The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Opportunity Austin and SXSW, hosted a spectacular event last week at the Long Center for the Performing Arts to announce the winners of the highly anticipated 2023 A-LIST Awards.
Dedicated to recognizing and honoring local tech and innovation companies of all sizes, the A-LIST Awards showcases visionary founders and their groundbreaking ventures. The event shed light on the immense talent and ingenuity emerging from the Austin ecosystem, catapulting these companies onto the global stage.
During the award ceremony, Roland Pena, Senior Vice President of Global Technology and Innovation at the Austin Chamber and Opportunity Austin, said, “The A-LIST Awards serve as a testament to the exceptional entrepreneurs and investors propelling Austin’s ecosystem to unprecedented heights. These visionary founders and startups are revolutionizing industries through innovative technologies, solidifying Austin as a beacon of innovation.”
Among the night’s notable winners were:
- Bootstrapped Category (Self-funded businesses):
- Angel & Seed Category ($10,000 to $6 million in investment):
- Series A&B Category ($6 million to $40 million):
- Series C+ Category (greater than $40 million):
- Venture Capital Firm of the Year:
The winners received various benefits, including networking opportunities with A-LIST mentors and multiple prizes. Winners were granted coveted 2024 SXSW Platinum Badges, Austin Technology Council memberships, three months of co-working space at the renowned Capital Factory, Oracle Cloud credits, and a Central Texas Angel Network application fee waiver.
A special moment of recognition was reserved for Hugh Forrest of SXSW and Joshua Baer of Capital Factory, who were applauded for their instrumental partnership with the Austin Chamber and Opportunity Austin. Their unwavering support for the local startup and scaleup ecosystem was pivotal in nurturing innovation and fostering an environment conducive to entrepreneurial success.
The pinnacle of the evening was a fascinating keynote discussion featuring industry luminaries Bill Gurley, general partner at Benchmark, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm in San Francisco, and Van Truskett, executive director of the Texas Innovation Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Their profound insights on sustaining innovative companies resonated with the audience as they emphasized Austin’s status as one of the world’s premier launchpads for startups.
All of the finalists are available here.
