Kansas came in clutch Tuesday — doubling the grand prize pool for this week’s Gamechangers and Champions pitch competition just before tipoff. Its jersey-clad winner scored $50,000 and a top seed among investors gathered for the state’s bracket bash for emerging entrepreneurs.

High-Energy Event Rewards Kansas Innovators, Connects Startups with Regional Investors

Good Day Kansas: Gamechangers & Champions 2026

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

Startups Vying for $25,000, to be Awarded Tuesday at State-Wide ‘Bracket Bash for Angels and Innovators’

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.

An innovation-led startup tournament taking Kansas by storm is just built different, said Conor Adler, announcing the nearly three-dozen contenders featured in this spring’s competition.

Kansas’ Leading Innovators Advance Toward $25,000 Prize from University of Kansas School of Business

Program accelerates market validation, customer acquisition, and revenue growth strategies for Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska startups

Applications are open for a statewide startup pitch competition set to return in March alongside the Big 12 men’s basketball tourney. The high-profile event connects emerging founders with angel investors and corporate innovators — and a $25,000 top prize.

State-wide event collides startups, investors, corporates, support resources to kick off Big 12 men’s basketball tourney

A handful of Kansas City startups were among 22 early stage companies gathered in Wichita this week for the opening session of a program aimed at growing strong, sustainable businesses that uplift innovation and opportunity throughout the Heartland.

Entrepreneurs from three Heartland states, including ACCEL-KS grant recipients, to receive coaching, mentorship, and resources to scale their businesses

A Kansas-built innovation program is hitting the road — applying its successful model to Northwest Arkansas in a bid to expand growth opportunities for more early-stage companies and make the region a proving ground for technology that boosts health and economic vitality.

Pilot competition led by NXTUS, HTA fueled by $500,000 Walton Family Foundation Grant

Startups Chosen from 210 Competitors to Offer FinTech Innovations to Community Banks

A startup showcase Tuesday in the heart of Johnson County’s innovation community put impact on display as NXTUS’ Accelerate Venture Partners organized a nano-pitch event for its network of angel investors amid Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City festivities.

NXTUS Program Prompts 22 Projects Tackling Rural Challenges with Technology Tools