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
Moving humanity forward isn’t always pleasant, Block founder says, urging innovators to keep crossing the line
What’s so cool about getting up every day to do something that you don’t know is going to work? Jim McKelvey asked a crowd gathered for the Rockhurst University Leadership Series about the realities of forging ahead as an entrepreneur.
KC Chamber reveals Top 10 small businesses; one will be named Mr. K Award winner
“You got here by persevering, showing innovation and passion," Vicky Kulikov told the latest batch of Mr. K Award finalists.
Birdies moving to expanded Crossroads shop with support from KCMO’s Open Doors!
“It's been just epically everything that we have been manifesting for five years,” Birdies co-owner Peregrine Honig said of the opportunity at 101 W. 18th St., the former Bizz and Wheezy’s Confections. “The light, the location, the size.”
‘Fitting in is boring’: How this young founder gained the glow of entrepreneurship with her family’s meat pies
Naeches Nourishment is serving up savory meat pies with a side of its student founder’s Nigerian roots, Chinecherem Ihenacho shared, noting she started the business to make her culture more approachable to people who otherwise might not see the richness of its flavor.
KC-backed (and built) AI startup rebrands amid shift to tackling America’s supply chain pain points
With its pivot from video transcriptions to bulk inventory tracking, one of Kansas City’s most-promising, emerging tech startups is rebranding to match the new direction, co-founders Warren Wang and Cole Robertson said. “‘Rebulk‘ feels like the right name for the future we want to build,” said Wang, reflecting on the company’s efforts to use AI-powered…
Sports, tech leaders: This is our moment to turn Kansas City’s new fans into investors
With Kansas City’s knack for scoring big sports headlines, opportunity is on the court for the region to boost its brand as a hub for innovation, said Pam Kramer, emphasizing that the eyes of the world will be watching when the World Cup arrives this summer in the Midwest. But the shot clock is already…
Scaling the fairway: GolfTRK’s sprawling new HQ on course without a trick shot, founders say
Albatross Golf — along with its flagship brands, GolfTRK and Noonan — is ready to move into its next chapter, co-founders Alex Reed and Matt Williams shared, with the completion of its expanded headquarters in Prairie Village just a couple short months away. “This is the right next step for us and where we’re headed,”…
Bracket bash winner nets $50K in pitch doubleheader; three KC startups score spots among final four
Kansas came in clutch Tuesday — doubling the grand prize pool for this week’s Gamechangers and Champions pitch competition just before tipoff. Its jersey-clad winner scored $50,000 and a top seed among investors gathered for the state’s bracket bash for emerging entrepreneurs. “When you’re in a startup business, money never hurts, non-dilutive money even more…
This diehard sports fan is pitching a new platform to get KC’s young athletes paid
NIL deals give student athletes a greater opportunity to financially benefit from their name, image, and likeness while in college, and now Chris Owings wants to extend that opportunity to Kansas City area youth athletes, he shared. “One of the things that really motivated me was when the Royals signed Jac Caglianone,” explained the founder…
Five-alarm to market: Vegan ice cream maker proves her treats can take the heat of competition
Fresh off a 24-hour shift at the fire station, Zoe Mays — founder of Scream Queens — rode a wave of adrenaline to victory at last week’s Food Biz Con pitch competition. Mays — a poet-turned-firefighter/paramedic-turned-entrepreneur — took home $5,000 for her vegan ice cream pop-up business, which she founded in 2024 after her girlfriend…