Why a Chicago Entrepreneur Moved to Wichita to Fund America's Hidden Startups
Wichita's Angel Network is Betting on Grit Over Glamour
When Conor Adler moved to Wichita, he didn’t come chasing a trend. He came chasing a bet.
A bet that Kansas founders—resourceful, capital-efficient, often overlooked—were exactly the kind of innovators the rest of the country should be paying attention to. That bet now sits at the heart of his work leading capital programs at NXTUS and managing programs at Accelerate Venture Partners (AVP), one of the state’s most active angel investor networks.
“I reached a point in my 20s where I thought: if I’m going to take a risk, now’s the time,” Adler said.
That decision pulled him out of a stable finance career in Boston and into the scrappy startup trenches—where he caddied during the weekends, bartended at night, and helped build AI and supply chain startups in Chicago.
He wasn’t just studying early-stage ventures; he was living them.
“A lot of people have a version in their head of what the startup world is… beanbags and beer on tap,” Adler said. “It’s quite the opposite at the early stage.”
He saw up close what it takes to get a business off the ground without a safety net. That lived experience now shapes how he evaluates founders—not just as business plans, but as people navigating risk, urgency, and limited resources.
Founder Empathy, Meet Investment Discipline
At AVP, Adler screens dozens of early-stage companies a month. What he’s looking for isn’t just a novel technology. It’s proof that the founder understands how to build a business.
“You can have the greatest tech in the world,” he said, “but if the market isn’t signaling that there will be paying customers, you don’t have a business. You have a science project.”
That bluntness is softened by a kind of earned empathy. Adler’s been there— the bootstrapping lifestyle between funding rounds, juggling side gigs to reach launch. And he believes that makes a difference.
“We can’t fund every opportunity,” he said. “But I try to lead with founder empathy. I know how hard this is.”
A Region that Prioritizes Intentionality
There’s a phrase Adler kept returning to: capital efficiency. But what underpins that, he says, is something deeper—intentionality.
“Founders here are often signing customers before they’ve raised a dollar,” Adler said. “That intentionality shows up in how they talk about burn, hiring, even their go-to-market strategy. It’s not about spending to experiment—it’s about stretching to survive.”
That instinct isn’t a limitation. It’s an asset.
“In a time of market uncertainty, capital efficiency is becoming more favorable than hyper-growth,” he said. “Kansas founders are ahead of the curve on that.”
He credits that intentionality, in part, to the state’s investor psychology.
“The risk profile here is very different than on the coasts,” Adler said. “It forces founders to build carefully—and creatively.”
The Angel Network Model, Explained
“Angel” investing may sound lofty, but the term has humble roots. “It actually comes from the early 1900s,” Adler explained. “Wealthy New Yorkers would fund performances to help artists put on a show. That same spirit—supporting something early, because you believe in it—is what angel investing is about.”
At AVP, that belief is channeled through a group model. Instead of writing six-figure checks alone, members can co-invest as a group in vetted deals, often entering with as little as $10,000. That pooled model reduces individual risk while still giving investors a front-row seat to early-stage growth.
More importantly, Adler says, it brings more voices—and more industry insight—to the table.
“If we’re looking at an agtech deal, and I’m not an expert in that space, we can tap someone who is. That makes our group smarter. It makes our deals stronger.”
Not Just a Check—A Pipeline
AVP doesn’t just support startups. It also grows investors.
And that starts with education.
“We think of angel investing as a long game,” Adler said. “You don’t have to be ready to write a check tomorrow to start learning.”
While Kansas has fewer legacy investor networks than coastal hubs, Adler sees that as an opportunity. He’s actively cultivating the “next generation of angel investors”—people who may not meet federal thresholds yet but are curious, connected, and ready to learn.
“We want people with heart,” he said. “If you’re just chasing returns, there are easier asset classes. But if you want to build the ecosystem, you belong here.”
A Startup Doesn’t Always Need VC
Each year, Adler helps lead eight-week founder courses in partnership with Network Kansas and Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures. But this isn’t just a pitch clinic.
It’s a filter.
“We’ve had founders walk away saying, ‘I don’t think I want VC after all,’” Adler said. “That’s a win. Not every business needs to raise venture capital. We want people to be thoughtful about what kind of company they want to build—and what kind of life they want to live.”
Those who do pursue funding leave with sharpened decks, clearer narratives, and a stronger sense of investor expectations.
“Sometimes people wait to talk to investors until the pitch is perfect,” he said. “But it’s better to start early. Ask for advice, and you’ll get money. Ask for money, and you’ll get advice.”
Advice for First-Time Founders
If you're prepping for your first pitch, Adler's guidance is simple:
“You already know your business better than anyone. Don’t memorize a script—just be ready to have a conversation. The goal isn’t to close the deal in five minutes. The goal is to get to the second meeting.”
And if you're building in isolation? Don’t.
“Start talking to people. Even if you’re not ready. Kansas has so many entrepreneurial support organizations—use them.”
Advice for Investors: Ask the ‘Dumb’ Question
Adler says the best investors he works with don’t pretend to know everything.
“The smartest folks in the room are often the ones asking the so-called stupid questions,” he said. “They're self-aware. They’re honest about what they don’t know. And that opens up better conversations.”
At AVP, that transparency builds trust—between investors, founders, and the broader ecosystem.
What Comes Next
Adler and the NXTUS/AVP team are already pushing the boundaries of what an angel network can support. That includes exploring new deal types—local real estate, cash-flowing manufacturing—that offer shorter-term liquidity to fuel longer-term startup investments. “If that creates more capital to deploy back into startups,” he said, “that’s a win-win.”
He’s also shaping the capital education track at this fall’s reimagined Startup Week in Wichita, aiming to bring more Kansans—especially new investors—into the fold.
Because Wichita isn’t trying to become the next Silicon Valley. It’s trying to become a better Kansas.
And for Adler, that original bet he made—to move here, to build here, to believe in what Kansas could become—is still paying off.
You don’t need beanbags and beer taps to build something meaningful.
You need grit. A network. And the vision to see value where others might not.
Want to connect with Conor or learn more about Accelerate Venture Partners and NXTUS capital programs? Visit nxtus.io or avpict.com , and keep an eye on upcoming founder and investor events across Kansas.
Cory Keller helps shape innovation policy and strategy for the Kansas Office of Innovation, focusing on statewide partnerships and ecosystem growth. He also writes about entrepreneurship, regional innovation, and the human stories driving economic transformation.
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