Austin Next Newsletter #25
?? Come join Kaitlyn DeBernardo of Next Coast Ventures, Aaron Perman of S3 Ventures, & myself for a live Austin Next on “Catalyzing Innovation in Austin” 1pm tomorrow during the Texas Venture Fest . ??
Find the full details & the full day's schedule here.
What makes a city truly great? In this episode, we dive into the tapestry of cities that have shaped human history with Chelsea Olivia Follett , author of 'Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World.'
From the invention of writing to the digital revolutions in modern metropolises, we explore the key factors that have allowed cities to become centers of progress, innovation, and enduring impact.
??Episode Highlights??
??The book looks at 40 cities throughout history that made major contributions to human progress, starting with ancient cities like Jericho that developed agriculture to modern cities like San Francisco that drove the digital revolution.
??Many of the featured centers of progress reached their peak during periods of peace and stability, often characterized by open trade, effective governance, and intellectual freedom.
??Paris' intellectual vibrancy in the Enlightenment and the 1920s and Cambridge's enduring scientific contributions highlight that being a center of progress can be a lasting trait for cities.
??The extraordinary concentration of genius in Athens and Florence led to a cross-pollination of ideas that still resonates today.
??Despite its smaller size, Edinburgh has made outsized contributions to various fields, thanks to its robust educational system and culture of intellectual curiosity.
What’s next?
??In March 2024, the Cato Institute plans to release a companion volume titled "Heroes of Progress" about individuals who made significant contributions to progress and changed the world.
Check out Chelsea's new book here: Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World
You can find the episode on?Spotify,?Apple, our?website,?or any of your other favorite podcast platforms!
??Additional Thoughts
Recently, Austin's own have raised 3 critiques: the region is growing complacent, there's a divide between “old Austin” & the Silicon Valley newcomers, and community spaces are lacking. I challenge this!
I present to you Elle Beecher and Tal Shmueli, who are building vibrant communities in Austin. Although both these communities are only about a year old, they already serve as dynamic engines of potential.
When Elle, founder of The Board Walks, appeared on Austin Next, she filled a gap in my mental model of our innovation ecosystem—a gap I hadn't even known existed. She introduced the idea of channeling the intellectual atmosphere of 1920s Paris into Austin, turning her walks into hotbeds of innovation.
Elle:
“I'm most excited about the second and third-order effects. Where you have people who would probably never have met anywhere else, across all these different backgrounds and specialties and industries in the same place, knowledge-sharing and chatting, and creating.
When Tal invited me to the TLV - ATX Founders Club, I was struck by the caliber of builders and innovators present—individuals who are making dramatic changes in the world right now. Tal, Micha Y. Breakstone ????, and Lorne Abony have defied the notion that Austin is growing complacent by creating a melting pot that welcomes both old Austin and the newcomer alike.
It's worth considering additional insights from Chelsea during the podcast as she highlights the “openness that contributed to some of the great innovations that Amsterdam saw.”
The openness I've experienced in spaces like TLV-ATX Founders Club and The Board Walks prove that Austin's innovative spirit isn't a relic of the past or exclusive to historical centers of progress. These groups are actively dispelling any notions of complacency, a cultural divide, or a lack of communal spaces.
We're in a transformative phase, evolving from a thriving ecosystem to a superstar innovation hub. There isn't a single monolith, but a "Cambrian explosion" of intersecting niches.
So, to answer Peter Walker's question—does Austin have “the density of interesting people who are excited about hard problems that want to get together?”
My answer is an unequivocal: “Oh Hell Yeah!”
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.