10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023

A new startup community has emerged in a post-pandemic world — and 10 scaling players are on the front lines, ready to redefine what startup success looks like in the Heartland. 

The newsmakers featured in Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023 list are no strangers to our readers or their fellow entrepreneurs. Not only are they improving broken industries — they’re creating new ones altogether, blazing (up) trails, unlocking next-level potential, and stitching success that promises to drive the local economy for decades to come.

These companies range from healthtech and sales platforms to scaling apparel brands to Esports and NFT startups and even the list’s first-ever founder featured on two Startups to Watch roundups — with different ventures.

In the wake of the COVID-era, all bets are off. And these companies are eager to prove the next great American startup will be built by starters settling the silicon prairie. 

Narrowing the list down to just 10 companies is nearly impossible — even after eight years of following startup newsmakers. The talent and tenacity of Kansas City’s startup scene is fierce. The final result is but a small reflection of the entrepreneurial energy that’s building throughout the city and is intended to highlight the companies Startland News’ editorial team believes hold serious newsmaking potential in the year ahead. 

Let us be clear: there’s no contest between companies — and no “top startup” to declare better than the rest. The list exists to amplify cutting-edge innovation and unlock 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, curation of the list relied heavily on the honesty, openness and track record of founders. 

The Startland News editorial team culled 35 semi-finalists from nearly 300 nominations and newsroom-generated leads, narrowed that list to 25, and finally to the 10 selected Startups to Watch class of 2023 — a cohort of founders so eager and well-poised for success, we’re confident they’ll dominate the conversation within the tech and innovation space in the months ahead.

Navigate through 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 predictions in 2016, 2017,  2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023

Startups to Watch presented in partnership with Social Apex, supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and independently produced by Startland News.

Social Apex connects you to the modern consumer.

As a digital marketing agency based in Kansas City, Missouri, we create customized marketing experiences to better connect to your customer.

Social Apex works with you hands on with strategic consulting and content geared to drive results and help reach long-term growth.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn