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
Launch Health check-up: medZERO simplifies medical bill pay with zero interest, zero fees
Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series. Paying medical bills should be as simple as making a car payment, said Mike Sobek. “We…
Mass Street fire leaves future uncertain for Blade & Timber’s Lawrence store
An early morning fire at Blade & Timber’s Massachusetts Street location in Lawrence has left the premier axe-throwing startup waiting for answers, said Matt Baysinger. “While it’s a surreal experience to learn that your business is on fire and that there’s nothing you can do about it, I’m incredibly grateful that nobody was in the…
Co-founder trio invests $4.75M in KC RentTech startup Simplifyy, aiming for 500 percent growth in use
It’s about motivation, said Robert Henrichs, describing the co-founders of Kansas City-based Simplifyy’s decision to invest $4.75 million in the RentTech startup. “There is a lot of confidence around the venture because the founders have years of industry experience and recognize it is primed for disruption,” said Henrichs, who is responsible for marketing at Simplifyy….
Cannabis founder’s advice: Weed out the bad seeds; run green startups like real businesses
Cannabis might seem like it presents a Wild West frontier for entrepreneurs looking to strike green, said Michael Wilson, but would-be founders must cultivate a plan grounded in common sense — and the law. “In the industrial hemp or marijuana space, if you want to build a successful business, run it like a real damn…
Cyber threats and opportunities: Why did 50+ KC schoolgirls get a peek at Fishtech’s high-security campus?
You never know when an opportunity will find you, Alex Vendetti told a group of Kansas City high school girls touring the Fishtech Group cybersecurity campus. “I was a hairstylist before this,” Vendetti, a project manager at Fishtech, told groups of students making their ways through the cybersecurity startup’s sprawling Martin City facilities Friday. The…
Photos: PorchFestKC activates Midtown neighborhoods with stoop-to-street music
More than 100 onlookers — some neighbors, others just passing through — gathered in the street, along the sidewalk, and on lawns Saturday afternoon outside Ruben Alonso’s Union Hill home. “It was the perfect spot,” said Alonso, president at AltCap and one of dozens of homeowners who offered up their porches, stoops and front yards…
Is KC getting lapped? Kansas City scores No. 13 among Top 25 Midwestern cities in M25 ranking
Kansas City is maintaining a spot firmly in the middle of the pack among the top 25 Midwestern startup cities — in large part thanks to a $100-plus million growth equity investment in PayIt earlier this year, according to a new ranking by M25. The mega-round for Kansas City’s leading GovTech startup kept the City…
Plexpod rebrands womxn-led Herspace coworking concept with InnovateHER KC partnership
A year after Plexpod unveiled its Herspace concept at Westport Commons, a womxn-centric community and networking organization is partnering with the coworking leader to provide reinvigorated programming and support for startup leaders, Lauren Conaway said. “We’re really excited to show off this beautiful gathering place that the Plexpod team has created,” said Conaway, founder and…
H&R Block’s $2M investment in KCRise Fund: Corporate engagement can’t stop with one check, CEO says
Entrepreneurial energy surrounding such startups as Bungii and PayIt made a $2 million investment in the KCRise Fund an easy choice for Jeff Jones and his team at H&R Block, the high-profile CEO said. “When we think about the different pillars of how we want to give back to the community, taking a stake in…
Photos: Startup Crawl KC draws 1,000+ to the Crossroads, despite First Fridays overhaul
Mission accomplished, said organizers of Startup Crawl KC, announcing record attendance during the fifth showing of the innovation expo. “Best Startup Crawl ever,” said Gerald Smith, co-founder of Plexpod — which played host Oct. 4 to one of the Crawl’s three stops at its Crossroads Arts District location. More than 1,000 guests descended on the…