Austin Next

Jason Scharf

1 Creator

Austin's evolution into a global innovation superstar is at the heart of Austin Next. We uncover insights into the region's transformation and what it means for ecosystem building. Our exploration extends to emerging trends, technologies, and their convergence. Using Austin as our real-world case study and experts from around the world, we aim to understand the true nature and mechanics of innovation.

#1 in the Top 100 Indie texas All time chart

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Top 10 Austin Next Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Austin Next episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Austin Next for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Austin Next episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

A New Era Begins for Austin Next and the Future of Austin's Thriving Innovation Ecosystem

Austin Next

07/06/23 • 72 min

In this culminating episode of Austin Next's first era, Jason engages with AndiBot, the AI-powered chatbot that amalgamates the insights of 19 innovation thinkers. Together, they explore AndiBot’s perspectives on how Austin can ascend to a superstar innovation hub. Later, Michael joins in for a reflective discussion on the AI's capabilities and the insights shared. Plus, don’t miss our special announcement that marks the beginning of a new chapter for Austin Next.

Episode Highlights

The Austin Next Dynamic Innovation ChatBot, or AndiBot, is an AI-powered chatbot anchored on ChatGPT, and is powered by a “hivemind” that brings together the intellectual prowess of innovation trailblazers such as Clayton Christensen, Everett Rogers, and Mariana Mazzucato.
Tasked with unraveling insights and forging new pathways, AndiBot endeavors to illuminate the steps necessary for Austin to transition from a thriving ecosystem to a superstar innovation hub.
Characterizing an innovation superstar hub, AndiBot outlines the quintessential traits: setting global trends, attracting a diverse talent pool, nurturing groundbreaking innovations, fostering a spirited entrepreneurial culture, establishing global collaborations, and achieving brand ubiquity in innovation.
AndiBot evaluates Austin’s innovation ecosystem at 7.5 with Silicon Valley as the pinnacle scoring a 10. She commends Austin's startup landscape, academic strength, and appeal to tech giants, but signals the imperatives of escalating startup density, talent diversity, capital influx, and global network expansion.
Jason and Michael reflect on the AndiBot interview and discuss the shift from coding to prompting in AI technology, signaling the emergence of more sophisticated and intuitive user interfaces.
Exploring Austin's startup landscape, they articulate the connection between productivity and external perception, proposing that a boost in perceived value could stimulate infrastructural improvements.
Jason spotlights Austin’s ability to “punch above its weight” noting the discrepancies between Austin's startup infrastructure rank (25th in the country) and its high ranking in exit values (6th in the nation, 9th globally) according to a recent Dealroom report.
This episode marks a transition as Michael is taking a step back from the podcast and will return as the occasional guest.
What’s next Austin? “I honestly believe only good things are going to happen next. I think we're going to have a recession nationwide within the next six months. But Austin, as we've discussed, is the last in and the first out. We need to keep Austin weird. It has worked so far for this town.”

Episode Links

The Next Generation of Tech Ecosystems Report by Dealroom

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TEDx SouthCongress Registration
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Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
Ecosystem Metacognition Substack

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Return to the Austin Mortar with Thom Singer, CEO of the Austin Technology Council

Austin Next

09/13/22 • 34 min

A lot of things have changed since we last had Thom Singer on the podcast. We talk about Thom's new role, what the networking environment looks like now, and how that impacts the creative collisions between the foundations of Austin.

What's next Austin?

Episode Links

Austin Next 1 Year Anniversary - The Journey and What We Have Learned so Far

Austin Next

06/28/22 • 40 min

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 Survey

What's next Austin Next Podcast?

The Changing Austin Venture Scene with CS Freeland, Executive Director of the Austin Venture Association

Austin Next

08/09/22 • 24 min

Clearly the Austin entrepreneurial ecosystem has been growing dramatically for the last several years. And, with that growth has come a lot of new investors. Whether it be VCs building larger funds, entrepreneurs reinvesting earnings, incubators and angels willing to help startups, there are a lot of people getting involved. Today we are talking with CS Freeland, co-founder and executive director of the Austin Venture Association (AVA). We cover why do we need an organization AVA, the origin story, and the evolution of the venture environment here in Austin.

Capital that is leveling up raises...What's next Austin.

Episode Links:

Innovation and Architecture with Todd Runkle Principal, Managing Director at Gensler

Austin Next

08/02/22 • 28 min

Often how we live, work and play is determined by where we live, work, and play. The buildings we occupy can range from condos and offices in the central business district, to the wide-open spaces needed to test drones and farm equipment. Today with speak Todd Runkle on how Austin is evolving, how innovation districts play a role, and the growth of Central Living Districts.

Where we are and how we live, work, and play is... What's next Austin?

Deploying Advanced Infrastructure with Jeff DeCoux of the Autonomy Institute

Austin Next

07/19/22 • 28 min

One of Austin’s superpowers is that we live in the future. We are both inventing the future and it’s being deployed here in Central Texas. We’re joined today by Jeff DeCoux founder and CEO of the Autonomy Institute to talk about one of our key challenges to build this future and that's infrastructure.

A 21st century technical foundation is the bridge to What's next Austin?

Exploring Austin's Draper Startup House, a Global Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Austin Next

08/30/22 • 38 min

The growth of our ecosystem and the critical mass of startups coming to Austin leads to unique opportunities to experiment with support infrastructure. One of those experiments is the Draper Startup House, a global entrepreneurship ecosystem including a network of co-living houses and a pre-seed “pop-up” accelerator program. Today we are joined by the co-founders Katie Russel and Daniel Wiegand to talk the mission, the importance of storytelling for startups, and why Austin.

What's next Austin?

Episode Links:

Can Austin Lead the Race to Solving Rare Diseases with the Founders of the Firefly Fund

Austin Next

10/02/24 • 39 min

Nothing motivates a parent to action like a sick child, and for the Andrews family, words like no and impossible became mere roadblocks on their journey to help their kids. Our guests, Pam and Chris Andrews, founders of the Firefly Fund, turned their battle with their daughters' rare genetic disorder into a mission to revolutionize rare disease research and treatment here in Austin and beyond.

Episode Highlights

Firefly Fund's Origin
Establishing a Rare Disease Center at UT Dell Medical School
Navigating the Diagnostic Odyssey
Interplay of Tech Innovation and New Business Models in Healthcare
Downstream Effects of Rare Disease Advancements
What's Next, Austin?
- Pam Andrews: "Let's see how the intersection of technology and healthcare really can transform healthcare because I think that rare disease can light the way and inform the way that we do precision medicine for generations to come. So that's what we want through the Center for Rare Disease here in Austin is for it to evolve and unfold in a partnership with the rare disease community."
- Chris Andrews: "My dream is that when people think of Austin, they'll think of the University of Texas, they'll think of barbecue, but they also will think of a place where people work to save lives."

Firefly Fund: Website, Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

Welcome to Austin Next

Austin Next

06/27/21 • 6 min

Over the last decade, Austin has exploded into the national consciousness as the next great innovation powerhouse. That has only accelerated over the past 18 months as talent, capital, and companies are making the move. Homegrown companies across the spectrum are becoming unicorns and having significant exits. Austin’s flywheel is gaining momentum.

During this last surge, we moved here as well. A father and son team that has seen some ecosystems grow, some stagnate, and some never take off. To understand what the future holds for Austin’s innovation ecosystem and how to accelerate its growth, we will talk with local players, hear from outside perspectives, and dive into the latest academic research.

In the end, we are driven by the need to answer one basic question...What’s Next Austin?

Austin Networking Groups We Like

Austin Next

09/27/22 • 36 min

Lately, we've been talking and writing a lot about networking. Why is it so important to us? People are social animals. And no matter how much we can get done remotely, we need a connection with other people. But just as important networking groups are where the creative collisions happen. These collisions are critical to an innovation culture like Austin's, these collisions are often where we find our business ideas, our collaborators, and sometimes even our employees. So today, we wanted to celebrate three organizations that foster great networking and take a different approach.

Episode Links:

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Podcast Q&A

Why did you start this show?

We started the podcast as a way to meet interesting people when we moved in Austin in 2021. We noticed a gap in the podcast space where discussions often centered around the "cool company of the week," but seldom touched on the wider narrative of regional innovation. We sought to fill this void by creating a platform that goes beyond spotlighting individual companies, instead focusing on how the Austin region is evolving into the next innovation powerhouse.

What do you hope listeners gain from listening to your show?

We aim to provide three key insights through our podcast. First, we delve into Austin's transformation into the next superstar innovation hub, offering an inside look at the region's evolution. Second, we provide perspectives on the mechanics of building robust ecosystems, using Austin as a real-world case study. Lastly, we discuss broader trends and technologies, positioning Austin as a window into the wider innovative world.

Which episode should someone start with?

Begin with our first episode with Professor John Butler for a comprehensive history of Austin's innovation ecosystem. This lays the groundwork to understand Austin's transformative journey. Then, listen to "The Tech Tipping Point" with Brett Hurt and William "whurley" Hurley. This episode delves into the pivotal convergence of technologies like AI and quantum computing, and highlights Austin's role in shaping these global trends.

Which have been your favourite episodes so far?

Can you pick a favorite child?

What is your vision for your show?

Help drive Austin's transformation into the next innovation powerhouse, while meeting amazing people along the way.

How did you come up with the name for your podcast?

Austin Next came to us in less of a eureka moment and more of a that makes sense moment. It reflects our fundamental question: "What's Next?". It's all about what's next for this vibrant city, from technological advancements to the macro innovation trends and down to the evolving startup ecosystem. Plus, it's catchy, don't you think? 😁

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FAQ

How many episodes does Austin Next have?

Austin Next currently has 153 episodes available.

What topics does Austin Next cover?

The podcast is about Austin, Venture Capital, Texas, Startups, Podcasts, Technology, Business and Innovation.

What is the most popular episode on Austin Next?

The episode title 'A New Era Begins for Austin Next and the Future of Austin's Thriving Innovation Ecosystem' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Austin Next?

The average episode length on Austin Next is 42 minutes.

How often are episodes of Austin Next released?

Episodes of Austin Next are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Austin Next?

The first episode of Austin Next was released on Jun 27, 2021.

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Austin Next

Jason Scharf

Top 10 Austin Next Episodes

Podcast Q&A

FAQ

How many episodes does Austin Next have?

What topics does Austin Next cover?

What is the most popular episode on Austin Next?

What is the average episode length on Austin Next?

How often are episodes of Austin Next released?

When was the first episode of Austin Next?

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