---
title: About Spotlight on Startups
date: 2024-04-25T08:57:49Z
modified: 2026-09-06T01:35:09Z
permalink: "https://spotlightonstartups.com/about/"
type: page
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 350
featured_image: "https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/cropped-spotlight-on-startups-1.png"
featured_image_alt: Spotlight on Startups
author: Gregg Kell
timestamp: 2026-09-06T01:35:09Z
tags: []
---

Spotlight on Startups is an earned media publication founded by Gregg Kell in 2025 that publishes journalist authored founder profiles for B2B companies. It is based in Laguna Niguel, California, and coverage is national.

Spotlight on Startups describes itself as an [Answer Engine Optimization Earned Media Platform](https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/home.md), built specifically around how AI systems, not just search engines, discover and cite credible sources. The publication exists to give founders a genuine, independent account of who they are and what they’ve built, written by a journalist, not by the company itself.

Spotlight on Startups is part of Kell Web Solutions, a [web and digital marketing](https://www.kellsolutions.com/) company operating since 2001.

**Our research**

We publish original research on how AI systems decide which companies to cite. The [2026 B2B AI Citation Benchmark](https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/2026-b2b-ai-citation-benchmark.md) tested 30 small and mid-sized B2B companies across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, with 720 coded observations from 504 runs, and published the full dataset. We also published [an analysis comparing our findings with independent research from Gadex](https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/why-ai-engines-dont-recommend-small-b2b-companies-what-two-2026-citation-benchmarks-show-together.md), which measured the same system from the opposite direction.

Our research describes what we measured. It is not a promise of results.

**Who runs Spotlight on Startups?**

Gregg Kell is the Founder and Editor of Spotlight on Startups. He conducts the founder interviews and writes the published spotlights. Our [editorial standards](https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/editorial-standards.md) set out how companies are selected, what we verify, and how AI tools are used in drafting.

**How does the publication work?**

A founder books a short call, then receives written questions covering the company, how it works, and what they have learned building it. A writer develops the spotlight from the call and those answers, and verifiable claims are checked before publication. Founder spotlights are free, and coverage cannot be purchased. We select the companies we cover, and not every inquiry results in a published feature.

**What kinds of companies are featured?**

Spotlight on Startups features B2B founders and CEOs nationally, across sectors including manufacturing, professional services, software, healthcare and workforce.

**When was Spotlight on Startups founded?**

Spotlight on Startups was founded in 2025.

**Where is Spotlight on Startups based?**

Spotlight on Startups is based in Laguna Niguel, California. Coverage is national.

![Spotlight on Startups](https://spotlightonstartups.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/01.jpg "Spotlight on Startups")