Austinpreneur

AI conversations often center on engineers and developers but Seth Halpern, Co-founder of Embrace AI, believes the real early wins are happening on the revenue side of the business. In this episode, Seth and Nick explore how AI is transforming marketing, sales, enablement, and customer success. Seth breaks down practical applications: using AI to generate content at scale, personalize outbound mes...

When asked how startups should think about metrics, Co-Founder and CEO of 512 Financial, Bart Davis, has a refreshingly simple answer: pick the handful that keep you up at night and build systems around those first. In this episode, recorded live at Austin Tech Week 2025, Bart explains the dangers of “metric bloat,” where companies track everything and understand nothing. He outlines how founders...

If you’ve ever wondered what makes one tequila “cleaner” than another, this episode, recorded live at Austin Tech Week 2025, answers it. Luis Abundis breaks down Humano’s obsessive approach to purity beginning with high-sugar agave (typically 24–30 brix, far above industry average) grown from consistent DNA stock on family-run lands. Nick and Luis dive deep into the science: why open fermentation...

In this episode of Austinpreneur, recorded live at Austin Tech Week 2025, Nick Spiller sits down with Jesse Draper, founding partner of Halogen Ventures, who is fresh off closing a new $30M fund focused on what she calls the “Future of Family.” Draper, a fourth-generation VC, Emmy-nominated tech media pioneer, and unapologetic champion for women founders, breaks down the massive opportunity hiding...

In this episode, recorded live at Austin Tech Week 2025, Nick Spiller sits down with David Zakariaie, founder and CEO of Senseye, the Austin-based deep-tech company turning eye-tracking and computer vision into the world’s first objective diagnostic for mental health. Zakariaie explains how Senseye’s 10-minute smartphone-based test measures ocular micro-movements to detect PTSD, anxiety, and depre...

Mike Maples Jr. didn’t make his mark by playing it safe—he built it by betting early on ideas that looked crazy… until they changed the world. In this new episode, Mike shares why conviction-based investing matters more than ever in an era defined by AI, defense tech, and dual-use innovation. Recorded live at Austin Tech Week 2025, Mike joins Joshua Baer to unpack how the post-ChatGPT economy is r...

While most banks steer clear of early-stage defense contractors, Leonid Capital Partners runs toward them. Founding Partner James Parker explains how his team evaluates risk through contract data —not pitch decks. Leonid advances 50–75% of the remaining value on government contracts, prioritizes executed work over speculative awards, and rejects the “hyper-growth at all costs” mentality that defin...

Startups often struggle to navigate the labyrinth of defense procurement. Mica Dolan, President & COO at ATI, offers a guide to cutting through it. She explains how Other Transaction Agreements empower the DOW to fund research, prototypes, and production without traditional red tape, accelerating innovation from months to weeks. Mica describes best practices learned from decades of managing mu...

In this episode, Josh Baer sits down with Tim Kopra, a decorated astronaut and Voyager Technologies Chief Human Exploration Officer, to discuss the next chapter in human spaceflight: the transition from the government-run International Space Station to privately owned commercial stations. Kopra recounts his journey from Army aviator to NASA astronaut and how years in orbit shaped his approach to l...

In this Austinpreneur episode, recorded live at Fed Supernova 2025, host Nick Spiller sits down with Arthur Grijalva , Director of SpaceWERX , the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, to discuss how startups are reshaping national security in orbit. Grijalva explains how SPACEWERX connects entrepreneurs, private capital, and the military to accelerate technologies from concept to operations. Listene...

In this episode, recorded live at Fed Supernova 2025, we sit down with Jason Hundley, Marine veteran, NASA researcher, and founder of X-Bow Systems, to explore how his team is rethinking solid rocket motors for the 21st century. Jason explains how traditional manufacturing relies on billion-dollar factories, giant explosive-proof mixers, and inflexible processes dating back to the Korean War. X-Bo...

In this episode of Austinpreneur, recorded live at Fed Supernova 2025, Nick Spiller talks with Leonard Lublin, Deputy General Manager of BAE Systems’ FAST Labs, the company’s advanced R&D arm. Leonard explains how FAST Labs operates differently from traditional defense primes: instead of running a corporate venture arm, they build partnerships with startups, encourage them to own their IP, and...

In this episode, recorded live at Fed Supernova 2025, Nick Spiller sits down with Dr. Michael Webber, UT professor, GTI board member, and global energy thought leader, to explore the intersection of energy systems, policy, and innovation. Webber breaks down how massive federal bills, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the new “One Big Beautiful Bill,” are reshaping America’s energy mix. He explai...

Why do some businesses thrive through uncertainty while others crumble? According to serial entrepreneur, former Swiss Army officer and Capital Factory Mentor Sam Goodner, the difference comes down to discipline, systems, and culture—principles he’s captured in his upcoming book, Like Clockwork: Run Your Business with Swiss Army Precision . How does it work? By translating lessons from the Swiss A...

When most entrepreneurs think of federal funding, they picture grants or SBIR awards. But Eric Robinson, of Baker Botts, reveals how the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) is rewriting the playbook: a $200B program that provides direct loans and guarantees to companies critical to national security. In this conversation, recorded live at Fed Supernova 2025, Eric contrasts OSC with In-Q-Tel and othe...

In this episode of Austinpreneur, recorded live at Capital Factory, we sit down with Paradromics Founder and CEO, Matt Angle, to explore the cutting edge of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Paradromics recently became one of the first companies to successfully implant a high-bandwidth BCI in a human patient, a milestone in both neuroscience and technology entrepreneurship. Tune in as Matt explain...

When expanding into new markets, especially in the Middle East, success isn’t about closing the fastest deal; it’s about building the right relationship. In this live-recorded episode from Capital Factory, Rudy Mirran draws on his experience managing multi-country operations and joint ventures to share how startups can land meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships abroad. He unpacks sector pri...

Explore the future of space exploration with Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. In this episode, Jason discusses Firefly’s record-setting rocket launch, upcoming lunar missions, and the cutting-edge technologies driving space innovation. Recorded live before an audience at Capital Factory, this conversation delves into personal stories of aerospace inspiration and offers insights on creating a r...

What does it take to craft a pitch that truly captivates investors? In this episode, recorded live at Capital Factory House 2025, Allyson Eman, CEO of Venture Atlanta, breaks down the key elements of a winning pitch. Drawing from her experience connecting hundreds of startups with thousands of investors at one of the nation’s top VC conferences, she shares practical tips, common pitfalls, and what...

Dive into the up and coming Texas whiskey scene with Chris Seals, CEO & Founder of Still Austin. As the pioneering distillery within Austin’s city limits since the days of prohibition, Still Austin embodies the spirit of innovation and tradition. In this episode of Austinpreneur, recorded for a live audience at Capital Factory, Chris Seals unfolds his unconventional narrative — a transformatio...

On this episode, get an inside take on the race to establish sustainable life on the moon from the CTO and Co-Founder of Intuitive Machines, Dr, Tim Crain. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) is the most NASA-awarded commercial lunar program. The company has three missions that will deliver NASA and commercial payloads into orbit and on the surface of the Moon. We ho...

In this episode, we’re joined by Jeff Cardenas, CEO and Co-founder of Apptronik, a company on a mission to build the ultimate tool for humans: humanoid robots. Jeff shares his entrepreneurial journey, from early ventures in political tech to co-founding Apptronik, and how his path led to building Apollo, one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. We explore how robotics can help free h...

Recorded live at Health Supernova 2025, Nick Spiller and Susanna Harris discuss how hospitals are ripe for innovation yet riddled with bureaucratic “antibodies” that reject anything new. In this episode, Harris shares how deep-tech startups can navigate that resistance: by identifying decision-makers, uncovering the unspoken reasons behind a “no,” and proving not only clinical value but economic i...

AI can write emails, but can it make surgery safer? In this episode, recorded live at Health Supernova 2025, Orchestra Health's, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Stu Solomon, reveals how his company is using AI to tackle one of healthcare’s biggest pain points: surgical delays and errors. By transforming chaotic data sources like PDFs, faxes, and EMRs into clean, structured patient profiles...

In this episode, Jonathan Lacoste, founder and General Partner of Space VC, shares why raising $90M isn’t always the golden ticket and how retaining equity, focus, and vision can outperform flashier headlines. Recorded live at TechConnect 2025, Jonathan dives into how founders should think long-term, the pitfalls of venture capital hype, and the smart ways to scale companies in frontier tech. From...