Austin Barnes
Publisher, Startland News
Austin is a growth-focused business strategist with deep roots in media and storytelling. As executive editor, he leads Startland’s revenue generation, partnership strategy, and market expansion— aligning mission-driven journalism with scalable business models.
With over a decade of experience spanning media, brand development, and strategic communications, Austin has helped grow Startland’s reach beyond Kansas City, launching new monetization efforts and driving engagement with more than 700,000 readers each year. His work bridges entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable growth —positioning Startland as a national model for community-centered media.
Recent Stories by Austin Barnes
US Air Force contracts Healium for ‘drugless’ therapy amid military suicide epidemic
As suicide rates among U.S. military service members continue to rise, Columbia-based Healium is doubling down on its mission to make mental fitness tools more accessible. “It’s an honor to serve these service members and their families who’ve sacrificed in ways we cannot imagine,” Sarah Hill, founder and CEO, told Startland News in announcing a…
How the first-ever movie sold on NFT is rigging KC-made ‘Lotawana’ for blockchain history
An independent film shot on Missouri’s Lake Lotawana is earning premier attention — becoming the world’s first piece of cinema to sell on the blockchain, potentially overhauling the way Hollywood connects with moviegoers, its creators said. “One thing that I’m very passionate about in life is cinema,” said Trevor Hawkins, the Emmy-winning local filmmaker who wrote…
How one KC founder earned two exits before hitting 40 (Hint: Make time or don’t start)
Ten years after his first startup exit, Matt Watson finds himself at the finish line once again. “This time was a lot different than the last,” Watson, founder and CEO of Stackify, told Startland News, comparing his run with the APM solutions startup to his tenure as co-founder and CTO at VinSolutions — the startup that…
How a Columbia startup spun smart window tech into a holoflective gun scope that could help prevent accidental shootings
Innovation has no limits for Fielding Staton — and his company’s 250-plus inventions offer just a glimpse into how he and his team hope to shape the future. Among the most recent products to take shape inside the walls of Columbia-manufactured Windgo: a holoflective gun scope with the potential to save lives. “A lot of gun…
New in KC: How a Twitch powerhouse is building her following (and gunpla) from Kansas City
Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. As her career leveled up, a Twitch-personality found herself headed back to Kansas City…
What began as a T-shirt line now boasts a coast-to-coast marketplace backing women-owned businesses
For women in entrepreneurship, competition can hinder collaboration, Tiffiney Baumgarden said, outlining her mission to judge less and live more. “I was really sick of the way women were talking to each other — particularly online,” said Baumgarden, founder and CEO of Crossing Broadway, detailing her experience (and that of many other local women she’s encountered,…
Bamboo Penny’s plants KC Thai in Leawood, plating culture alongside pineapple fried rice
Fearlessness is on the menu for Chef Penny Mufuka, a 25-year veteran of the stovetop, bringing to boil plans for a second Johnson County-cooked restaurant in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It makes me sweat everyday,” Mufuka laughed, musing the decision she made with husband and co-owner, Doug Mufuka, to open Bamboo Penny’s in…
Disrupting the work-home loop: Serendipity Labs brings luxe concierge coworking to Overland Park
One of the metro’s newest coworking spaces prides itself on hospitality — but happy hour comes as a bonus. “When people order DoorDash or GrubHub — we’re bringing that to your office with extra plates and napkins. ‘What kind of soda do you want? What kind of snacks do you want?’” said Dawniel Richards, general manager of…
New accelerator aims to capitalize on pet health, agtech hub with international cohort
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. TOPEKA…
Civic Saint: How life-threatening setbacks inspired company built on universal humanity, survival
Loss is stitched throughout much of Godfrey Riddle’s human story, he said. But its threads don’t define him — and they won’t unravel his mission to bring opportunity to Kansas Citians of every shade, size, and sexuality. “Being a Black, gay man … I’ve lived through countless experiences of marginalization,” Riddle said, looking back on his…