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
OHUB.KC an investment in equity infrastructure, founder says; minority accelerator deadline Sept. 18
Kansas City’s startup community still has room to improve on racial equity and access issues, said Rodney Sampson, but the ecosystem should safeguard the progress it’s made now — before COVID-era re-settlers arrive, bringing potentially problematic culture with them from larger startup hubs. “When a lot of those folks leave regions like the coasts and come…
‘Perfect weather’ helping Strang Hall stay open today, but success requires a longer view, says Tim Barton
Mild summer temperatures have fed Strang Hall’s bottom line, said Tim Barton, even as a persistent pandemic keeps the downtown Overland Park food hall hungry for its full potential. “Having the outdoor space and the roll-up garage door bar area has been very good for us,” said Tim Barton, the serial entrepreneur and mind behind…
JT Daniels’ murals infuse sparks of Kansas City into new downtown collaborative workspace
A sprawling mural inside Spark Kansas City offers the new collaborative workspace and its members more than just a few pops of color, said JT Daniels. “The subjects are all important figures specific to KC’s history, both past and present,” said Daniels, a Kansas City-based illustrator and muralist tasked with helping bring Spark KC’s common…
Kansas City’s Top VC-Backed Companies in 2020
The 2020 Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies List reflects a range of success stories and COVID-era challenges among Kansas City’s community of growth-stage, venture-backed companies. The list — updated annually by Startland News and its parent organization, Startland — shows that while few companies were spared from COVID-19’s impact, many of Kansas City’s leading entrepreneurs continued to grow…
M25 ranking: KC gains traction against Midwest peers, but startups need more state support
Kansas City remains the “undisputed hub of startup activity in the area,” according to a new ranking by M25 — putting the City of Fountains in an enviable position as tech and startup leaders in high-priced coastal areas look for new homes in the COVID-19 era of remote work. “Zoom may be the bane of…
KC tech community likely staying home, skipping events and travel until 2021, report says
Tech leaders are now accepting that a return to work and live events will take longer — perhaps much longer — than initially expected at the outset of the Coronavirus pandemic, said Ryan Weber. “In April, there was a rosier outlook for the resumed timeframe around in-person business events, office reoccupation and business travel,” said…
Made in KC replicating its Plaza marketplace in Lee’s Summit; opening set for September
A popular retail marketplace concept made in Kansas City is headed east — to the sixth-largest city in Missouri and a customer base eager to support local makers, said Thomas McIntyre. “We want to keep growing our footprint, but only where it makes sense,” said McIntyre, co-founder of Made in KC, detailing the decision to replicate…
Plexpod’s new ‘Focalpod’ private, air-filtered workspaces are like stepping inside a mask, says founder
Editor’s note: Plexpod is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. Step inside. Roll the door shut. Just about all you’ll hear is the soft whirring of a HEPA filtration ventilation system that cycles air through Plexpod’s new Focalpod private offices every two minutes, said Gerald…
Back-to-basics innovation: How two former vegetarians revived a 5,000-year-old pig breed in the hills of Platte County
First comes a sudden rustling of leaves, followed by soft grunting and the patter of dozens of unseen hoofed feet hitting the Platte County earth. A stampede of 30 pubescent Meishan piglets darts out of a wooded area at the base of a rolling hill covered in native plants, legumes and organic maize. “They look…
Made in KC moving Crossroads HQ, flagship retail store to revitalized Martini Corner
A new spin on Made in KC’s local-first, retail-cafe concept — complete with a drive-thru window and shuffleboard bar — will provide a vibrant and dynamic new experience for the Tower East neighborhood in Midtown, said Keith Bradley. “It will be a very unique space, with nothing in the city that can be easily…