NXTUS Kicks Off Startup Program Connecting Kansas Entrepreneurs to Leading Enterprises
Photo courtesy of Darrin Hackney.
Wichita, Kan. – July 31, 2024 – NXTUS, Inc. today kicked off the third annual NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series program, including a record twenty-one Kansas entrepreneurs and fourteen enterprise organizations, the highest participation of cohort members and enterprise partners in program history.
Launched with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and growing through a partnership with NetWork Kansas, this program aims to bridge the knowledge and access gaps between early-stage companies in Kansas and the established businesses and community organizations they seek to collaborate with and sell to in order to grow.
This year’s curated cohort showcases a diverse group of growth-minded Kansas entrepreneurs, offering solutions using AI and technology, enhancements to employee benefits and employee well-being, and innovative spins on otherwise traditional professional products and services. NXTUS, thanks to funding from NetWork Kansas and the K-State 105 program, has expanded the 2024 program to reach entrepreneurs from new regions throughout the state.
For the next several weeks, the cohort will have the opportunity to meet at weekly workshops with enterprise partners—which are medium to large organizations in both the public and private sectors. These early-stage Kansas entrepreneurs will forge connections and receive ‘playbooks’ that reveal strategies for doing business with the enterprise partners. Participants will also pitch live September 30 at Cargill Protein Headquarters during the Start-Up Enterprise Summit, the kickoff event of Wichita Startup Week.
"It's exciting to witness the relationships formed and the knowledge gained among cohort members and our enterprise partners, both new and returning,” said Amber Dunn, Program Manager at NXTUS. “This program offers immense value to early-stage entrepreneurs by helping them get their foot in the door and establish valuable connections with enterprises. It has the potential to accelerate their sales processes, enables quicker identification of potential prospects, and helps refine go-to-market strategies for these entrepreneurs.”
2024 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series Participants:
BiioSoft (Wichita)
Candid Health Advisors (Wichita)
Circa81 Design (Augusta)
Connection and Synergy (Oskaloosa)
Crestview.io (Wichita)
GCE (Wichita)
Human Centered Tech (Colwich)
Las Aventuras de Araceli (Wichita)
Optical Launch (Wichita)
Reliant Merchant Services (Wichita)
Restoration Grazing (Valley Center)
Roadside Wichita (Wichita)
Safely Delicious (Overland Park)
Seedfolk Partners (Kansas City)
Sharing Solace (Olathe)
STBL Strategies (Augusta)
The Blackprint ICT (Wichita)
Third House Co. (Wichita)
Top Gun Concrete Lifting (Ottawa)
Van-Go! (Goddard)
Winding Creek Soap and Supply (Ellsworth)
2024 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Partners:
Alloy Architecture
Berry Companies
Cargill
City of Wichita
Evergy
Hutton
Koch Supplier Strategies
LANGE Companies (Acquipt, Lange Real Estate, RedGuard)
OneRise Health Campus
Textron Aviation
Professional Engineering Consultants
Sedgwick County
Spirit AeroSystems
U.S.D. 259 Wichita Public Schools
This program is made possible by support from the above Enterprise Partners in addition to NetWork Kansas, K-State 105, and a ‘Build to Scale’ grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded to the ICT Entrepreneurship Coalition. Additional support is provided by exhibitors like the U.S. Small Business Administration, Opportunity Wichita, Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, IMA Financial Group, Wichita Shredding, and Syndeo. For more information about this program or to view program participant details, go to https://www.nxtus.io/enterpriseseries
For more information on other NXTSTAGE programs, including the Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition and the Financial Technology Pilot Competition occurring this fall, and the Customer Traction Cohort coming in spring 2025, visit: www.nxtus.io/nxtstage