Uncovering Austin FinTech as an Ecosystem
Thursday, 13 April 2023
I have a confession to get off my chest. In my work through Austin, I’ve long celebrated and promoted the maturing of Austin’s startup ecosystem by illuminating that we’re starting to specialize and move beyond downtown; that, as the most effective startup ecosystems do, the city of Austin isn’t generically “tech” and shouldn’t be considered
- Published in FinTech, Industry, Texas Startups
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The Art Making Manchester Startups
Thursday, 30 March 2023
Have this unusual thesis about innovation and entrepreneurship: Cities and countries throughout the world associate themselves with “tech” or appeal to venture capital, they strive to be known as startup cities or the next Silicon Something; at the end of the day, most fail to achieve the circumstances of such an economy. Startups fail. It’s rather the
- Published in Regional Development
Developing Austin’s Startup Ecosystem
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Regional culture, history, and infrastructure are the qualities of a region of the world that drives innovation, jobs, and economic development because technology is ultimately about people and their potential. A really a wonderful article about Austin in The New Yorker sparked a series of wonderful discussions of the past and present of the Austin
- Published in Industry, Startup Ecosystems, Startups, Texas Startups
The Epicenter of Texas Technology
Monday, 12 September 2022
Regional culture, history, and infrastructure are the qualities of a region of the world that drives innovation, jobs, and economic development because technology is ultimately about people and their potential. Our work in MediaTech Ventures has touched upon that fact a few times, whether in John Zozzaro’s look at Culture and Buildings or our exploration
- Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Regional Development
Asked: What Stops VCs from Investing in Foreign Companies?
Monday, 25 January 2021
Nothing, it happens all the time. Yet, the question is common, frequently asked; begging a question its own – what are startups struggling with that they think that foreign investors won’t invest? Start with this appreciation: investing in startups is the riskiest use of capital, in the world. Gambling at a casino is more likely
- Published in Insights / Research, Raising Capital, Regional Development, Startups
Does a University like Stanford Produce more Successful Startups? This Might be Why
Friday, 05 April 2019
Culture. It all, always, comes down to the culture of community. Why does Silicon Valley produce startups differently than elsewhere? Why does Hollywood have a style and way about their films that really isn’t replicated elsewhere? Why is Arizona State University a “party school” that produces highly social people? As entrepreneurs, we like to THINK
- Published in Insights / Research, Regional Development, Startups
How the “Bootstrap Culture” of a Place like Austin Changes Entrepreneurship From an “Equity Culture” of a Place Like Silicon Valley
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Bootstrap or VC? It’s a question on so many minds as entrepreneurship flourishes beyond Silicon Valley, in cities where venture capital seems inaccessible. It’s a question that not a day goes by in which it doesn’t come up for me, based in Austin, TX, having professional roots along Sand Hill Road. What strikes me as
- Published in Insights / Research, Regional Development, Startups