Austin Barnes
Executive Editor, 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
Play ball! Dietician brings protein-packed treats from her kitchen to the big leagues (and she has the World Series ring to prove it)
As simplyFUEL launches on the shelves of local Costco stores this week, the Kansas City-rolled brand of energy balls is offering customers more than a healthy option for snacking. The woman-led company instead symbolizes a commitment to nutrition that helped fuel the Kansas City Royals through a historic World Series run and scored a health…
AI-powered Particle Space detects product validation with Liberty Mutual integration
A new partnership between Liberty Mutual Insurance and Kansas City-built Particle Space is expected to create an entirely new service, the proptech startup announced this week. The collaboration sees Liberty Mutual provide tenants with easily-accessible quotes for renters insurance within Particle Space’s artificial intelligence-backed building and property management platform. “It’s now even easier for property…
Doctors gave DJ Stewart 18 months to live; His response: Build a pro wrestling stable strong enough to celebrate LGBT, BIPOC athletes
A new era has entered the ring as an entrepreneur fights to bring inclusivity to Kansas City’s legacy-rich professional wrestling community — in the midst of an all-out brawl in his own battle against Stage 4 brain cancer. “Everyone is welcome at our shows,” said DJ Stewart, owner of Journey Pro KC, describing the wrestling and…
KC record label sees stage lights, live music ahead — after year of virtual shows rings flat
Local recording artists continue to hold notes of perseverance as the COVID-19 pandemic settles into its second year; one Patrick Sprehe hopes will carry a different tune for Kansas City’s talent-rich music scene. “The pandemic really dampers our ability to be a sustainable business,” said Sprehe, co-founder of Center Cut Records, describing the era’s impact…
Taco trailblazers: Why a Lawrence attorney chased a tortilla flag through KCK
When 2020 began, Scott Reed loaded his plate with plenty of goals, hungry to achieve one in particular. “I told my wife I was going to eat more tacos,” he said, reflecting on the simplistic goal that ultimately became part of a 50-plus plate tour of Kansas City, Kansas. “Fortuitously, the KCK Taco Trail came…
Plug and Play taps leader of Topeka young professionals to lead soon-to-launch accelerator
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…
How one artisan chocolatier rewrote the recipe for her life — and molded a new, more approachable luxury chocolate
A Blue Springs-dipped chocolate shop isn’t just selling show-stopping sweets, it’s unwrapping a community-coated adventure for a local mom — eight years in the making. “I feel more a part of this community than I ever have before,” said Jessica Washburn, co-owner of Bliss Chocolatier, an artisan chocolate boutique dedicated to crafting a number of treats…
Herd that beef was grass-fed? KC inventor’s cattle facial ID could drive steak through origin uncertainty
One of Kansas City’s most active serial inventors recently harvested his 88th patent, but it’s the revolutionary new way he’s using blockchain technology and augmented reality that’s turning heads (of cattle) down on the farm. Shekhar Gupta’s latest reveal: a facial recognition platform specifically designed to identify and track bovine for the bottom line — reducing…
Destination whiskey: A newly bottled West Bottoms distillery sees KC barreling toward old fashioned fame
Innovation is intoxicating, Michael Hopkins said, pouring the story behind a newly-distilled whiskey company that hopes to do its part to put Kansas City grains on the maker’s map. “The more distilleries, the more Kansas City is going to get recognized for [its whiskey],” said Hopkins, one of three business partners behind West Bottoms Whiskey,…
Floraloom’s Colleen Monroe put her green thumb on the steering wheel, leaving LA for KC sunshine
Quarantine changed people — including Colleen Monroe, the serial entrepreneur said, looking back on the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles and the day she loaded her car with a few personal belongings and as many vases as it could hold. Uprooting her once-busy life, she hoped growth opportunities might bloom in…