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
Level Office puts coworking space on tap in former law building (Photos)
Windows from the community coworking space in Level Office’s seven-floor Kessler Building offer an up-close view of the Jackson County Courthouse, Sprint Center and downtown Kansas City. That proximity to the 16th Circuit Court, the court of appeals and the Jackson County Detention Center makes Chicago-based Level Office a magnet for men and women in…
1 Million Cups celebrating black startups with all black founders, experts in February
A lineup of all black presenters and experts at February’s 1 Million Cups events aims for exposure and awareness about Kansas City’s thriving community of black entrepreneurs, said Adrienne Haynes. “Many of these companies are not necessarily tech-based. They might not be at Plexpod or WeWork. Many of them have their own facilities — maybe…
CEO Raina Knox: Millennials don’t have a monopoly on startup momentum
Experience matters — even in an ecosystem built upon disrupting the status quo, said Raina Knox, CEO and co-founder of Stratex Solutions. “It’s uncomfortable for some in the startup community to embrace the concept of people with portfolio careers still having a meaningful impact,” she said, noting her lengthy career as a “fixer” in the…
Cordish’s Spark KC bringing ‘co-living’ concept to Two Light apartments by late 2018
A new co-living concept planned for the Two Light luxury apartment tower will be a game-changer for an evolving generation of entrepreneurs, said Spark KC’s Shervonne Cherry. “With the ability to literally be four stories, five stories, 20-some stories away from your workplace, you don’t have to worry about that commute, allowing you more time…
Four leading Kansas City entrepreneurs among 2018 Pipeline class
The lives of four Kansas City entrepreneurs selected for the 2018 Pipeline class are about to change forever, said Brian Handrigan, Pipeline member and co-founder of St. Louis-based Traaqr. New fellows were announced Thursday evening at Pipeline’s The Innovators gala, with 13 startup leaders from across the Midwest taking the stage as the first step…
Pipeline celebrates Innovator of the Year, diversity of fellows’ firms (Photos)
Throughout Thursday night’s The Innovators gala, alumni of the Pipeline fellowship teased that their individual classes were the best in the entrepreneur network’s 11-year history. Newcomer to the stage Evan Luxon, however, made a case for the tight-knit 2017 fellows based on the group’s perseverance. “We’re a small, but mighty class,” said Luxon, winner of…
‘Better together’: Kansas City gaming startups level up with new entertainment venues
The eSports industry is blowing up, Brandon Williams said. And Kansas City gaming enthusiasts need places to join the party. “It’s a stereotype, but overall, gamers mostly are introverts,” said Williams, co-owner of E-Sports Bar KC in Shawnee. “It’s good to get out of the house and into a setting where there are other people…
Ex-KC Chiefs player opens coworking spa space to boost creativity, holistic wellness (Photos)
With long hours and potent job stresses, entrepreneurs often are more mindful of their business’s health than their own, said Joe Mays. The former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker teamed with his wife, Toyia, to open a coworking spa space within their holistic wellness venture, The Laya Center. Targeting individual and small-team innovators, the duo hopes…
Bacon Explosion pizza partnership with Minsky’s tops meaty six months for Megan Day
There’s more than one way to slice Burnt Finger BBQ’s signature sausage log, Megan Day said. For the Bacon Explosion Pizza, that’s julienned — with barbecue sauce and pickles. “The taste that comes through from the Bacon Explosion is the star of that pizza,” added Mike Burr, general manager for Minsky’s Pizza, which has partnered…
‘Be the Boss’ invites probation, parole clients into entrepreneurial ecosystem
Would-be entrepreneurs who are returning from incarceration shouldn’t feel excluded from Kansas City’s startup ecosystem, Kyle J. Smith said. Be the Boss, a support group launching next month under Smith’s leadership, aims to provide a welcoming environment free from the stigma associated with a criminal history, he said. “When we’re being honest about the elephant…