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
Maker reality show filmed at Union Station set for debut with top KC textile talent in focus
The fourth season of Make48 is set to debut next week on Kansas City PBS — marking the maker-focused reality series’ return to Kansas City and chronicling some of the final days of life in a pre-pandemic world. Front and center amid the creative chaos — which descended March 6-7 on Union Station for 48-hours of filming…
Diversity is a ‘culture add’ — not a quota to be ‘fit’ within a startup, Brad Feld tells Techstars KC demo day
Inserting diverse individuals into an existing startup culture might seem like a step toward inclusive team building, but it can actually hurt scalability if that diversity is treated like a bug, not a feature, said Lesa Mitchell, referencing a new book by the co-founder of Techstars. Celebrating the culmination of Techstars Kansas City’s relaunched accelerator…
Laid-off tech worker pivots to custom peanut butter, spreading a not-just-nuts venture across social media
Eric Buckley is smoothing out a less-than-ideal 2020 — grinding pandemic-fueled misfortune into flavorful opportunity. “I just kind of started getting creative,” Buckley said of his experimentation with a nutty pantry staple since losing a software sales job at a local tech company in March, a setback that inspired a path forward through entrepreneurship. “I’ve…
Rewriting the playbook: Team Cura positions Gen-Z student-athletes for ‘college of their dreams’
For student-athletes playing the long game with their academic and athletic careers, Team Cura enhances scholarship odds and increases college readiness, said Rob Hughey, detailing an online training program that exercises professionalism like a muscle. “We want to make the process really streamlined,” said Hughey, who co-founded the Kansas City-based startup alongside his mother, Karen…
Toddlers and baristas: MY Play Cafe bets on playground coffee shop concept in Lee’s Summit
You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Tiffany Kim said, recalling a trip to Las Vegas that inspired her to roll the entrepreneurial dice back home in Kansas City — despite a raging pandemic. “I call it the most relaxing day of my motherhood career,” laughed Tiffany, co-founder of Lee’s Summit-based MY Play Cafe, recalling…
Pressed for cash: Ruby Jean’s gifted $10K second shot with new nonprofit’s debut grant
Three months after its founding, one of Kansas City’s newest entrepreneurial support organizations might have just saved Ruby Jean’s Juicery from closing its doors for good. “It’s amazing to see a dream come true and really get it done,” said Christoper Stewart, board president and founding member of Generating Income For Tomorrow (GIFT) — a newly…
Thirsty for growth: Freshly rebranded Smart Beverage doubles team, expects $2M+ revenue boost
If pivots pour progress, Luke Einsel’s glass is full, the entrepreneur said, announcing a rebrand for Thirsty Coconut and new partnerships that could drive revenue through the roof for the frozen and chilled beverage distributor. “We’ve really gone through and got our processes right and we have a repeatable, scalable model that works in Kansas…
Back-to-basics innovation: How two former vegetarians revived a 5,000-year-old pig breed in the hills of Platte County
First comes a sudden rustling of leaves, followed by soft grunting and the patter of dozens of unseen hoofed feet hitting the Platte County earth. A stampede of 30 pubescent Meishan piglets darts out of a wooded area at the base of a rolling hill covered in native plants, legumes and organic maize. “They look…
Behind the scenes of Topeka’s innovation district: Why leaders think a new startup hub is rising west of KC
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. Silicon…
Fashion (role) models: How Love Spot KC’s simple statement tees inspire more than words
One of Kansas City’s latest apparel companies isn’t just another T-shirt shop — it’s a Black-owned, woman-owned empowerment engine that even a global pandemic hasn’t shaken, said Courtnee White. “A business that is showing diversity in women, I think that’s a huge thing,” White, owner of the Love Spot KC, said of the brand’s mission to…