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
First-ever ‘Right to Start Act’ would ban non-competes, establish Missouri Office of Entrepreneurship
Newly filed legislation in Missouri would give a boost to Show-Me State entrepreneurs — or at least spark a robust conversation about how policy can support new business and hiring growth, said Travis Fitzwater. “Missourians have a right to start a company and the state should be encouraging that behavior,” said state Rep. Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit,…
Meet the new class: KC’s top emerging founders power Pipeline’s latest high-profile fellowship
Pipeline’s new class of fellows more accurately reflects the real diversity of the Midwest, said startup veteran Dusty Reynolds, introducing a virtual Pipeline audience to 13 entrepreneurs joining the group’s elite ranks. “This is an absolutely stacked class,” said Reynolds, co-founder of Omaha-based RaceNote, founder of HeavyNote, and Pipeline’s 2015 Innovator of the Year. “I…
BetaBlox relaunching its popular demo day as part of documentary-style reality TV show
BetaBlox is adding more reality to its demo day — pushing the entrepreneur incubator’s hotly anticipated event to the summer and retooling the format as documentary-style vignettes that feed into casting for a full-season reality TV show. “This opportunity is a win-win-win,” said Weston Bergmann, founder and lead investor at BetaBlox, in a message to entrepreneurs…
Pipeline pitch winner sells practical business moves (and leather) with socially conscious ethos
Brooke Mullen’s ability to pivot with silky smooth ease helped the Lincoln entrepreneur build a bridge to surging revenue in 2020, as well as win best pitch Thursday during a showcase of Pipeline’s latest fellowship class. “With a lot of our business being direct-to-consumer and actual live events, we had to completely change as all…
Hot cocoa, mocha, donuts and aloha: KC’s new tiki hideaway pours the unexpected — 1,600+ miles from the beach
Snowy skies and frosted windshields outside, beach vibes within. A new tiki-inspired cafe — tucked away in the East Crossroads — offers a warm, inviting atmosphere and tropical transformations of classic treats and sips. The concept: Blend the flavors of surf and sunsets with perennial staples like coffee, donuts and ice cream. “It’s an all-inclusive…
Verizon dials into ShotTracker’s 5G potential, leading $11M financing round for veteran startup
One of Kansas City’s most celebrated startups is getting a boost as a new $11 million financing round led by Verizon Ventures and Evertz Technologies Limited takes the court. Funding is expected to support accelerated product deployment across NCAA basketball conferences and expand remote live sports production in the cloud with 5G enabledtech for venues,…
2021 Startups to Watch: LaborChart constructs high-growth mindset built on value, resiliency
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2021’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch — presented by sponsors Husch Blackwell and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. LaborChart wants to be among Kansas City’s top-tier tech…
2021 Startups to Watch: Daupler brings ‘profound change,’ equity to citizen-government interplay
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2021’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch — presented by sponsors Husch Blackwell and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. When a homeowner or renter discovers a sewage backup,…
2021 Startups to Watch: Replica spins out job creation as urban planning goes data dense
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2021’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch — presented by sponsors Husch Blackwell and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Rapidly scaling Replica won’t slow down in 2021, Nick…
Look to your father, not the coach: Why one fit entrepreneur hopes to redefine ‘dad bod’
Fatherhood — like athletics — is a physical and mental challenge with lifelong impacts, said Isaac Thibault, detailing the parallels at the core of his pandemic-pivoted career turn as a personal trainer. Launched this summer, Thibault’s PushIT Fitness targets married men with children — a demographic that allows the 25-year-old Overland Park entrepreneur an opportunity to…