Austin Next Newsletter #23
Fostering connectivity within an innovation ecosystem is crucial for its ongoing vitality and growth. Often revolutionary concepts emerge from the most unforeseen origins.
My guest, Elle Beecher , founded The Board Walks , where community and innovation unite through a simple yet powerful concept—a five-mile walk. In this episode, we explore this social experiment, examine how these walks serve as catalysts for creative collisions, and bring back the intellectual dynamism of Paris in the ‘20s.
????Episode Highlights??
??♀?Drawing inspiration from the 1920s Parisian cafe culture, Elle crafted The Board Walks to ignite creative collisions in Austin, offering a fresh, organic approach to networking.
??♀?Curiosity stands at the heart of Elle's vision; she champions the idea that bringing together inquisitive minds sparks deeper, more meaningful dialogues.
??♀?Though spontaneous in nature, The Board Walks are intentionally designed with playbooks and guidelines to foster genuine connections and fruitful discussions.
??♀?Overheard dialogues during the walks resonate with Austin's innovative aura, reminiscent of Paul Graham's "eavesdropping quality" notion from his 2008 Cities essay.
??♀?The walks serve as a platform for attendees to not only build professional relationships but also to delve into personal narratives and aspirations.
??♀?Given its success in Austin, Elle envisions taking The Board Walks to other cities, like San Francisco, while ensuring the preservation of its foundational values and communal essence.
What’s next Austin?
“More creative collisions that will bring about Paris in the 20s energy.”
You can find the episode on?Spotify,?Apple, our?website,?or any of your other favorite podcast platforms!
??Additional Thoughts
One of the things I love most about doing the podcast is the serendipity embedded in each conversation. My chat with Elle was primed to revolve around the nature of her walks & community, her product manager-esque approach to designing them, and the changing nature of networking.
And while we did delve into those topics, Elle surprised me with a revelation that wasn't on our agenda:
"That is the magic of it. And that's where you start to get those really creative, innovative conversations where you have two unlikely conversational partners joining forces to spitball...where I really want the walks to help Austin grow into, which is like Paris in the 20s"
The sentiment resonated deeply, much like Inception she had implanted an idea in my mind that has been growing into a foundational tenet.
I know I am a broken record when it comes to my opposition to any and all "Silicon XYZ" monikers, but it does then begs the question: If not Silicon Hills, then what defines Austin?
The podcast's progression mirrors the evolution of my thoughts on the subject.
Our initial mantra of, "We're not the next Silicon Valley, but the first Austin." is catchy, but what does that actually mean. I've been in pursuit of the depth behind those words.
Countless conversations and in-depth observations of the region's nuances led me to the 'Austin Superpowers:
Blending these foundational principles with observations of the who and what of local innovation, I began to envision Austin's rise as a convergence of modern Silicon Valley and Detroit of the 50s.
Enter my chat with Elle, and she dropped a concept that felt like the missing piece: 1920s Paris. This layer seemed to provide the answers to my persistent questions about Austin's creator community: Why here? What's behind the magnetic attraction to such profound, deep topics? The blend of this community with the music, arts, gaming, and media scenes made me see Austin as an evolution of the café culture of 1920s Paris. It all just clicked.
I'm still piecing this together but it's revealing a novel blueprint to understand both the present and the future trajectory of Austin's ecosystem.
Introducing the Austin 3 City Model - Modern Silicon Valley x 50's Detroit x 20's Paris.
What's Next?
Austin's transformation into a global innovation powerhouse is at the heart of Austin Next. We explore insights into the region's evolution and the building of robust ecosystems. Additionally, we delve into the potential impact of emerging trends, technologies, and their convergence. Austin, as our real-world case study, helps us aspire to better comprehend the true nature of innovation.