‘Companies of Significance:’ Program supports innovation across Kansas, Heartland
First Friday e-call outlines support for entrepreneurs and early-stage investment
At a glance: Building a stronger startup ecosystem in Kansas requires collaboration, access to capital and a statewide commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, leaders from NXTUS told participants during the recent First Friday e-call hosted by Kansas State University Extension.
More information: Jessica Gnad, jgnad@ksu.edu
Related: First Friday e-call | NXTUS
Mar. 12, 2026
By Pat Melgares, K-State Extension news service
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Building a stronger startup ecosystem in Kansas requires collaboration, access to capital and a statewide commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, leaders from NXTUS told participants during the recent First Friday e-call hosted by Kansas State University Extension.
The monthly online series, held March 6, featured Mary Beth Jarvis, CEO and president of NXTUS, and Connor Adler, the organization’s investment manager. The program draws dozens of participants from across Kansas each month and is designed to encourage entrepreneurship and support small business development.
Jarvis said NXTUS focuses on mobilizing early-stage growth capital for innovation-based startups and entrepreneurs.
“We’re here to help founders and innovators grow companies of significance,” Jarvis said.
Based in Wichita, NXTUS works statewide and regionally to strengthen startup ecosystems through community-building, connecting entrepreneurs with customers and helping them gain access to capital. Jarvis said the organization’s work reflects a broader approach to economic development that emphasizes growing businesses locally.
She added that collaboration among communities across the Heartland region is essential to building thriving innovation economies.
“The Heartland has got to play together in order for us to win,” Jarvis said. “This movement of helping innovation-based and growth-minded entrepreneurs thrive is at a moment right now. And we in Kansas, we in the Heartland, have an opportunity to win that moment if we work together on creating the connective tissue and supportive momentum for entrepreneurs.”
Research underscores the importance of entrepreneurship for local economies, she said. Data shows that when a state increases its entrepreneurship rate by 1%, poverty declines by about 2%.
“It is an extremely powerful lever to change families, to change communities and to change economies,” Jarvis said.
She added that studies conducted over the past five decades indicate that virtually all net new jobs are created by small businesses, particularly those in their first five years of operation.
In 2025 alone, NXTUS helped connect more than 1,800 Kansas startups with resources that could help them grow, Jarvis said. The organization also mobilized nearly $1 million in private capital to support early-stage companies.
Adler said providing access to early-stage investment is a key piece of helping startups succeed. Many new companies, he said, cannot obtain traditional bank loans because they lack assets to use as collateral.
“The venture capital space or the angel investor space can appear as this very sexy thing from the outside,” Adler said. “But in reality, it’s not as complicated as it might seem. There’s a lot of jargon that becomes a barrier for people.”
To help fill that funding gap, NXTUS helped create Accelerate Venture Partners in 2018. The angel investor network allows individuals to pool their investments and support promising early-stage companies.
Under the model, investors can combine smaller contributions into larger investments in startup ventures.
“Say I can only invest $10,000 into a deal, but there are six other people investing varying amounts,” Adler said. “As a group, we might reach $100,000, which allows angel investing to be democratized.”
Since its founding, Accelerate Venture Partners has mobilized more than $9 million in early-stage capital for startups. In 2025, the network invested $950,000 in early-stage deals, Adler said. One investment completed this year involved $200,000 from an investor in Reno County.
The network also helps create a knowledge-sharing environment among investors with varied professional backgrounds, Adler said. Because the region’s startup pipeline spans multiple industries, having diverse perspectives among investors is critical.
“We want folks from varying industries and backgrounds,” he said. “We want a diverse group of thought and people who represent different communities.”
Beyond capital investment, NXTUS also offers educational programs and coaching for entrepreneurs, including a seven-week customer traction program that provides weekly online coaching and workshops. Participants have come from Kansas as well as neighboring states such as Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.
The organization also sponsors events designed to highlight promising startups, including its “Game Changers and Champions” pitch competition. In 2025, the event attracted 75 startup competitors from 14 Kansas counties, including eight rural counties, and uses a tournament-style format inspired by March basketball tournaments.
Entrepreneurs interested in learning more about NXTUS programs can find additional information online at https://www.nxtus.io.
The First Friday e-Call series, hosted by K-State Extension, is free and open to the public each month. Organizers say the discussions are intended to foster entrepreneurship and strengthen small business development across Kansas.
The full Mar. 6 talk and other First Friday presentations are available online from K-State Extension.
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K‑State Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the wellbeing of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.