Texas Drops a Bigger, Better Blueprint: Why the World Should Take Notes (and Copy It)
Friday, 07 March 2025
What if a state decided to flex its economic muscle so hard that it made entire countries blush? Welcome to Texas in 2025, where Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office (EDT) just dropped a 150+ page love letter to ambition titled Bigger. Better. Texas. — a five-year strategic Texas economic
- Published in Economic Development, Regional Development
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Portugal’s Entrepreneurial Revolution: Why Startups and Innovation Thrive (And What Needs to Change)
Monday, 03 March 2025
A Country Built on Bold Exploration and Innovation Portugal’s legacy as a global pioneer began long before the word “startup” existed. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Lisbon was the Silicon Valley of its time, launching a wave of global exploration that transformed commerce, navigation, and trade. With figures like Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand
- Published in Regional Development
Your Conference Event is Boring. Here’s How to Fix It in Austin (Especially for SXSW)
Monday, 24 February 2025
So, you’re hosting an event during a conference or trade show, perhaps a meetup, a happy hour, or maybe even some speakers with engaging content hosted by a dynamic moderator (you are at least getting dynamic speakers, yes? God forbid you’re putting people on stage because they’re the VP or some such); I’m excited, send
- Published in Austin, Conferences / Events, Economic Development
Quantum or Bust: The Playbook for Post-Silicon Economic Dominance
Friday, 21 February 2025
Earlier this week, Philip Farah, VP of sales, industries and strategic relationships for IonQ and William Hurley (aka whurley), CEO and founder of Strangeworks, joined The Texas Tribune‘s Matthew Watkins in their new series, “Tech and the Texas Lege,” examining how Texas can leverage emerging technologies — like artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and quantum computing —
- Published in Economic Development, Quantum
The Bell Mason Diagnostic and First Principles Thinking in Venture Capital
Thursday, 20 February 2025
Why Venture Capital Needs a First Principles Overhaul Venture capital is broken. Not in the “bubble’s about to pop” and certainly not in the sense that so many are pissed off because they aren’t getting funded, but in the “founders keep getting bad funding advice from firms still operating on outdated, ineffective methodologies” sense. In the
- Published in Raising Capital, Startup Ecosystems
The End of Illusions: Why the Future of Freedom Lies in Innovation, Not Government Control
Saturday, 15 February 2025
U.S. Vice President Vance Signals that Politicians are Finally Understanding the Internet In an era where governments are increasingly positioning themselves as the guardians of truth, security, and economic stability, a stark reality is becoming impossible to ignore: they can’t actually do any of it. The illusion that central authorities can safeguard speech, protect intellectual
- Published in Economic Development, Startups
Why Doesn’t Europe Have a Silicon Valley
Friday, 07 February 2025
Europe is home to some of the world’s most brilliant minds, world-class universities, and a rich history of scientific and technological breakthroughs. The birthplace of modern banking in Italy, the World Wide Web at CERN, and some of the most advanced engineering institutions globally, Europe should—by all logical measures—be a dominant force in the startup
- Published in Regional Development






