Austin Next

Austin is the convergence of atoms, bits, & intelligence. Amir Husain's Forbes' piece is a great exploration of Austin's future at the dawning of a new age. He quotes the line that has now become standard for any Austin Next discussion on innovation ecosystem: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” - Oscar Wilde It was during our episode with Amir that we learned the second half of this famous quote "...that mediocrity can pay to greatness" completely changing its entire meaning!

If X's $1B raise is included in the data, Austin's Q1 is at ~$3.1B in funding, easily breaking all previous quarterly records ($2.8B in Q1 2022 was the previous high) My guess is we will be 4th in the country when all the numbers come out. 3 months in & 2025 is already Austin's 3rd highest year ever! What's Next?! ?? ?? ??

Austin had the largest population growth (~11%) across the top 50 metros from '20 to '24. In the most recent year, we still came in 4th. Don't believe headlines claiming Austin or Texas is "over", follow the data (Houston & DFW were also top 5)! The boom continues. ?? ?? ??

$42 BILLION AND GROWING Sure it's not Boston or San Diego Lifesciences, Bio-Tech and Bio-Health money BUT AUSTIN is in the conversation. A report, co-authored by Jason Scharf and healthcare founder Jani Tuomi, underscores Austin's unique approach, focusing on the "bio innovation tech stack" and the "business of health." TECH THIS OUT.... Capital Factory Plug and Play Tech Center Ehab Gabr, MBA Dean Koelbel Claudia Lucchinetti Gus Cardenas

2nd recording today. Samantha Lewis of Mercury joined discussing her Austin move expanding Mercury’s presence, & an exciting Texas Triangle from the new TXSE, to high-speed rail, & a booming space sector. Episode coming in a few weeks.

It's podcast recording day. 1st up, a great chat with Tyson Tuttle on Austin's history in semiconductors, the future of chips, his new startup Circuit, & where AI productivity will take us. Episode drops in a few weeks.

"What does Austin need to do as a life science and biotech hub to compete with the likes of Boston & Silicon Valley?" This was a question that Jim Breyer sprinkled throughout the past 2 days at the excellent 3rd Annual Breyer Capital and UT Austin Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit. I was lucky enough to attend for the second year in a row. We heard from executives from IBM, Eli Lilly, Tesla, AMD, learned the visionary future for the Dell Medical School, and straight from Austin innovators like Michael Dell. Here's my answer to the question: Something I learned from Amir Husain when he came on Austin Next is that we have to pay close attention to the second half of this famous Oscar Wilde's quote: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness" Late last year, Jani Tuomi and I authored the Austin Bio & Health 2024 Report. I'm sharing an amended version of that report. -Ecosystem value has grown 10x to $42B in under 10 years -$3.5B+ in startup funding raised in the last 5 years -Ranked in the Top 10 in the US, up from 24th in 2017 -30+ Austin-based venture firms deploying capital in the space -Engineers & Commercial talent rapidly entering the sector Our region is trailblazing its own path at the intersection of Atoms, Bits & Intelligence and becoming a leader at the convergence of bio, health & tech. We shouldn't try to be the next Silicon Valley, Boston, or New York, but rather the First Austin!

Austin is a convergence of modern Silicon Valley, 1950s Detroit, & 1920s Paris. Our host Jason Scharf travels back to The City of Light's Jazz Age & follows its echoes to Austin.

"There's eight new town projects happening outside of Austin, each with their own theme" - Janine Leger

Tech's evolution is outpacing our institutions, social systems, & communities ability to innovate. On tomorrow's Austin Next, Janine Leger & I discuss Edge City's creation as a society incubator, invisible protocols, community dynamism, Austin experimentation, & more.