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
Crowd count: Oranje Army rallied 36,000+ fans for downtown Kansas City fanwalk
A fanwalk midday Thursday saw legions of Netherlands supporters march from downtown Kansas City to Crown Center — likely besting similar “Oranje Army” fan parades this month ahead of earlier World Cup matches in Texas, according to beacon technology from a Kansas City-based crowd-tracking company.
‘Come out, Kansas City’: Cafe owner calls on KC to fill World Cup tourism gap as small businesses outside FIFA footprint struggle
Construction on Southwest Boulevard slowed traffic to nearby storefronts and restaurants for more than a year, said Cait Benedict, with many small business owners holding out hope that if they could just make it to the FIFA World Cup, they could survive.
‘You never know who’s watching’: Marketplace prize winner refused to quit; now she’s one of KC’s star founders
Stage after stage, LaToya Ebony Sirls delivers her company pitch. She tweaks the delivery, adjusts certain words and details to address past judges’ questions, but her overall confidence in herself and the product never outwardly wavers, she said.
Organics in orange: FIFA Fan Fest pushes KC Can Compost’s concept beyond theory
Joining FIFA Fan Festival as the Kansas City site’s official compost partner demonstrates that a homegrown social venture like KC Can Compost can build the infrastructure, operational capacity, and trust to support one of the world’s biggest public events, said Kristan Chamberlain.
Here’s where to find that viral Argentina jersey (and more must-have KC-made merch)
These are moments fans want to remember forever, said Jesse Phouangphet, unpacking a just-arrived box of Kansas City jerseys emblazoned with a MADE MOBB crest and the colors of Argentina’s national football team. The Crossroads-built streetwear team officially dropped the jerseys in-store Tuesday as crowds of Argentina fans swelled throughout the city ahead of the…
Mayor moves to keep ball rolling at KC’s riverfront, backing $1.4B project expansion
As the first phase of a sprawling Berkley Riverfront development moves forward this summer, Kansas City’s mayor is pushing to enlarge the capacity of the KC Current’s home along the river at CPKC Stadium, while adding more parking, trail connections, shops, and further mixed-use development.
X marks the shop: Where the world meets Midwest on KC’s map
Kansas City’s premier streetwear brand positioned itself at the crossroads of local and global fandoms — releasing a dozen original jersey designs ahead of the FIFA World Cup for anyone who wants to wear a piece of the moment home.
New KC-first marketplace at Union Station makes local retail the destination for World Cup
The doors are open for Kansas City small businesses, city officials said Wednesday night from Union Station, welcoming locals and visitors near and far to a new, five-week marketplace in the iconic Grand Hall — timed to capture crowds from the FIFA World Cup and nearby Fan Festival.
Kansas City opens its favorite menus to FIFA Fan Fest
Some of Kansas City’s best-known restaurateurs have opened at the 2026 FIFA Fan Fest atop Liberty Memorial — offering teasers of local diners’ favorites and tapping into the diverse palates of visitors from across the globe.
Lula passes elite network’s pressure testing, advancing to final hurdle before full Endeavor access
Advancing through Endeavor Heartland’s national selection process not only gets Kansas City-built property maintenance platform Lula one step away from joining Endeavor's global entrepreneur network, said founder Bo Lais; it helps put the venture’s hometown on a bigger stage.