Austin Next

Today we’re going to expand our focus a bit, and look at the entire state of Texas, not just Austin. We want to dig into what has brought so much attention, and new people to the Lone Star State, how it’s impacting business, culture, and innovation. The concept of a super-region isn’t new. But the idea of a Texas Triangle is something new and unique. And that’s what we explored with Ed Curtis, Fou...

We have gone deep and we have gone wide in looking at the sectors and factors that drive the growth of the Austin region. Today we are going to take a holistic look at the entire metro from San Macros to Taylor and Bastrop to Dripping Springs. This super-region is powering forward into the next great innovation epicenter. To understand what is at the heart of this region, what is bringing new peop...

A common plank in ecosystem development is having a strong research-focused university churning out discoveries and intellectual property that can then be spinout our licensed into the private sector. In Austin, we have one such university with UT, but that movement of technology from academia to industry is not magic. Tech transfer organizations sit at the crux of this bridge trying to balance th...

Work is changing, whether that is how we work (remote, hybrid, in-person), the tools we use, or how we govern these organizations. One of the superpowers of Austin is that "We are living in the future" and in this case, it means the future of work is being developed, tested, and deployed here first. To understand how Austin is the source of these trends and tools, we interview Razat Gaurav, CEO of...

We are changing up the format this week as we are flying without a net and without a guest. This time is just a conversation between our hosts. Jason had the opportunity to attend SXSW. Hear one point of view on how Austin was represented at the festival. What we learned, what caught our eye, and how we are already thinking about SXSW 2023.   Here’s how SXSW influenced...What's Next Austin?  -----...

We are hitting the road again and learning about all the other "emerging" ecosystems. This time we are heading to the Southeast and making pitstops in Atlanta and Nashville. We are joined by Blake Patton, Managing Partner Tech Square Ventures, and Brian Moyer, President and CEO at the Greater Nashville Technology Council to discuss their regions. We discuss their history, what's the secret sauce t...

This is another in our Unique to Austin series where we look at what gives Austin its special sauce. There is nothing more unique about Austin than SXSW. Over the past 30 years, Austin has grown, matured, and adapted to everything new, and SXSW has as well. Today, after two years of dealing with the pandemic, SXSW is back and it’s live. From March 11 through the 20th, there will be hundreds of pre...

A key enabler of Austin’s growth are the unique institutions, events, and infrastructure that only exists in our region. In 2018, Army Futures Command chose our city as its base of operations. We wanted to learn why, how it connects with our broader innovation ecosystem, and what role it plays in empowering our future growth. We spoke with Brance Hudzietz, Corporate Ventures lead and Entrepreneur...

Over the course of the pandemic, migration trends already taking place were accelerated. It’s an open secret that the middle of the US is now a key engine of our nation’s growth. We’ve seen the ups and downs economically, mostly tied to manufacturing. But today, places like Austin, Denver, Chicago, and Nashville are tech and innovation hubs as well. We wanted to explore the growth and changes in t...

Austin is not the only ecosystem in the news as the next big thing. The past few years have seen massive disruption, geographic migration, and increased capital flows outside of the traditional big innovation centers of Silicon Valley, New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. We want to see what these other growing regions are up to, what's accelerating their next phase, and what can we learn from each...

For Austin to solidify its role as the next great innovation powerhouse, we must research what has come before and what are the trends pushing us forward. One area of study that greatly affects our future is the exploration of the very nature of progress itself…what is it, what drives it, and how does it affect our region’s future? Today we are talking with Jason Crawford, Founder and CEO of the R...

We continue our conversations about talent, who companies need and how to get them. Are we positioned for the future needs of our region and its sectors? We’ve talked about the pipeline, we’ve discussed middle management, it’s time to turn to executive talent. More than any time in the past, it is the decision-making prowess of a senior team that drives its success, or its failure. Top tier talent...

Talent remains a hot topic in everyone of our discussions. Do we have enough workers, do we have the right skill sets, how are we positioned for the future needs of the region and sectors? We have demand for high end manufacturing workers, more frontline healthcare staff, and other more stereotypical blue collars. Migration is one method to grow our talent base, but the other and likely more susta...

Everyone we have interviewed on the podcast has mentioned talent as a key issue facing Austin as it quickly ramps up its innovation ecosystem. And a big part of that is developing mid-level managers that can make decisions and propel businesses forward. Joining us is Bjorn Billhardt, CEO of Abilitie to discuss how we are training these managers and the talent battle the region faces.  The next gen...

Over the course of this podcast, we have explored the Austin ecosystem from a variety of different angles. The sectors here, the major trends, and the entrepreneurial support system. One question that has percolated through has been why has Austin continued to punch above its weight when it comes to funding, startups, growth, etc. What is it about Austin that is resonating beyond our borders? Toda...

The innovation space is wider and more expansive than the traditional tech verticals. It extends to the food we eat, the health/beauty solutions we use, the products we utilize to clean our home, and many more. Joining us is Kirstin Ross, Managing Director of SKU a CPG focused accelerator here in Austin Austin's reach expands beyond the city into every store and for every consumer...What's next Au...

The space race runs through Texas now. All types of rockets, satellites, control software, and the underlying infrastructure of the industry are being created and grown here in Austin. Our Austin Sector Deep Dive Series continues with Melanie Stricklan, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace & Michael Ciannilli NASA's Director of the Apollo, Challenger, Columbia Lessons Learned Program.  Is the final fron...

Austin is more than the live music capital of the world or the latest tech-wonderland. Central Texas has a notable and growing manufacturing base as well. Today, we’re going to go deeper into this part of our home and try to better understand where our manufacturing industry comes from and where it’s going. Joining us is Ed Latson, Executive Director of the Austin Regional Manufacturing Associatio...

Venture capital is just one source of funding available to early-stage companies. These sources both compete with and complement VC money. They range from existing methods such as angels and debt vehicles to new sources like crowdfunding. Austin is home to a growing variety of options for this alternative capital and so we are going to try something new with this episode.  In this episode, we have...

As we continue our look at the Austin capital environment, we turn to the newcomers to the region. Over the past 18 months, we have had numerous VC firms either opening up offices here or an outright move. This influx of capital is one of the many drivers for why 2021 has been a historic year in Austin startup fundraising.    In this episode, we talk with Garheng Kong, Founder and Managing Partner...

The fuel that makes startups grow has always been capital. This is produced from revenue, debt, angels, crowdfunding, and venture capital. Austin has seen a record year in both funds being raised and companies raising rounds. Not only have the funds been flying, but new investors have decided to make the region their home. In this episode, we are starting our series on the Austin capital environme...

We interview Amos Schwartzfarb, Managing Director of TechStars Austin about how private incubators support the innovation ecosystem here in Central TX.  ------------------- Austin Next Links: Website , X/Twitter , YouTube , LinkedIn Ecosystem Metacognition Substack

History has shown that a strong university is a key element for an innovation ecosystem to thrive. The good news is that Austin is the home of the University of Texas, one of the largest and strongest universities in the US, and I’m not just talking about football.  ------------------- Austin Next Links: Website , X/Twitter , YouTube , LinkedIn Ecosystem Metacognition Substack

The pandemic opened a lot of people's eyes to the importance of the life sciences industry. The 21st century is being called the bio century and Austin has the opportunity to be right in the middle of that next wave.  We continue our Austin Sector Deep Dive Series with Scott Collins, President BioAustinCTX The next generation of innovation in health will drive forward...What's next Austin?  ------...

The Live Music Capital of the world is one of many slogans for our fine city. Music is just one of many forms of media that have been taking hold in the region. This includes film, gaming, and yes podcasting too. One fascinating collision between our growing media footprint and our technology hub is mediatech. We continue our Austin Sector Deep Dive Series with Paul O'Brien, CEO of MediaTech Ventu...