The Future of Energy Is Austin: Sean Voigt’s Bold Vision

In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer sits down with Sean Voigt, the founder and CEO of Energy Innovation Hub Texas, for a deep and energizing conversation about the future of clean energy and why Austin is uniquely positioned to lead it.

Sean shares his personal journey... from growing up in South Africa and attending Stanford, Columbia, and Harvard, to building and scaling energy startups, working in global sustainability, and ultimately returning to Austin to spark something bigger. He explains how his background in engineering, policy, venture capital, and entrepreneurship led him to a bold mission: to establish Austin as the global capital of the energy transition.

Sean breaks down what the “energy transition” really means; decarbonization, decentralization, and digitization... and why it's a bigger economic and societal opportunity than AI or the internet boom of the '90s. He gives a powerful argument for why Texas, and especially Austin, has all the ingredients to become the epicenter of this shift: market size, infrastructure, tech talent, and a growing ecosystem of innovators.

The conversation also dives into why early-stage climate tech founders struggle to raise capital and connect with strategic industry players and how Sean’s Energy Innovation Hub is solving that through a hands-on, investor-operator model that bridges startups, corporate partners, investors, and policy leaders.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone who cares about Austin's future, climate innovation, or building ecosystems that matter. Sean Voigt’s vision is big, bold, and exactly what Austin needs right now.