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
2022 Startups to Watch: VinCue steers locally owned auto dealers into battle against national chains
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list, now in its seventh year recognizing founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2022’s companies. Click here to view the full…
2022 Startups to Watch: Venboo rewrites the story for creators, booking value for businesses beyond tech
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list, now in its seventh year recognizing founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2022’s companies. Click here to view the full…
Why mental health took the runway before a single model walked The Kritiq’s largest fashion show yet
If speaking openly about mental health isn’t already part of the culture, you have to put it in the spotlight, said Mark Launiu, detailing why his recent fashion show offered the best runway to address a silent epidemic within underserved communities. “You can’t reach a destination if you’re not mentally ready for the journey. I’m…
Techstars closes Kansas City accelerator as global network focuses on larger-growth markets
Techstars is discontinuing its long-running Kansas City program, the global accelerator network confirmed Tuesday, with the 2021 cohort expected to be the last group hosted in the metro. “Techstars has made a strategic decision to focus on larger-growth markets, and therefore does not plan to add companies through a Kansas City program in the immediate…
How a KC partnership helped Idle Smart avoid a cold start that could’ve stalled its recovery
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. Wasted time is wasted money — a notion at the forefront of Idle Smart, a Kansas City IoT tech company built…
Hometown startups want their due; sister-led QuickHire’s $1.4M round could be just the start
QuickHire’s potential for success is enhanced — not limited — by the young tech startup’s south-central Kansas geography, said Deborah Gladney, one half of a sister-led Wichita venture that recently announced its $1.4 million round boosted by a leading Kansas City fund. “Being from Wichita, we’ve come to know and appreciate everything this city has to…
Cotton candy calling: Why a South KC sweets shop’s signature treat is still hand-spun with an air of nostalgia
Each ding of the oven generates more buzz for this whimsy-frosted bake shop and creamery in South Kansas City. But it’s the soft, sticky sweet treat that fills small tubs and lines the store’s shelves — (hand) spinning the entrepreneurial dreams of its owner into a sugar-rush of a reality. “I really hit the jackpot,”…
Shop small: Five gifts you didn’t know you needed at the just-opened Made in KC Lenexa
Editor’s note: Startland News explored Made in KC’s new marketplace at Lenexa City Center in Johnson County as part of the newsroom’s five-part holiday gift guide that highlights locally owned shops and the makers within them. The items identified here were curated by Kendall Kloster, manager at Made in KC Lenexa, and Startland News. Featured…
Pantry Goods brings wall-to-wall organic, European-style shopping to Midtown micro market
The expansion of Pantry Goods from an online service into a Midtown micro market has brought with it a bushel of changes — all organic — for Marcelle Clements as she continues her mission to grow support for small businesses and sustainable living. “It was a great move,” said Clements, founder of Pantry Goods, recalling her…