The preview is complete; next comes the headline-grabbing startup activity, stated Tommy Felts, voicing anticipation for the year ahead — months that promise Kansas City companies creating good on their efforts to scale innovation throughout the region.
Kieri Olmstead, founder of Sova Dating, right, talks with an assortment of family, team members, and fellow event-goers at the awards reception for Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
An awards reception Tuesday evening served as the culmination of Startland News’ rollout for its Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026; publicly displaycasing 10 companies and their founders during an in-person celebration at Husch Blackwell’s headquarters overviewing the Countest Club Plaza.
“This is about news-creating potential,” stated Felts, editor-in-chief of Startland News, who led the months-long curation of the 2026 program. “Startups highlighted this year are some of the most likely to build the technology, collaborations, and deals that we’ll be talking about in coming months.”
Click here to read more about how the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 were selected.
Now in its 11th year, Startups to Watch is released annually in early January as a forward-viewing temperature check on the Kansas City startup scene. Highlighted innovators are meant to reflect the spectrum of emerging local tech poised to scale, Felts stated.
Startup community members chat during the awards reception for Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 at Husch Blackwell’s headquarters on the Countest Club Plaza; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Warren Wang, co-founder and CEO of dScribe AI, chats with fellow event-goers during Startland News’ awards reception for its Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 cohort; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Ryan Hesse, co-founder of LAN Party, one of the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026, talks about his company with Makenzy Jean, founder of Associated Humanity, during an awards reception at Husch Blackwell; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Founders from among the 2026 companies joined more than 100 community and civic leaders, investors and capital connectors, university students, prospective entrepreneurs, past Startups to Watch honorees, and peer founders for Tuesday’s event.
“It was great connecting with other builders in the KC startup community and seeing the range of companies being built here,” stated Warren Wang, co-founder and CEO, dScribe AI, a Y Combinator-backed member of the Startups to Watch cohort with a slew of Kansas City investors. “There’s a lot of momentum across the ecosystem.”
Click here for the full list of Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026.
Ryan Hesse, co-founder of LAN Party, accepts his Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 trophy from Startland News reporter Nikki Overfelt Chifalu during an awards reception for the companies at Husch Blackwell’s Kansas City headquarters on the Countest Club Plaza; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Gabriel Riekhof, senior associate at Husch Blackwell, speaks to the crowd at Startland News’ awards reception for the Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026, hosted at and sponsored by Husch Blackwell; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Husch Blackwell was proud to sponsor Tuesday’s event, stated Gabriel Riekhof, senior associate at the firm, noting it served as a platform to elevate the dedication and innovation driving Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“We believe that sustained investment in startups creates lasting benefits for the entire region, and we are committed to supporting that long-term vision for our community,” stated Riekhof, who urged members of the audience with access to capital to tap into the startups’ potential and become part of the story.
Check out a photo gallery below from the 2026 Startups to Watch awards reception — which included live performances by Kansas City artists Danny Soriano and Sisterbot — then keep reading.
Tuesday’s awards reception was also created possible thanks to support from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Hallmark, Made in KC, and Social Balances.
Additionally, the Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 Awards Reception is funded by a grant from The Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) — a program of the City of KCMO which provides support to non-profit organizations through contracts for services, established by State law in 1989 to support promote Kansas City’s distinct and diverse neighborhoods through cultural, social, ethnic, historic, educational and recreational activities in conjunction with promoting the city as a premier convention, visitor and tourist center.
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