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 Articles by Austin Barnes
Paws up! Scollar aims to fetch 200 jobs for KC, trades Silicon Valley for Animal Health Corridor
Building a business in Silicon Valley might seem sexy — but it isn’t always the right choice, Lisa Tamayo said. “I don’t know what you guys hear about the Coast, but hardware is quite challenging for any company in the Bay area because a lot of these Silicon Valley folks in San Francisco only like…
‘This is the end of The Sundry’ — Sustainable food problem remains after startup’s closing, founder says
The Sundry market-and-restaurant concept at Plexpod Westport Commons simply wasn’t solving the problems of scope and scale within sustainable and local agriculture as intended, said Ryan Wing. Ultimately, that meant the venture itself couldn’t continue as originally envisioned, added Wing, founder of the sustainable food startup, which abruptly closed to the public last week. “Expectations…
TEDxYouth@KC invites teens into pressing, real-world conversations, event emcee says
Including teens in conversations about real world issues is the key element that will set Kansas City’s TEDxYouth@KC apart from other TED-branded conferences, said Kyra Colbert. “We’re going to be the future and if we don’t get involved now and we don’t get informed about what’s going on, how are we going to know what…
New Black & Veatch accelerator bent on changing the world, powered by LaunchKC
A new accelerator powered by LaunchKC is Black & Veatch’s attempt to “create the world that we want,” said Hyleme George, director of the freshly announced IgniteX CleanTech program. “It’s a world that we want to invest in to accelerate the adoption of sustainable infrastructure,” George continued. “What that means is a world where there’s…
Butterflies and brain waves: KC-area’s Healium floating with WEBBY nomination
A year of traction continues for Columbia-inflated startup Healium by StoryUP. The virtual reality solution for situational stress and anxiety recently landed a WEBBY nomination for best use of augmented reality, revealed Sarah Hill, the company’s founder. “A WEBBY nomination for a small midwest company like ours is a big deal,” Hill said of the…
Doob 3D aims to capitalize on ‘mecca for foot traffic’ with Country Club Plaza pop-up shop
If you build it, they will come. More than a quote from the 1989 blockbuster, “Field of Dreams” — the seven word mantra is what’s pushing Doob 3D to embrace the curve balls of exposing Kansas City to new technology and pinch hit with a new pop-up location on the Country Club Plaza, said Nick Nikkhah….
KCultivator Q&A: Jonathan Bender boils down his talents to curate KC food scene
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. He’s mastered the art of pairing the perfect cookie with the crispest…
How ‘compassion fatigue’ led a TV journalist to bring Healium VR therapy to market
Distress calls poured over the newsroom scanner near Sarah Hill’s desk, day in and day out for 20 years. Each one seemingly growing darker than the last, she recalled. “I was a television journalist. … You have to cover a lot of trauma and a lot of really bad stuff,” said Hill, founder of Healium…
Butter to eSports: Sprint Accelerator draws new class of startups from coasts to Canada
Josh Green is used to navigating the streets of Brooklyn, hand delivering artisanal butters, chilled in the back of a pickup, he recalled. As founder of Brooklyn Buttery — which crafted a line of flavor-packed, sustainably sourced compound butters designed to bring a high end restaurant experience to home cooks — the entrepreneur’s growth has now…
Experts: Coastal VCs getting FOMO on Kansas City; PayIt’s $100M+ investment proves it
Landing more than $100 million in funding is no small feat for PayIt — or any startup, John Thomson said with a mix of humble confidence. “Wins beget wins, and it helps to build the ecosystem,” said Thomson, CEO and co-founder of PayIt. Click here to read more about PayIt’s investment from Insight Partners. For Thomson,…