Cory Lee
Keller.

Kansas startups.
A team sport.

I work with entrepreneurs, investors, universities, and other partners to help Kansas startups navigate early-stage capital, commercialization resources, and opportunities to grow.

Manager, Ecosystem Development & Strategic Partnerships
Kansas Department of Commerce · Office of Innovation

Explore my work Connect on LinkedIn
People in blue hard hats using shovels at a groundbreaking ceremony.
Economic development Getting things off the ground.

Portrait sticker of Cory Lee Keller.

Bring people together.
Get things moving.

My career has taken me through small business ownership, photography, web development, marketing, and creative leadership. Today, I work in entrepreneurship and economic development.

I’ve been on the side of the table where you’re trying to build something, explain it to someone else, and figure out what comes next.

A little more about me

Find the gap.
Make the connection.
Follow through.

My approach

Selected work
& involvement.

Programs, events, and direct support for Kansas entrepreneurs. Here’s where I’ve been involved and what I’ve contributed.

01

Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit Program

Working directly with startups and investors on certification, applications, records, and program requirements.

 02

Gamechangers & Champions

Founder and investor education, networking, and a statewide bracket-style pitch competition.

 03

Startup World Cup: Wichita Regional

Organizing the application, evaluation, and live-event process for a Kansas regional qualifier.

 04

ACCEL-KS

Helping founders understand commercialization resources and connect with program partners.

 05

Direct Support for Kansas Founders

Individual conversations, introductions, and follow-up that help a business take its next step.
More work & involvement Creative & digital work

Beyond innovation
programs.

See my experience

Creative & digital leadership

Led creative and digital communications at Kansas Commerce, including statewide campaigns, web guidance, and materials used across agency programs.

Explore the work

Kansas technology community

Serving on the 2026 governing board of FlagshipKansas.Tech, supporting Kansas technology, workforce development, and education.

Board announcement

Stories about entrepreneurship

Writing about Kansas entrepreneurs, support organizations, and the people working to strengthen business communities across the state.

Read my writing

Better pathways for
ideas, people, capital,
and technology.

How I approach the work

Let’s compare notes.

Working on something in Kansas? Building a company, exploring a technology, or bringing partners around an idea?
I’d be glad to hear about it.

Connect on LinkedIn

A little about me.

I’m Cory Lee Keller. My work today is in entrepreneurship and economic development, but I came to it through running a creative business, building websites, photography, and communications.

Building a business

From 2008 to 2020, I ran Keller Photography, Marketing and Design in Abilene. I worked directly with clients on photography, video, branding, design, and web development. I was responsible for the work and for keeping the business running: budgets, schedules, client relationships, and delivery.

That experience gave me a practical interest in what business owners need. A useful introduction, a clear explanation, or a better process can make a real difference when you’re trying to figure out what comes next.

Creative leadership at Kansas Commerce

From 2021 to 2024, I served as Creative Director at the Kansas Department of Commerce. I led brand and campaign strategy, worked with internal teams and external partners, and helped agency programs communicate with business, workforce, community, and innovation audiences.

That meant learning how different programs worked, understanding their audiences, and making complex information easier to use. The creative work was important, but so were the planning, relationships, and follow-through behind it.

Innovation and partnerships

In 2024, I moved into ecosystem development and strategic partnerships with the Kansas Office of Innovation. Today, I work with entrepreneurs, investors, universities, industry partners, communities, and public institutions to strengthen startup support and help ideas move toward market.

I’m particularly interested in rural entrepreneurship and making resources easier to find outside the largest cities. Our statewide scope covers Kansas’s 105 counties; the work is about building useful connections across that system.

I bring my creative and digital experience with me. I pay attention to how people find a resource, whether they understand it, and what happens when they try to use it.

Outside the day-to-day work

I serve on the 2026 governing board of FlagshipKansas.Tech and write about entrepreneurship in Kansas. Both give me more opportunities to listen to people building businesses and supporting their communities.

My role at the Kansas Office of Innovation

Kansas startups
matter to me.

A good idea can come from anywhere in Kansas. Finding the help to build it shouldn’t depend on who you already know.

My work has statewide scope across Kansas’s 105 counties, connecting founders, investors, universities, accelerators, industry partners, nonprofits, and public agencies. A large part of that work is listening, understanding what’s missing, and helping people find the next useful connection.

What that looks like

Early-stage capital

My work includes company and investor engagement, application support, tracking, records management, and site visits for the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit program.

A Kansas founder takes the next stage.

At Wichita’s Launch Week 2026, Miguel Johns of Milton AI won the regional Startup World Cup competition, earning a place in the global finale in San Francisco.

I helped organize the competition alongside partners working to give Kansas founders opportunities to share what they’re building.

Read the story at Startland News Competition details
Let’s connect on LinkedIn

Help ideas find
their next step.

Research, capital, technical expertise, and customers need to connect for an idea to reach the market.

My work focuses on the front end and external side of commercialization: supporting promising companies and technologies, connecting innovators to resources, developing partnerships, and expanding access to early-stage capital.

Resources and relationships

My part in the work

Understand what a company needs, find the partners and resources that can help, and make the path forward clearer. Bring market signals and partner needs into recommendations for programs, partnerships, and funding decisions.

Make the work
understandable.

People in blue hard hats at a groundbreaking ceremony.

As Creative Director at Kansas Commerce, I led brand and campaign strategy for business, workforce, community, and innovation audiences.

Statewide campaigns & shared tools

I directed multi-channel campaigns including The State of Unexpected and To the Stars. I created brand standards, templates, web guidance, and campaign tools used across agency programs and divisions.

Campaign planning and digital strategy supported audience outreach. Production brought together internal teams and external partners across design, web, video, photography, and content.

Studio ownership

From 2008 to 2020, I ran Keller Photography, Marketing and Design, delivering brand strategy, campaigns, photography, video, web development, and client advisory work.

My photography appeared in Three Days in January and Waterford Crystal: The Creation of a Global Brand.

Innovation is
a team sport.

When something isn’t moving, I want to understand why.

Is the next step unclear? Is an organization missing from the conversation? Does a founder need a resource they haven’t found? Or does the process itself need some work?

I start by asking questions, learning what’s already available, and figuring out where I can be useful. Sometimes that means bringing people together. Other times, it means working through the details.

  1. Understand the need.

    Talk with founders, communities, institutions, and industry partners. Find out what’s working and where people get stuck.

  2. Connect the right people.

    Look for resources and partners that can help. Get clear about what each organization brings and what they can accomplish together.

  3. Build something useful.

    Turn those connections into programs, tools, and practical next steps.

  4. Pay attention to results.

    Use program outcomes, market signals, and partner feedback to decide what needs to improve.

Experience.

  1. 2024–present

    Manager, Ecosystem Development & Strategic Partnerships

    Kansas Department of Commerce / Kansas Office of Innovation

    Build connections among research, companies, capital, and economic development resources. Translate market signals and partner needs into recommendations for programs, partnerships, and funding decisions.

    Kansas Office of Innovation
  2. 2021–2024

    Creative Director

    Kansas Department of Commerce

    Led brand and campaign strategy for business, workforce, community, and innovation audiences. Directed internal creative teams and external partners, and equipped distributed programs with shared messaging and tools.

  3. 2008–2020

    Owner / Creative Strategist

    Keller Photography, Marketing and Design

    Led regional and national creative projects from client strategy through production and delivery, managing scope, budgets, teams, and relationships.

Education & service

B.S., Web and Mobile Development · Fort Hays State University, 2021

Management Certificate, Public Policy · University of Kansas, 2023

Photomedia coursework · University of Kansas, 2005–2007

Board service · FlagshipKansas.Tech and The Brethren Mutual Aid Share Fund

Find me on LinkedIn.

Working with startups, connecting partners, or building something useful? I’d like to hear about it.

Connect on LinkedInCory Lee Keller

Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit Program

I help administer the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit program, working directly with startups and investors on certification, applications, records, program requirements, and investment-related questions.

The program’s authorized annual tax-credit ceiling is $8 million for tax year 2026.

About the program

Gamechangers & Champions

I’ve helped develop and coordinate Gamechangers & Champions, a statewide entrepreneurship event created in partnership with NXTUS and other Kansas innovation organizations.

The event combines founder and investor education, networking, and a bracket-style startup pitch competition. Its first two years brought events to Wichita in 2025 and Lawrence in 2026.

VU Scholarships won the $20,000 grand prize in 2025. In 2026, SippTech won a newly doubled $50,000 grand prize.

2025 coverage · Startland News 2026 recap · NXTUS

Startup World Cup: Wichita Regional

I organized the 2026 Launch Week pitch competition in Wichita, an official regional qualifier for Startup World Cup.

My responsibilities included the competition application and evaluation process, finalist communications, judge coordination, and event programming.

Miguel Johns of Milton AI won the September 18 competition and earned a place in the global finale in San Francisco.

Competition details Winner coverage · Startland News

ACCEL-KS

I’ve worked with Kansas startups and program partners around ACCEL-KS, a statewide initiative supporting early-stage technology development through proof-of-concept funding, commercialization education, and technical assistance.

The initiative is implemented through Groover Labs and KU Innovation Park. My work has focused on helping founders understand and access commercialization resources and supporting coordination across the ecosystem.

ACCEL-KS · Kansas Commerce

Direct Support for Kansas Founders

I work directly with Kansas entrepreneurs at different stages of building their businesses.

That can mean helping a founder understand early-stage financing, navigate state resources, identify a university or industry partner, or work through a business development opportunity involving multiple organizations.

Much of this work happens through individual conversations and follow-up rather than formal programs.

More of the work.

Ongoing relationships, speaking, and exploratory work alongside the featured programs.

06Founder and Investor Connections

I work with entrepreneurs, angel investors, investment groups, and venture organizations to identify potential connections between Kansas startups and sources of early-stage capital. This includes understanding company needs, researching opportunities, making introductions, and helping founders navigate financing resources.

07University and Research Partnerships

I work with university and research partners, including KU, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University, to connect academic research, technical resources, industry, and entrepreneurship. I’m particularly interested in the steps between a promising research idea and a commercially viable application.

08KC BioHub and Regional Life Sciences

I’ve engaged with KC BioHub to learn about emerging initiatives and explore collaboration with Kansas Commerce and the wider ecosystem. I’ve shared opportunities with colleagues and helped connect relevant partners.

09Statewide Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development

I develop relationships with regional economic development organizations, entrepreneurial support organizations, universities, industry, and other partners. The work includes understanding local needs, particularly in rural areas where founders may have fewer nearby resources.

10Emerging Technology and Research Collaboration

I’ve participated in early conversations around potential research collaborations involving photonics, sensing technologies, and emerging technical capabilities. These conversations focus on institutional strengths, possible partners, and connections to Kansas industry.

11Kansas EXIM Road Show

I participated as a Kansas Office of Innovation presenter during the August 2026 Kansas EXIM Road Show. My presentation work focused on innovation and business growth programs available to Kansas companies.

EXIM road show agenda
12FlagshipKansas.Tech Governing Board

I joined the FlagshipKansas.Tech governing board in 2026. The organization focuses on awareness of Kansas’s technology industry, expanding the technology workforce, and supporting technology education.

2026 board announcement
13Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City 2026

I’m scheduled to speak in November 2026. My session, “You Are Part of Someone’s Startup Story: The Hidden Social Economics of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems,” explores how customers, mentors, introductions, early supporters, and other participants shape entrepreneurial companies.

14Federal Funding and Partnership Development

I’ve contributed to competitive federal funding efforts through proposal narrative development, partner coordination, and strategic communication. This work draws on my background translating complex institutional priorities into clear proposals and shared objectives.

15Founder Storytelling and Innovation Communications

I develop founder-facing communications, presentations, competition materials, and content explaining technologies, opportunities, and entrepreneurship programs. My background in web development, photography, marketing, and creative leadership informs both the message and how people use it.