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
iWerx Gladstone to expand Northland coworking, incubator options in former racquetball club
Two years after launching its sprawling flagship site in North Kansas City, a premiere coworking community is expected to debut iWerx Gladstone in late fall. The two-story, 32,000-square-foot space — originally built as a racquetball club and renovated into a traditional office building in the mid 1980s — will be home to about 80 offices,…
STL exit: Welltodo founder credits firm’s acquisition to early support from KC startup community
With the final deal still in the works Friday, Chris Cardinal said the acquisition of St. Louis-based Welltodo by SensorRX wouldn’t have been possible without the pre-seed rallying of his fellow entrepreneurs in Kansas City. Though the company moved across the state in 2016 to be closer to the co-founder’s in-laws, Cardinal said, the foundation for…
Simplifying access: PayIt teams with KCK Unified Government for enhanced myWyco app
Interacting with state and local government can and should be seamless, said Monica Harrell of PayIt, a KC tech firm that partnered its statewide iKan app with Wyandotte County’s myWyco app to create enhanced access for residents. “It’s a more streamlined experience,” said Harrell, senior client manager for Payit, “Especially because residents are not usually…
Boosted by Troost, Ruby Jean’s pressing ahead with YMCA, grocery, Atlanta deals
It’s Troost location will be a model for Ruby Jean’s expansion, said Chris Goode, but the juicery’s growth won’t be limited to standalone, brick-and-mortar sites. “Ideally, the way we truly scale is our wholesale model,” said Goode, founder of the health and fitness-focused Kansas City-born business. “I’m in talks right now, trying to get it…
Sandy Kemper at IXKC: Trust is the hack for building FinTech or any startup in KC (Photos)
Act like everyone is watching … because they are, Sandy Kemper said. “It’s something I think a lot of folks — maybe not from around here — fail to understand,” the C2FO chairman and CEO told a packed crowd Tuesday at Startland’s Innovation Exchange at nbkc bank. “You cannot get away with anything. And some…
Watch: Choir Bar debuts ‘One Day’ video from its first reverse karaoke singalong event
The excitement was palpable Saturday as Choir Bar launched into song for the first time in River Market, said Matt Baysinger. Now organizers are ready to share the singalong experience with the world. “People are so dang impressive,” said Baysinger, co-founder of Swell Spark, which debuted the Choir Bar concept in hopes of it becoming…
Another slice in stock: Walmart picking up KC startup’s Made-in-the-USA Pizza Saver
Mighty Good Solutions leaves no ideas to waste, said co-founder Ben Rendo. The Crossroads-based company’s Pizza Saver product — baked from a simple premise — is its latest offering to earn a deal with the world’s largest retailer. “We just try to focus on products that are going to make everyday life better,” Rendo said…
Vote now: KCMO competing for spot in accelerator focusing on gender, racial inclusion
KCMO already is a five-star city, Mayor Sly James says, but a new accelerator program could make it even better. “Kansas City’s startup community is growing and innovating, but women and people of color are being left behind,” James says in a pitch video for Living Cities City Accelerator program. A coalition of local organizations,…
KCultivator Q&A: Reggie Gray finds magic in connecting entrepreneurs with Black Privilege, no excuses
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. He’s left his “Magic Man” persona behind, but Reggie Gray can’t quite shake the performer inside him, he said. “Whenever I…
KCSF pivoting away from Village Square coworking, eyes bigger community impact
Village Square developed a waiting list soon after opening in 2015, said Adam Arredondo. But as larger coworking spaces with more amenities and resources debuted, interest waned in the 3,000-square-foot operation at 45th Street and State Line Road. “What’s our most valuable contribution to the community right now?” said Arredondo, CEO of the nonprofit Kansas…