Austin Barnes
Recent Articles by Austin Barnes
Social entrepreneur cuts into kids’ shaken self-esteem: I can’t save them all, but I can put smiles on a few faces
When Megan Williams’ daughter was diagnosed with hearing loss, the challenge put her confidence to the test. “Sometimes kids are cruel,” Williams, a local hair stylist and salon owner, said of concerns her family faced as they sent the 5-year-old to school with hearing aids neatly tucked around her ears. Knowing full well the taunting…
KC’s long-running online indie music magazine just debuted in print; why its founder saved advertising for the black-and-white page
Flashy digital ads and gimmicky marketing schemes aren’t telling the stories (or singing the praises) of artists who run counter to Kansas City’s mainstream, said Aaron Rhodes, founder of a niche music magazine newly hitting the streets this spring. Readers shouldn’t be fooled, Rhodes said. His underground approach to ad sales for Shuttlecock Music Magazine…
Leah Hermida brought coffee home to KCK; her Windmill KC cafe already needs more space
In the shadow of the Kansas City skyline, new entrepreneurial energy is brewing in Wyandotte County, the childhood home of Leah Hermida. “I knew the community really well,” Hermida said from her pandemic-opened, Turner-based coffee shop, The Windmill KC, noting she grew up in the city before eventually relocating to Overland Park. “I worked locally…
$1.7M+ crowdfunding haul puts ChessUp in attack position for production, hiring top talent
The makers of ChessUp are at a million-dollar advantage after the close of their first crowdfunding campaign. “It’s what we dreamed about and hoped for,” Jeff Wigh, CEO and one of three co-founders behind Bryght Labs, maker of ChessUp, said of the company’s first Kickstarter campaign and its $1.703 million close late last month. Becoming…
Overwhelmed, but not alone: How a KC serial entrepreneur helps Black founders move beyond side hustles and daydreaming
As Kira Cheree drove down I-70, headed west from Kansas City to Manhattan, Kansas, she recalled the years of work that put her in the driver’s seat and behind the wheel at that particular moment. “I started to notice this trend,” said Cheree, a serial entrepreneur, looking back on consulting work she’d done with Black…
Splitsy takes top prize in Regnier challenge, adding to emerging fintech startup’s spring bump
The Regnier Venture Creation Challenge doled out more than $65,000 in cash prizes to emerging startups this spring, culminating in Friday’s big win for an up-and-coming fintech app. “We had a great competition,” Bryan Boots, managing director of venture creation and assistant teaching professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, told Startland News. The annual…
Spot of tee: How a KC teacher scored big when Ted Lasso sported a ‘Joearthur Gatestack’ shirt
The story behind a Kansas City-designed T-shirt celebrating local barbecue culture has more meat to it than any given ’que joint’s combo platter, Brendan Curran said. “We met playing basketball in the eighth grade,” Curran, founder of local apparel company, Three KC, said of his childhood friend, Jason Sudeikis, Overland Park-native, actor, comedian, and current…
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…