Haines Eason
Freelance Kansas
Haines Eason is the founder of startup content marketing agency Freelance Kansas. Previously he worked as the managing editor overseeing a large long-form content marketing team for an international corporation and as a communications professional in higher education. His work and photography have appeared in publications like The Guardian, Eater and KANSAS! Magazine among others. Freelance Kansas seeks to support the innovators and do-gooders who are working to make this world safer and more equitable for all.
Recent Stories by Haines Eason
2026 Startups to Watch: Cyphra Autonomy pairs robotics with heavy labor (and a light lift for job site users)
Editor’s note: Startland News editors selected 10 high-growth, scaling Kansas City companies to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch project. Now in its 11th year, this feature recognizes founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest, most compelling news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2026’s…
Retirement savings as startup capital? Little-known legal move is helping some Kansas Citians don the founder hat
Editor’s note: The following piece was sponsored by Accelefund, a Missouri-based firm that helps connect entrepreneurs with small business and startup funding. Russell Luttrall had spent years planning his next chapter. After a career that stretched from military service to decades maintaining and managing federal vehicle fleets, he knew exactly what kind of auto shop…
Lesser-known sales tax faces pivotal 2026 vote, opportunity to define its next chapter
Editor’s note: The following details the Kansas City’s Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax initiative within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. EDCKC is a paid partner of Startland News. A decade-long experiment in east side investment is entering a new crucible as Kansas City’s CCED sales tax district heads toward a quiet…
Kiva KC brings zero-interest microloans to founders shut out of traditional capital
Editor’s note: The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) and KC BizCare are partners of Startland News. Kansas City is betting that a global microlending model — one built on $25 contributions and community belief in everyday entrepreneurs — can help close one of the city’s most stubborn gaps: early-stage capital for founders who…
KC preps for World Cup all-nighter, taste testing 23-hour drinking window for summer games
Entrepreneurs want to tap into all the potential business they can when an estimated 650,000 visitors descend on Kansas City for the World Cup, said Jim Ready, detailing plans for a temporary expansion of alcohol sales in KCMO to accommodate a global audience in June and July 2026. The move is more of a stress…
‘The American dream is the Midwest’: LaunchKC powers next generation of startup job creators
Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Relocating to Kansas City after winning a LaunchKC grant — and the community and infrastructure support that comes with it — gives Russel Karim’s startup a centralized…
SNAP cuts are ‘worse than they look on paper’: Food access advocates warn shelves could go bare overnight
Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant doesn’t mince words about perceptions of the hungry Kansas Citians she serves daily through her award-winning culinary social venture. “These are the people who — if you listen to the rhetoric — are deemed ‘lazy,’” the founder of The Prospect KC’s NourishKC Community Kitchen told Startland News. “We know the narratives being…
Gatekeepers hate to see them coming: Why Back2KC leaders think these outsiders could be the next best Kansas Citians
A Kansas City homecoming movement with a track record of sparking real relocations and startup investment is gearing up for its annual gathering — welcoming expatriates and newcomers alike as it seeks to deepen ties between the city and its far-flung alumni. But the program’s high-octane leader insists the work of Back2KC isn’t just about…
Amazon’s drones won’t be alone over KC: Federal rule change opens skies to greater tech buzz
As the nation prepares for large-scale commercial drone deployments — thanks in part to newly rolled-back federal regulations — pilots, businesses, and agencies using the tech must skillfully balance opportunity with public trust and privacy concerns, industry experts said. “I’ve had people say to me, it kind of creeps me out … but in 30…
High-profile digital innovators, investors bringing blockchain finance leaders to Kansas City
As Kansas City’s rise as a Midwest blockchain hub continues, a new investor-focused summit is set to bring global blockchain and digital finance leaders to the region next month. The aim: Connect major players in the rapidly maturing sector with Heartland-based investors. The inaugural Heartland Digital Asset Exchange, or HDAX, is planned for Sept. 9…