texas Archives - Startup Economist

Abilene Grit, Grid, and Genesis

Tuesday, 10 June 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Abilene, Texas, on the surface, might seem like the set of Fallout where a now-restored Texas Film Industry needs a set for a post-apocalyptic Western — a flat, dusty military town with a church on every corner and a Dairy Queen next to it. Scratch that desert veneer (and lack of nuclear fallout) and you’ll

Published in AI, Data, Regional Development

20 Comments

From Texas to Tulsa: How Innovation Shifts to Opportunity

Wednesday, 04 June 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Differentiation If someone told you Tulsa was the next hub for startups, your first reaction might be to squint and wonder if they meant it ironically. Tulsa? Really? Isn’t that where Route 66 nostalgia and oil wealth go to retire? Here’s the thing: the people still asking that question are the same ones who laughed

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Published in Regional Development

10 Comments

How Media Distorts the Truth About Regional Ecosystems – Apparently Austin is on Life Support

Tuesday, 27 May 2025 by Paul O'Brien

There’s a reason the phrase “don’t believe everything you read” never dies. Because even when it’s printed in The Wall Street Journal, a brand so synonymous with business credibility that your uncle still calls it “The Paper,” the story can be skewed, shallow, and — let’s not mince words — wrong. In this case, we’re

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Published in Startup Ecosystems, Texas Startups

21 Comments

Belgian Startups, Immigration, and Why your Definition of Innovation is Wrong

Tuesday, 01 April 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Let’s make something clear before we get into it, this is a discussion of beer from the perspective of an entrepreneur and economist, to explain to you something critical to your startup ecosystem: “tech” is not code. It’s not apps, websites, VC-backed SaaS tools, or whatever spitting image of Silicon Valley nonsense is being peddled

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Published in Startups

18 Comments

SX Sideways: More to Changing SXSW than Condensing the Weekends

Tuesday, 18 March 2025 by Paul O'Brien

For those unfamiliar, SXSW is rather unique in the world for being far more than a conference, trade show, or film or music festival — it’s an economic engine, a cultural touchstone, and, arguably, the defining force that made Austin a global hub for innovation and creativity. But in 2025, something felt… off. The conference,

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Published in Conferences / Events

36 Comments

Texas Drops a Bigger, Better Blueprint: Why the World Should Take Notes (and Copy It)

Friday, 07 March 2025 by Paul O'Brien

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

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Published in Economic Development, Regional Development

14 Comments

Your Conference Event is Boring. Here’s How to Fix It in Austin (Especially for SXSW)

Monday, 24 February 2025 by Paul O'Brien

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

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Published in Austin, Conferences / Events, Economic Development

19 Comments