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 Stories by Tommy Felts
2021 Kansas City’s VC-Backed Companies Report
Higher headcounts and more than a billion dollars in funds raised. The 2021 Kansas City Venture Capital-Backed Companies Report provides a rare snapshot into the bustling, two-state metro’s growth-stage, venture-backed companies. The 2021 report — the culmination of a three-month collaboration between UMKC’s Technology Venture Studio and Startland News — reflects not only ongoing deal…
Why a KC real estate icon is letting urban artists spray paint his high-profile Plaza building (again)
A massive, five-story mural project launched on the Country Club Plaza in late 2020 will grow even bigger over the next week, painting the potential for more representation in an otherwise traditional — and earth tone — Kansas City shopping district and neighborhood. “It adds a lot of conversation and excitement — and it shows an opportunity…
Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader
Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…
Grandview-based battery innovator — Evergy Ventures’ first investment — exiting to global power player
A Kansas City-area startup developing next-generation scalable lithium-ion battery storage systems for land, sea and air is being acquired by a global power management leader, the companies announced Monday. Financial terms of the transaction — through which Grandview-based Spear Power Systems will add its power and talent to Sensata Technologies — were not disclosed. The…
New ranking: How KC can break into the Top 10 Midwest startup cities (and why it hasn’t yet)
A freshly released ranking of Midwest startup hubs shows Kansas City maintaining its years-long position at No. 12, but warns — despite a few recent headline-grabbing wins — the metro faces the threat of stagnation without increased activity, startup reinvestment and government support. “You had to get more funding and big exits just to stay…
Bodify joins Tulsa accelerator with $70K investment, ‘knocking down a lot of dominoes’
One of Kansas City’s most tenacious founders is in the midst of an intensive, six-month accelerator aimed at bringing her fashion tech startup to revenue without decreasing her ownership stake in the company. “Follow-on investment is nice, but you don’t have a company without revenue,” said Carlanda McKinney, founder and CEO of Bodify. “For me,…
How library advocates turned the page after COVID with a ‘tidal wave’ of online sales
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. Even a storied community resource relies on innovation for its survival, said Shanta Dickerson, noting classic trust and accountability also have…
Advocate envisions Plexpod ‘art village’ rebuilding KC culture at the intersection of art, business
An arts advocate in Kansas City hopes to partner with one of the metro’s leading community coworking spaces to create a haven for nearly 1,300 art entrepreneurs. GUILDit announced Thursday plans to develop an art village within Plexpod Westport Commons — featuring coworking, studios, a theater, and gallery — with a goal to rebuild art…
Legacy-filled eclair shop launches with crowds, pastry case lined with custom, unexpected treats
Chef Erin Luttrell recalls tales of lines out the door and around the block at her great-grandparents’ bakery in the 1920s — the inspiration behind her newly opened sweets shop on the historic Independence Square. “During the grain strike, people couldn’t get flour or bread or products to bake at home for their families, so they…
Why KCRise Fund chose a Lee’s Summit-built criminal justice smartphone app for its first lead investment
A Kansas City startup’s smartphone-enabled alternative to ankle monitors taps into a huge courts and corrections market — with the potential for tremendous cost savings and societal impact, said Darcy Howe. And that docket of benefits presents a unique opportunity for KCRise Fund, which this week announced its lead investment in Lee’s Summit-based eHawk, added…