HB 2466 / SB 429: We Must Extend the Angel Investor Tax Credit
By Stephanie Moran, SVP of Innovation, GO Topeka
Every year at GO Topeka, I meet founders building the future of Kansas.
They are launching bioscience companies, developing ag-tech and animal health technologies, and creating the next generation of advanced manufacturing solutions. Their ideas are strong and their teams are talented. But the same question always comes up early: how do we raise the capital to grow here instead of somewhere else?
For early-stage companies, access to angel investment is often the deciding factor in whether they stay in Kansas or relocate to a state with deeper venture networks. That is why extending the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit through SB 429 in the Senate and HB 2466 in the House is so critical.
This program works. For every one dollar of tax credit, roughly five dollars of private capital flows into Kansas companies. Since its launch, it has helped finance more than 260 businesses and leveraged hundreds of millions in investment. These are real companies creating jobs and payroll right here at home.
The credit also makes Kansas startups more attractive to investors, whether they are local or out of state. It allows angels to stretch their dollars, tolerate a bit more risk, and often invest more than they otherwise would. That flexibility can be what closes a funding round and keeps a company growing in Kansas.
And those investments create jobs. Research shows that each angel-backed company adds multiple new employees. That is exactly the kind of return we want: private dollars driving innovation, wages, and long-term growth.
We see that opportunity firsthand. Through a public-private partnership, GO Topeka is opening the $15 million LINK Innovation campus in downtown Topeka to support entrepreneurs and startups. Through our partnership with Plug and Play, the world’s largest startup accelerator, we will bring 20 international startups here each year. Our goal is simple: help them choose Kansas to grow and scale.
But without competitive tools like the Angel Investor Tax Credit, many will choose other states.
Kansas has built real momentum in innovation and entrepreneurship. Now is not the time to step back. Extending SB 429 and HB 2466 keeps our state competitive, supports local investors, and gives startups the capital they need to stay and grow here.
If we want Kansas to win the jobs of tomorrow, we must keep this program in place.