Austin Next

The road to being an entrepreneur has many twists and turns.  Starting that journey from a nontraditional starting point, in this case the music world, can create even more unexpected challenges.  Today we are talking with Casey McPherson and hear about his journey from accomplished musician to genetic disease advocate and life science leader.  We learn about the role of creatives in an innovation ecosystem and how he sees the bio economy playing out here in Austin.    These unlikely journeys form...What's next Austin?Episode Links:Casey McPhersonTo Cure A Rose FoundationEverlum.Bio -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

What an amazing year it has been. This week it's just the two of us reflecting back on where the podcast has been, what we have seen in the ecosystem, the insights that our guests have shared, and what comes next for both the podcast and Austin.Austin Next Newsletter SurveyWhat's next Austin Next Podcast? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Cities are changing as rapidly as ever due increased migration patterns, new hubs of innovation, and an evolving way we work. What does the city of the future look like and is Austin the new leader of that trend? Today we bring in Cullum Clark the Director of the George W. Bush Institute & SMU Economic Growth Initiative and an Adjunct Professor of Economics at SMU. We talk about Austin’s transformation, what does a future city model look like, and how do we plan for the future.The city of the future is...What's next Austin? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

We see all of these best of city lists.  Best places to live, most affordable, growing tech employment, and so on. How does Austin stack up when looking at our overall startup environment?  Today we are bringing on Farshad Fahimi (Director of Data Strategy), who is going to walk us through Startup Genome’s annual ranking of the global ecosystem.  We discuss the big observations in this year's report, what does the data say about Austin, and how does our future look. Rankings influence narratives and narratives create...What's next AustinEpisode Links:Startup Genome's Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2022Austin Next Medium article with additional analysis  -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Infrastructure is one of the key issues impacting Austin’s rapid growth. Whether it’s water, roadways and transit, or power, we must ensure that we have the resources to handle our growth. Today, we focus on power… Joining us is Christy Cardenas Managing Partner Grit Ventures.  Grit Ventures focuses, in part, on new energy sources, distribution systems, and transportation.  We talk about the current energy situation, how we make a transition to new sources while working together with traditional producers, what does innovation look like with abundant energy, and finally where does Austin fit into all of this. We need the lights on to see...What's next Austin? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Austin has been growing at breakneck speed. Over the past year, we were #1 in percentage population growth and #3 in employment growth. This doesn't event tell the whole story. The entire metro from Bastrop to Dripping Springs and San Marcos to Temple is maturing and changing. We are establishing numerous innovation hubs that operate independently from each other and come together into mesh network that is our region. We talk today with John Garrett, Founder and CEO of Community Impact Newspaper about this hyper-local phenomena and what is means for media, innovation, and the future of Austin. You can also check out their wonderful podcast The Austin Breakdown to get unique insights into the region. Austin is more than just Austin and that is the foundation for What's Next Austin? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Our region not only builds futuristic technologies, but they are deployed and tested here as well. More and more when you hear autonomous vehicles, rockets, drones, and personal flying vehicles you think Austin. Today we are speaking with Brad Bentz, Co-Founder and Partner at ATX Partners a local venture firm that recently raised $150M for their 3rd fund, and now has over $300M under management. ATX’s tagline is “investing in people pioneering the future,” so we thought who better to talk about how this superpower drives What's Next Austin. The future is now and What's next Austin? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

With the changing nature of work, new regional ecosystems flourishing, and massive domestic migration the demands to our infrastructure are changing and evolving. One of the most fundamental parts of this equation is the question of how we move people and goods from point A to point B. We have seen a surge in new technologies such as mass electrification and driverless vehicles and new modalities like delivery drones and even tunnels. Austin is becoming an epicenter for transportation tech both in terms of innovation and deployment. Today we talk with Meg Merritt and Joseph Kopser about where this industry has been, where its going, and how it fits into the broader growth of the region. What moves Austin moves...What's next Austin? SponsorsCheck out all of the sponsors mentioned hereAustin Next LinksAustin Next WebsiteAustin Next TwitterAustin Next LinkedInMichael Scharf LinkedInJason Scharf LinkedInOur music is “Tech Talk” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 License  -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Texas has long been a home for the semiconductor industry. I guess it started with a little company named Texas Instruments, but today in the Austin area, we have Samsung, NXP, Micron, AMD, and Intel, But, this growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it takes a lot of people doing a lot of work. So today, we’re going to take a deeper look into this part of our ecosystem and try to better understand where Austin’s semiconductor industry is coming from and where it’s going. SEMI is the international organization representing semiconductor manufacturers and joining us today is David Anderson. At the time of this recording, David was President, SEMI Americas. His responsibilities covered all programs in the region. But more importantly he managed and nurtured relationships with SEMI as well as with local association and constituents in industry, government, and academia. David came to SEMI with a lot of experience, having held positions at Fairchild Semiconductor, National Semiconductor, the Semiconductor Industry Suppliers Association, and SEMATECH, where he helped launch their global initiative. David has moved onto a new position at NY Creates, and we wish him well. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Capital is the fuel that drives the innovation ecosystem. Grants can make up an important component in funding and catalyzing innovation. The biggest source of grants is of course the US government through numerous agencies and programs. Today we talk with Elizabeth (Ela) Mirowski a Program Director for the SBIR/STTR program at the National Science Foundation. We talk about the programs available to small companies, how the NSF is evolving, and how Austin fits into all of this. Grants and other nondilutive funding are key for...What's next Austin? -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack