What Startland News does

Startland News is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) digital publication founded in 2015 and headquartered at 1475 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Missouri. It delivers daily editorial coverage of entrepreneurship, startups, funding, and innovation across the Greater Kansas City region, serving early-stage founders, investors, regional economic development organizations, and the broader KC business community. The publication operates its flagship annual editorial series, Startups to Watch, now in its 11th iteration (2026), which reviews 60-70 nominations annually to identify 10 emerging Kansas City startups expected to make newsworthy moves in the coming year.

The publication is built on a WordPress-based digital content platform with multimedia delivery across website, email newsletters (3-5 timely updates plus a weekly summary), and social channels including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Core products include the main digital publication, the Startups to Watch editorial series, a World Cup 2026 Coverage Hub, the City of Entrepreneurs marketplace initiative launched for the FIFA World Cup at Union Station, a Founder's Club membership program, a Jobs Board, and the Startup Crawl community event. The organization maintains a 1,517+ page content archive addressing regional entrepreneurship from Lawrence, Kansas to rural Missouri.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure combining corporate sponsorships (Husch Blackwell, Morgan Stanley, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Bank of America, Hallmark, City of Kansas City MO via the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, AltCap, Social Apex), recurring membership revenue through the Founder's Club program, and tax-deductible donations. Distribution is exclusively digital and region-focused; the publication does not maintain a print edition. Marketing spans content marketing, organic social, email newsletters, and community events such as the annual Startups to Watch awards reception.

Name

Startland News

Legal name

Startland News

Website

https://startlandnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Startland News is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) digital publication delivering daily coverage of entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation across the Greater Kansas City region, serving founders, investors, and economic development organizations through its flagship Startups to Watch series and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Programs (Founder's Club): Monthly membership program offering exclusive perks and member events, providing recurring revenue from engaged readers and supporters of local entrepreneurship coverage.
2. Sponsorships and Advertising: Corporate sponsorships from major Kansas City organizations including Husch Blackwell, Morgan Stanley, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Bank of America, and regional businesses. Includes display advertising on the digital platform.
3. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible charitable contributions supporting nonprofit journalism covering entrepreneurship and innovation in the Kansas City region. Operates as a 501(c)(3) organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Startland News is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) digital publication that delivers daily editorial coverage of entrepreneurship, startups, funding, and innovation across the Greater Kansas City region. Its flagship offering is the annual Startups to Watch editorial series, complemented by the Founder's Club paid membership program that provides readers with exclusive perks, member events, and access to the local startup community.

Product overview

Startland News operates as a single digital publication—a nonprofit newsroom focused on Kansas City entrepreneurship and innovation. The publication does not offer a multi-module platform; instead, it delivers news through its core website with several supplementary features including the annual Startups to Watch editorial series, a World Cup 2026 coverage hub, a Founder's Club membership program, and a Jobs Board. These components are integrated editorial and community features of the same publication rather than separate standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Startups to Watch: Annual feature series highlighting 10 emerging Kansas City companies poised for newsworthy growth
• Founder's Club
• City of Entrepreneurs
• World Cup Coverage
• Startup Crawl

Products and services

• Startland News Digital Publication A nonprofit, 501(c)(3) digital publication delivering daily coverage of entrepreneurship, startups, funding, and innovation across the Greater Kansas City region. Content is freely accessible to readers and supported by donations, sponsorships, and memberships.
• Founder's Club A monthly membership program offering exclusive perks and member events for supporters of Startland News and the Kansas City entrepreneurship community. Tiered membership options available; specific pricing not publicly disclosed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Startups to Watch coverage leads to investments, hiring, and visibility for featured companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Greater Kansas City Chamber of CommercemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Regional chamber supporting Startups to Watch initiative and broader Kansas City business community coverage.
• Made in KCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Local brand supporting Startups to Watch events and Kansas City small business coverage.
• Social BalancesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor supporting Kansas City entrepreneurship coverage and Back2KC initiative.
• City of Entrepreneurs InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026City-backed program supporting Kansas City small businesses and entrepreneurs during 2026 FIFA World Cup, including marketplace at Union Station.
• Union Station Kansas CitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Historic Kansas City landmark serving as venue for World Cup City of Entrepreneurs marketplace, providing live testing environment for startups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Information: Subscription-based tech and startup news outlet with deep coverage of founders, funding, and venture capital. Comparable subject matter to Startland's editorial focus but operates as a premium national product rather than a regional nonprofit.
• TechCrunch: Major national technology and startup publication with comprehensive founder, funding, and ecosystem coverage. A much larger incumbent whose subject matter and audience substantially overlap with Startland News's content focus.
• Crunchbase News: National startup and venture-focused editorial outlet with extensive funding, founder, and ecosystem coverage. Reaches an overlapping readership of entrepreneurs and investors but operates nationally rather than regionally.
• Axios: National digital media company with local Axios Local editions covering business, tech, and policy in multiple cities. Overlaps with Startland in editorial format (newsletters, short-form coverage) and local-business coverage, though at national scale.

Direct peers

• Hypepotamus: Atlanta-based digital publication dedicated to covering the local startup and tech ecosystem, with a similar nonprofit/community-supported model and city-specific editorial focus comparable to Startland News's coverage of Kansas City entrepreneurship.
• Technically Media: Regional digital media network covering startup and tech ecosystems in multiple U.S. cities (Baltimore, DC, Boston, etc.). Operates a directly comparable city-focused tech journalism model with newsletters, events, and community programming.
• GeekWire: Seattle-based tech and startup news outlet with a comparable regional focus on entrepreneurship, funding rounds, and founder storytelling. GeekWire's blend of independent journalism and event programming mirrors Startland's Startups to Watch and Startup Crawl formats.
• Built In: Network of city-specific digital publications (e.g., Built In Austin, Built In Chicago) covering local tech ecosystems, startups, and hiring. Closely comparable in city-by-city startup coverage, though commercially funded rather than nonprofit like Startland.

Regional players

• BetaKit: Canadian publication focused on the domestic startup and tech ecosystem with comparable editorial formats (funding coverage, founder profiles, ecosystem analysis). Operates in a different geography but pursues a similar regional-startup-news positioning.
• Kansas City Business Journal: The dominant commercial business news outlet serving the Kansas City market. Covers overlapping subject matter (KC business, growth, real estate) and competes for the same local advertiser and reader attention as Startland News.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@startlandnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/StartlandNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startland-news
• Instagraminstagram.com/startlandnews
• TikToktiktok.com/startlandnews
• Xx.com/startlandnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Startland News