NXTUS

KC startups among business builders tapped for cohort connecting Midwest founders to enterprise leaders

More than 80 companies from across the region vying to earn a slot in the latest NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series, said Amber Dunn, with three Kansas City startups among the 16 successfully completing the competitive process.

NXTUS launches alumni collective to keep founders connected to resources after programs end

The journey doesn’t end with an end-of-cohort pitch showcase, NXTUS leaders said this week, debuting a new network for alumni of its portfolio of Wichita-based entrepreneur growth programs.

She’s flipping the priorities on homebuilding; this founder wants buyer stress out of the blueprints

“It’s one of the biggest emotional, financial investments you’re going to make in your life,” the founder of Olathe-based buildNest explained, tapping into her own homebuilding experience.

Bracket bash races to halfcourt, cutting pitch competitors down to 16 Kansas startups

The competition for $25,000 in startup capital is intensifying for more than a dozen Kansas entrepreneurs as a high-profile pitch event announced Wednesday that it had narrowed the field from 32 finalists to 16. Selected companies — half of which hail from the Kansas City region — advance to the next round of the 2026…

Hack in traction: Startups learn hustle shortcode for winning customers, narrow focus

Drilling into the customer profile for his startup — an AI-powered, curated swag marketplace aimed at early stage tech companies — Ivan Hadzhiev used tailored resources from Wichita-based NXTUS to validate a complaint keeping prospective partners from buying in. In short, a lot of options — even for custom, branded merchandise — isn’t necessarily a…