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
The Distrikc founders: We’re not waiting on outsiders to save our brothers and sisters
It’s time for members of Kansas City’s largely unseen and forgotten communities of color to take control, said Wesley Hamilton, one of the organizers behind The Distrikc. “We speak so much about KC, but people forget whole groups of people — I’m talking Troost to Main, East Kansas City, South Kansas City,” he said. “We want…
Look inside: Plexpod opens coworking oasis amid River Market’s concrete jungle (Photos)
Faux grass lining the walls. Neon signs. A mix of vintage and contemporary stylings. Plexpod’s Eric Milner was initially skeptical of plans for a jungle theme in one of the co-working space’s enclaves — quirky seating areas tucked between offices and amenities at the new River Market location. “It really panned out though. Stephanie [Medina]…
Car vending machine drives into KC skyline with Carvana’s launch off Southwest Boulevard
Towering over Southwest Boulevard, Missouri’s first Carvana location has been parked in Kansas City and it’s finally ready to rev its engine, Amy O’Hara confirmed Thursday. “It’s a beautiful location and we’re looking forward to showing everyone our signature car vending machine experience and the new way to buy a car,” said O’Hara, Carvana associate…
Look inside: Fishtech Group opens its $10M+ Cyber Defense Center in Martin City
Fishtech Group is making a splash within the cyber security industry, showcasing its cloud-era capabilities in a new Cyber Defense Center that sits behind the gates of Fishtech’s sprawling Martin City campus, said Gary Fish. “I’ve been doing security since before it was cool,” said Fish, founder and CEO of Fishtech, as well as an…
Elite investors at exclusive CEO retreat: Don’t waste time; sell us on your billion-dollar idea
Trying to land the backing of a venture capital firm? Throw your pitch deck out the window, Chris Olsen advised a select group of Kansas City CEOs. “A lot of times founders will come and give us their pitch and they’ll start going through it and [they’re telling us] they’re profitable in 18-months. And we’ll…
Thou Mayest acquires Quay Coffee; three new locations to stretch footprint from River Market to Crossroads to Nelson-Atkins
A Kansas City coffee brand just got bolder, announcing the acquisition of another coffee company and plans to open an entirely new concept in the Crossroads. Thou Mayest is now operating Quay Coffee — with its two locations in River Market and at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — confirmed Bo Nelson, co-founder of Thou Mayest…
Paws up! Scollar aims to fetch 200 jobs for KC, trades Silicon Valley for Animal Health Corridor
Building a business in Silicon Valley might seem sexy — but it isn’t always the right choice, Lisa Tamayo said. “I don’t know what you guys hear about the Coast, but hardware is quite challenging for any company in the Bay area because a lot of these Silicon Valley folks in San Francisco only like…
‘This is the end of The Sundry’ — Sustainable food problem remains after startup’s closing, founder says
The Sundry market-and-restaurant concept at Plexpod Westport Commons simply wasn’t solving the problems of scope and scale within sustainable and local agriculture as intended, said Ryan Wing. Ultimately, that meant the venture itself couldn’t continue as originally envisioned, added Wing, founder of the sustainable food startup, which abruptly closed to the public last week. “Expectations…
New Black & Veatch accelerator bent on changing the world, powered by LaunchKC
A new accelerator powered by LaunchKC is Black & Veatch’s attempt to “create the world that we want,” said Hyleme George, director of the freshly announced IgniteX CleanTech program. “It’s a world that we want to invest in to accelerate the adoption of sustainable infrastructure,” George continued. “What that means is a world where there’s…
New industry-specific LaunchKC accelerators expected to bring more dollars, winners
Applications for this year’s LaunchKC program are going vertical, said Drew Solomon, announcing plans for three industry-specific accelerators — two of which will launch new funding-rich demo days in the fall. “We’ve always wanted to grow and expand not only the competition, but the program as a whole,” said Solomon, chair of the LaunchKC program….