A handful of Kansas City startups were among 22 early stage companies gathered in Wichita this week for the opening session of a program aimed at growing strong, sustainable businesses that uplift innovation and opportunity throughout the Heartland.
Elysia Chao, founder of Overland Park-based Worktern, listens during the first in-person meeting of members in the 2026 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort; photo courtesy of NXTUS
The 2026 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort program on Wednesday welcomed founders from buildNest and Pitchster, Olathe, Kansas; Maze Freight Solutions and Worktern, Overland Park, Kansas; and Merchpath, Kansas City, Missouri.
“We’re excited to work alongside this outstanding group of startups as they strengthen their customer acquisition muscles, build momentum, and create lasting impact in the communities and markets they serve,” said Amber Dunn, program director for NXTUS, which coordinates NXTSTAGE programming.
The nearly two dozen selected companies hail from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska with solutions spanning service, technology, hard tech, and product-based industries. For the first time, the program opened applications nationwide, attracting 58 contenders from six states.
Click here to see the full list of companies selected for the 2026 cohort.
Programming through the cohort ranges from personalized one-on-one coaching from a national partner to focusing on product-market fit and customer acquisition strategies. Entrepreneurs will also build connections through in-person workshops and receive ongoing professional pitch coaching and mentorship.
Selection for the NXTSTAGE cohort is a meaningful signal for buildNest, said founder and CEO Sabah Baxamoosa, who noted it confirms the startup — offering an all-in-one platform for custom homebuilding — is moving from “strong idea” to “real execution.”
“We’ve proven there’s a major gap in how money and approvals are managed in custom homebuilding, and we’re building a solution that brings financial clarity by using AI to turn jobsite reality into lender-ready decisions,” she said. “Most importantly, it reinforces that the timing is right.”
Ivan Hadzhiev, founder of Kansas City-based Merchpath, engages with cohort instructor Jaime Gassman, co-founder of Fluent, not pictured, during the first in-person meeting of members in the 2026 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort; photo courtesy of NXTUS
The timing is critical, agreed Ivan Hadzhiev, founder of Merchpath, who said the NXTSTAGE program’s level of support matches the level of commitment he has in fulfilling his company’s vision: connecting business owners with swag their customers will actually want to wear.
“Especially with the World Cup approaching this summer, it really shows that our community is here to support our growth and allow Merchpath to play a big role in creating great merch for local businesses,” he said.
Fielding Brenner, Pitchster
Pitchster, which officially launched on Halloween 2025, already is gaining traction, noted founder Fielding Brenner, adding that NXTSTAGE’s efforts to help his AI-powered sales training and coaching platform gain an even stronger foothold hits at the right moment.
“We are continuing to grow and build our customer base as we have taken on more beta customers that have been providing extremely beneficial and valuable feedback,” he said. “The market is prime right now for a tool like Pitchster as companies are continuing to find ways to improve their sales teams and to drive revenue.
Now in its fifth year, the NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort program has graduated 70 startups from 24 Kansas counties and Missouri, generating $39 million in lifetime revenue and creating or retaining 92 employees. It continues to provide customized learning that helps early-stage Kansas companies overcome challenges, generate revenue, and develop scalable offerings.
Sabah Baxamoosa, founder and CEO of Olathe-based buildNest, speaks with cohort instructor Jaime Gassman, co-founder of Fluent, not pictured, during the first in-person meeting of members in the 2026 NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort; photo courtesy of NXTUS
“NXTSTAGE is built to meet founders where they are, and that’s exactly what we need right now,” said buildNest’s Baxamoosa. “We’re looking to gain practical, stage-specific strategies to accelerate customer traction, tighten our go-to-market in Kansas City, and pressure-test our GTM roadmap. The goal is to leave the program with a customized playbook that helps us build a repeatable, scalable growth engine.”
New this year, NXTUS welcomed seven ACCEL-KS grant recipients at Groover Labs from among the 22 companies tapped for the Customer Traction Cohort. That add-on programming helps innovators transform ideas into scalable products by providing early funding, mentorship, and access to critical resources.
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All seven 2026 recipients — Brad Zwick Innovation, Covalent Construction Solutions, Freeman Constructs, GCE, Lucille Group, Promax Freight, and Toadworx — are headquartered in the Wichita area. Groover Labs is sponsoring these participants in the Customer Traction Cohort.
“We designed ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs to provide a range of startup resources to Kansas early-stage founders, because they often need more than just funding,” said Tracy Hoover, co-founder of Groover Labs. “That’s why we’re pleased that regional founders have access to programs like the Customer Traction Cohort, to help them develop critical skills that turn nascent product ideas into viable businesses and connect them with potential customers to help them refine and improve their products.”
The NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort is also supported by the Kansas Department of Commerce, along with long-time partners Network Kansas, Evergy, the Greater Wichita Partnership, and Fidelity.
This story is made possible by Network Kansas.
Network Kansas promotes an entrepreneurial environment by connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the expertise, education and economic resources they need to succeed.
