt to 120 employees by the end of 2019, John Thomson said. “We’re already growing at a pretty good clip, and this will really help us accelerate R&D, serving more clients, and putting…
Time for apathy is over, Condon says; Advocates make business case for Pre-K funding
Kansas City’s unequal playing field for children and inconsistent access to early education programs has a distinct ripple effect into the business community, Matt Condon said, advocating for Mayor Sly James’ Pre-K for KC initiative. “I don’t make any apologies about what a great city this is. But on this issue in particular, we are…
KCMO mayoral vote: Confused? Undecided? Seven FAQs for those still on the bubble
Amid nearly three dozen Kansas City mayoral candidate forums, Startland readers raised a round of questions — some easy to answer, others loaded — but each invested in seeing who will emerge from the shadow of popular, bow tie-wearing mayor, Sly James, to lead KCMO. Here’s a breakdown of the most frequently asked questions about…
Freightquote, Edison Factory founder-turned-investor touts ‘work ethic worth investing in’
Raise and raise relentlessly. Because in business, the sun won’t shine every day, Tim Barton told a room filled Wednesday morning with entrepreneurs and investors eagerly seeking support and insight at the 20th InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum. The former CEO of Freightquote, who saw a $365 million exit for the company in 2014 before launching…