NXTUS

Pilot competition taps drugless mental health solution for latest tech-infused cohort

A Kansas City-connected startup that helps users see their feelings with its drugless biofeedback/neurofeedback technologies is among 10 companies selected for the latest pilot cohort from NXTUS in Wichita. Finalists for the 2025 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition were announced Wednesday, including Columbia, Missouri-based Healium, which offers tech-driven mental wellness products that quickly…

Startup ideas are here, but does Kansas have the risk capital to get them to the next level?

Eight early-stage Kansas entrepreneurs sat across from Midwest-based investors this week at Aspiria NOW in Overland Park, engaging in rapid-fire, “speed dating” style meetings aimed at moving their ventures closer to real investment. “We’re seeing just a great inflow of companies, especially at the early stage, come in just high levels of sophistication and awareness…

KC-area startup nets $20K Kansas pitch tournament win with game-changing edtech

WICHITA — The team at VU Scholarships left it all on the stage Friday, walking away as champions in the Gamechangers & Champions bracket bash — a high-intensity pitch competition running parallel to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Wichita. By outlasting 31 other Sunflower State companies, the Roeland Park-based edtech startup earned $20,000 in…

Still in the game: 16 startups advance in Kansas pitch tournament; courting a new style of seed funding

WICHITA — And then there were 16. Monday’s pitch competition announcement served up sweet news for more than a dozen Kansas startups as local founders learned they’re advancing in the Gamechangers & Champions “Bracket Bash for Innovators and Angels” — a tournament-style event set to end with a $20,000 grand prize. The just-released list of…

Roster filled: 32 Kansas startups march into Round 2 of tourney-style pitch competition

WICHITA — Nearly three dozen Sunflower State startups are vying for $20,000 in prize money — and courting the attention of investors — as they advance to the second round of an innovative, state-backed pitch competition set amid the excitement of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. NXTUS on Tuesday announced the initial 32 companies advancing…