FlagshipKansas.Tech

Congratulations to our 2026 Kansas Tech Startup of the Year! 🏆

Planetary Talent grew out of Wichita's Groover Labs startup community. Its origin story is a good one: AI tools originally built for a planned sci-fi game were repurposed into a recruiting platform.

Planetary Talent lets companies 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 in under five minutes, run the entire hiring process conversationally through tools like Slack or email, and hire compliantly anywhere in the world, all while keeping human connection at the center.

At a time when concerns about AI displacing workers are widespread, Planetary Talent takes a different approach: AI-enhanced, story-driven matching that connects skilled people with meaningful opportunity. Every candidate is verified and interviewed by industry experts before an employer ever sees their profile.

This is a Kansas-born company with an innovative solution to identifying and hiring talent.

Congratulations to Co-founders Mark Janzen, Jacob Schlittenhardt, Rohit Ghule and the whole Planetary Talent team. 🚀

Community innovators who leverage public-private partnerships can create bigger opportunities in tech for kids and adults.

Aaron Sheltrown did just that when he transformed a single room at Junction City's 12th Street Community Center into the Twin Valley 𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚: 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Junction City's Parks & Rec leaders championed the idea and the City backed it with a $40,000 investment. Then, as the program's coordinator, Aaron forged meaningful public-private partnerships, building a sustainable ecosystem of support to give participants access to professional-grade equipment, mentorship and connectivity they otherwise wouldn't have.

Now it's a thriving hub for technology, connection and opportunity in a low-income neighborhood.

In its first year alone, the program boasted:
~ 600 registered members
~ 5,000 annual check-ins
- as many as 60 participants engaging on a given day

Aaron built a program that uses esports as a gateway to something bigger, equipping youth and adults with real-world skills including:
- teamwork
- leadership
- broadcasting
- content creation
- event management
- digital literacy

Participants aren't just playing games.

They're gaining exposure to 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.

They're earning 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 for continuing education.

They're developing skills that translate directly into the 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞.

Congratulations, Aaron Sheltrown, our 2026 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!

Meet Kara Lowe, our 2026 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫. 🏆

Kara is President and CEO of the KC Tech Council, a membership organization that serves as the shared voice of Kansas City's technology industry, representing nearly 200 member companies ranging from startups to enterprise.

Under Kara's leadership, KC Tech Council advocates for public policy at the state and federal levels, championing workforce development programs to build a competitive tech talent pipeline and convening the region's tech leaders around a shared mission: 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐛 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

A proud University of Kansas graduate and lifelong Kansas Citian, Kara is an enthusiastic and tireless advocate for this region. Her work has helped shape the competitive position of Kansas City in the national tech landscape.

Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Kara!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠, where she talks about:

-why Kansas City tech talent stays local

-the region's surprising ties between old-school logistics and modern data infrastructure

-how KC Tech Council's LEGIT program is opening doors for the next generation of women in tech

-her take on why Kansas City is primed for the next wave of tech investment and growth

Kansas teacher 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐳 has been described as the 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 for her entire school district, and for good reason: she single-handedly teaches every high school CS course, from introductory classes to AP computer science, gaming design and cybersecurity.

But that's not all.

Haley's impact as a teacher at Washburn Rural High School, extends to a district serving more than 6,000 students K-12, and she has:

- 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥'𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, which runs technology learning activities for the community throughout the year

- launched a 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩 teaching engineering, computer science and coding

- organized a 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 that serves hundreds of students annually

She was also named the 2025-2026 Secondary Teacher of the Year for her district. A self-taught computer science educator, Haley is proof that passion and persistence build something extraordinary.

🏆 Please help us congratulate Haley as our 2026 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 & 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐳𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐤 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!

👏 👏 👏

As part of her award, she received a check for $1,666, a nod to the original price of the Apple I computer, and a Smart Rover Robotics Kit from Deloitte's Smart Factory Believers Program.

Kansas tech student Kelly Lotsu-Morgan arrived from his home country of Ghana two years ago, and has already 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 used across Newman University's campus and 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐝-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 platform.

He's a Computer Science student in the Honors Program at Newman University, on track to graduate in just three years, and he's racked up quite a resume:

- leads the 𝐀𝐈 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦

- President of 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛

- Secretary of 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

- co-taught an 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩 alongside industry professionals

- developed Calendar Hero, an 𝐀𝐈 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭

- developed PathMaker, an 𝐀𝐈-𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 platform

- founded 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐥, an ed-tech platform helping international students navigate test prep, college applications and visa processes

- held concurrent internships at McCurdy Real Estate & Auction, helping digitize the company's lead-to-listing workflow, and Newman's Western Kansas Center, contributing to agri-tech research

Impressive.

Long-term, Kelly hopes to build diagnostic technologies that improve access to healthcare in underserved communities.

🏆 Please help us congratulate Kelly as our 2026 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!

👏 👏 👏

One of our favorite traditions at FlagshipKansas.Tech is recognizing outgoing board leadership with a championship wrestling belt, a fun way to celebrate years of service to Kansas' technology community.

Full disclosure, most of us are probably too nerdy to have ever won a wrestling match, but if you see a Flagship board member in the wild with their belt, let them have their moment. 😎

At the 2026 Ad Astra Technology Summit, we were honored to recognize Ben Sebree, our Immediate Past Board Chair, and Amanda Duncan, our Treasurer and the last remaining founding member still serving on our governing board.

Ben served on the board from 2020-2025, including becoming the first board chair to serve a two-year term. A passionate advocate for education, Ben consistently pushed FlagshipKansas.Tech to support Kansas students and educators, understanding that the future of our tech ecosystem starts in the classroom. His leadership helped guide the organization through an important chapter in our history, and he continues to support our mission today.

While Amanda's board term officially concludes at the end of this year, we wanted to take the opportunity at Ad Astra to recognize her incredible dedication and service. Since 2021, she has served as Treasurer and has been one of our most tireless champions for building Kansas' tech talent pipeline. Her expertise in workforce development has shaped how FlagshipKansas.Tech thinks about connecting education, employers, and the next generation of Kansas tech talent.

Thank you, Ben and Amanda, for your leadership, your commitment, and the countless hours you've invested in advancing technology across Kansas. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

Ad Astra Tech Summit 2026 brought together the best of Kansas tech for a day of big ideas, bold conversations and well-earned recognition.

Keynote speaker Salim Ismail had the room buzzing with his vision for AI and emerging technologies, and he followed it with practical ExO principles that can be leveraged to build high-growth organizations. Safe to say minds were blown. 🤯

This year's "Disrupt" theme sparked real conversations about exponential thinking, AI, education, workforce development and key opportunities to build a tech-forward Kansas.

Huge thanks to everyone who made it happen. Thank you, Barton School of Business, for being our event partner and host!

Read our wrap-up blog post, link in the comments.

Award spotlights dropping soon. 🏆

We're feeling inspired after wrapping up the 2026Ad Astra Technology Summit. 🙌

The future is changing faster than ever, and that's exactly why events like Ad Astra matter.

This week, we brought together educators, entrepreneurs, technologists, business leaders, students, and innovators who all share something in common: a passion for Kansas and a belief that our best days are ahead of us.

From AI and workforce readiness to exponential technologies and the opportunities they create, the conversations challenged us to think bigger, adapt faster, and prepare for a future that's still being written.

The jobs our children will hold may not exist yet. The technologies that will shape the next decade are already emerging. But if there's one thing we left with, it's optimism. Kansas has the people, the talent, and the determination to help lead what's next.

Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, volunteered, presented, and contributed to an incredible . The future is bright, and we're excited to build it together. 😎

Join the movement here: https://memberhub.flagshipkansas.tech/join

One last, big THANK YOU to the sponsors who helped make the Ad Astra Technology Summit possible.

Events like this take more than a great agenda. They take partners who believe in bringing people together to spark ideas, strengthen connections, and move Kansas technology forward.

We’re grateful for every sponsor who invested in this year’s summit and helped create a space for conversations around innovation, AI, workforce, entrepreneurship, education, and what’s next for our state.

Let's go, DISRUPTORS!