A a new startup community has emerged in a post-pandemic world — and 10 scale players are at the forefront, ready to redefine what startup success looks like in the Heartland.
The newsmakers featured in Startland News’ list of Kansas City Startups to watch in 2023 are no strangers to our readers or fellow entrepreneurs. They’re not just improving broken industries — they’re creating entirely new ones, blazing trails, unlocking next-level potential, and bringing success that promises to drive the local economy for decades to come.
These companies range from health and retail technology platforms to scaling apparel brands to Esports and NFT startups and even the first ever listed founder to appear on two Startups roundups to Watch — with different ventures.
January 24th event
Startland News’ annual innovation showcase is back — and you’re invited.
Join editors, journalists and publishing founders from the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch companies for an afternoon networking session and open house in recognition of their companies’ collective achievements.
Click here for tickets to the January 24th event.
In light of the COVID era, all bets are off. And these companies are eager to prove that the next great American startup will be built by those who start to solve the silicon prairie.
Narrowing the list down to just 10 companies is nearly impossible — even after eight years of tracking the startup headliners. The talent and tenacity of the Kansas City startup scene is fierce. The end result is just a small reflection of the entrepreneurial energy that is building around the city and is intended to highlight the companies that the editorial team of Starland News believes have serious newsmaking potential in the year which is coming.
Let’s be clear: there is no competition between companies – and no “top startup” to declare better than the rest. The list exists to foster cutting-edge innovation and open up new opportunities for some of the city’s fastest-growing startups that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The 2023 list was compiled through more than six months of research and recurring conversations with community experts, funders and support organizations. Ultimately, the curation of the list depended heavily on the honesty, openness and track record of the founders.
The Startland News editorial team culled 35 semi-finalists from nearly 300 nominations and leads generated by the newsroom, narrowing that list to 25, and finally to the selected 10 Startups to Watch class of 2023 — a cohort of founders so eager and well placed for them. successful, we are confident that they will dominate the conversation within the technology and innovation space in the coming months.
Navigate the photo carousel below to see the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023.
Click here to check out Startland News’ 2022 list, or look back at our original forecast at 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020and 2021.
Kansas City startups to watch in 2023
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