Tag: Ivan Hadzhiev
Drilling into the customer profile for his startup — an AI-powered, curated swag marketplace aimed at early stage tech companies — Ivan Hadzhiev used tailored resources from Wichita-based NXTUS to validate a complaint keeping prospective partners from buying in. In short, a lot of options — even for custom, branded merchandise — isn’t necessarily a…
A handful of Kansas City startups were among 22 early stage companies gathered in Wichita this week for the opening session of a program aimed at growing strong, sustainable businesses that uplift innovation and opportunity throughout the Heartland. The 2026 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort program on Wednesday welcomed founders from buildNest and Pitchster, Olathe, Kansas;…
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,…
GRWM: Founder has more than swag; his platform matches companies with merch Gen Z will actually wear
A lot of branded swag gets buried at the bottom of a drawer after being collected from a special event or trade show — never again to see the light of day, Ivan Hadzhiev said, noting his new startup is helping companies think outside the bag when they design and distribute promotional products. “We’re making…