Why a Chicago Entrepreneur Moved to Wichita to Fund America's Hidden Startups

Written By NXTUS

By: Cory Keller

June 20, 2025

Photo by Cory Keller.

When Conor Adler moved to Wichita, he didn’t come chasing a trend. He came chasing a bet.

A bet that Kansas founders—resourceful, capital-efficient, often overlooked—were exactly the kind of innovators the rest of the country should be paying attention to. That bet now sits at the heart of his work leading capital programs at NXTUS and managing programs at Accelerate Venture Partners (AVP), one of the state’s most active angel investor networks.

“I reached a point in my 20s where I thought: if I’m going to take a risk, now’s the time,” Adler said.

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Startup ideas are here, but does Kansas have the risk capital to get them to the next level?