Members in the News: ACCEL-KS Grant Recipients
Last week, the Wichita Business Journal published a cover story about startups to watch in Wichita. All four selections are both Groover Labs members and ACCEL-KS grant recipients. They are:
GO ACADEMIX, founded by Jocelyn Galacia Powell
Tacit Technologies, founded by Rye Kennedy
Endure Robotics, founded by Blake Christopherson
Toadworx, founded by Logan Schraeder
We were very excited to read the profiles of each founder, along with details about the founders. While we’re familiar with all of the projects, it’s fun to read about them from an different perspective.
A Note: We highlight our members (and former members) whenever they make headlines, and we want to encourage and support local journalism. Some outlets, like the Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Business Journal, are subscription-based. You can read the full story at the links below.
Additional note: Eddie Castillo, who wrote the feature, was kind enough to drop off several issues of last week’s edition, and they’re available for all to read in our coffee bar. Thank you, Eddie!
We’ve included a few paragraphs from the story below:
Startups to watch: Wichita entrepreneurs attempt to break into these industries with new products, software
By Eduardo Castillo – Reporter, Wichita Business Journal
Apr 23, 2026
Wichita’s startup scene is growing, with support from local and state entities investing in ideas and technology.
The Business Journal selected four Wichita startups attempting to break into the industries of law enforcement, health care, airport operations and industrial machinery maintenance with their products or software.
The startup founders are receiving funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce's Accelerating Concept to Commercialization grant, which helps develop early-stage ideas into commercial products and companies. Each recipient received up to $25,000 grants.
Wichita’s startup scene growth is also partly due to its ecosystem of incubators including Groover Labs, NXTUS and Wichita State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship. In 2025, NXTUS-affiliate Accelerate Venture Partners dispersed nearly $1 million to help early startups succeed, according to a NXTUS annual report.
The the full story here, or drop by our coffee bar to read one of the print copies.
