Austin Next Newsletter #27

In this live episode from the Texas Venture Fest: 10/2/25 (Save the date!) , I'm joined by Kaitlyn DeBernardo of Next Coast Ventures and Aaron Perman of S3 Ventures to delve into Austin's entrepreneurial landscape.

We unpack the shifts in venture capital operating models, the essential role of community in innovation, as well as the forces that both fuel and challenge Austin's ongoing growth.

??Episode Highlights??

??Next Coast Ventures is an early-stage generalist venture firm in Austin with $500 million under management focused mainly on Series A, but will invest in Seed and Series B.?

??S3 Ventures is an Austin-based venture capital firm with $900 million under management, investing in B2B software, consumer digital experiences, and healthcare tech at Seed, Series A, and Series B.

??The ubiquity of AI tools like Co-Pilots and ChatGPT allow companies to build faster than before making true technical innovation and product moats even more vital.

??The VC platform role has grown to provide hands-on support to portfolio companies beyond just capital, especially for early-stage firms. Support spans talent, marketing, operations, and expertise like finance.

??Venture capitalists are catalyzing long-term ecosystem growth by offering mentorship, making key introductions, and providing strategic advice to startups and founders, irrespective of their investment relationship. This broader engagement enriches the ecosystem creating a pipeline of future opportunities.

What’s next Austin?

• Aaron - “I think growth and scale…we're one of the few markets that hasn't seen a drop off. I really do feel like the gains Austin has made have been pretty well cemented, and it's almost given us a whole other foundation to go build on for the next decade.
• Kaitlyn - “I'm super excited about all things digital health right now—the addition of Dell Medical School, recent edition of new labs in town…the backdrop, the talent. I think there's going to be a real kind of step change in some digital health companies coming out of Austin.”

You can find the episode on?Spotify,?Apple, our?website,?or any of your other favorite podcast platforms!

??Help Pick A New Austin Next Logo ??

Now that I have access to DALL-E 3 with ChatGPT, I have starting playing with it to update the visual language for the podcast.

Which do you like best as the new foundation for Austin Next brand?

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.

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