Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Reporter, Startland News
Nikki brings to Startland News both community journalism and entrepreneurship experience and she loves being able to tell the inspiring stories of fellow creatives and risk-takers.
Before joining Startland News, she worked for over 10 years writing and editing for daily newspapers in Lawrence, Topeka, Duluth, Minnesota, and Park Hills, Missouri. She took a short hiatus from journalism to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef and starting her own baking business.
Recent Stories by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Keystone launching corporate engagement accelerator to boost low-friction startup collabs
Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gets its fair share of positive press thanks to a decade of momentum, Kevin McGinnis noted, but the region’s ability to scale innovative ideas to their potential remains stalled because corporations and startups lack an easy on-ramp for collaboration. “We have been listening for years to the ecosystem, to the community,…
Innovation check(s): Angels scout potential KC investments at NXTUS nano-pitch event
A startup showcase Tuesday in the heart of Johnson County’s innovation community put impact on display as NXTUS’ Accelerate Venture Partners organized a nano-pitch event for its network of angel investors amid Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City festivities. The Wichita-based entrepreneurial support organization — which has mobilized over $8.5 million for entrepreneurs in the Heartland since…
KC favorites eye World Cup: How to become ‘the spot’ for visitors without losing KC flavor
Even a visitor can become a repeat customer, said Dulcinea Herrera, stressing the importance of Kansas City businesses making their establishments a destination — not just a one-time stopover or accidental find — for international fans and other out-of-town guests when the FIFA World Cup arrives next summer. The goal: Win them over with intentional…
World Cup readiness event opens City Hall to entrepreneurs hoping to get on the roster
Kansas City wants to score as many points as possible when the FIFA World Cup arrives in 2026, said Janá Wagner, emphasizing that a special event planned Tuesday during GEWKC aims to get businesses into the game now — playbook in hand. “Our goal is to help as many entrepreneurs as possible get properly licensed,…
KC-built app locks down vulnerable users’ data before they can share it with online scammers
He’s a startup founder today, but a protective brother first, said Danny Moran, describing how his sister with special needs motivated the launch of an app to protect vulnerable people engaging in a digital world too often filled with bad actors. “She’s been scammed online multiple times over the past 10 years, causing significant financial…
Tim Tebow to entrepreneurs: Embrace the heavy lift if you want to reap life’s real profits
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Business should be about driving impact, not just scoring another win, said former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow — challenging Midwest entrepreneurs, community builders, and investors to consider outcomes that boost others, not just one’s personal pocketbook. “Probably everybody in this room has been super blessed with skill sets, resources, relationships, opportunities, companies,…
Fusing talent, passion: Serial founder trades his Screamin Cow for offshore talent hiring platform
Brad Starnes’ itch to lean into a newly realized pain point at the end of 2024 led to the acquisition of his Screamin Cow Marketing Group and the launch of another passion project, the former UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year shared. With the move — which sees Screamin Cow transitioned to Builders of Authority…
Autotech startup revs after patent stall; signature tech removes emissions, waste from diesel logistics
Fresh fuel is pumping into NORDEF after the Kansas City autotech company finally received patent approval for its signature product, co-founder William Walls said, pushing the pedal on its mission to disrupt the automotive fluid industry. Four years after applying for a provisional patent for its technology to produce diesel exhaust fluid on-demand — and…
Summer funding pushes CarePilot to team hires, AI accolades, healthtech product launch
Fresh off its summer capital infusion, a Kansas City-built AI startup that helps doctors focus on patients instead of administrative tasks is earning industry recognition and dropping another new product, said Joseph Tutera, sharing credit for the milestones with behind-the-scenes talent. “We have a young team and they don’t have the encumbrance of a prior…
One cabin, one chair, one cut: Barber swaps rushed for rustic at his no-distractions shop in the woods
LONE JACK, Mo. — A short drive to visit this barber — his cabin tucked away in the oaks and hickories about 35 minutes from the heart Kansas City — is about more than just the journey to a great hair cut, Micah Holdaway said; it’s about the experience. After running Barberhouse Men’s Hair Studio in…