Tag: silicon hills news

Ten Tech Events to Attend in Austin This Week

June 25, 2018 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 0 Comments

Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin at the Blanton Museum of Art.

Today marks the start of the SXSW 2019 PanelPicker Speaking Applications process. Submit your ideas for a chance to present at Austin’s top tech conference.

Despite it being summertime, it doesn’t look like the Austin tech community is taking a vacation. There are lots of Austin tech events to attend this week including one put on by Silicon Hills News at Galvanize on Thursday starting at noon. It features Michael Girdley, managing director of the Geekdom Fund, a $20 million early-stage investment fund, based in San Antonio. He will be presenting on How to Raise a Seed Stage Round of Investment. There are a few tickets remaining at $10, which includes lunch.

MONDAY – June 25: Looking for something to do tonight? Check out Demo Day at Impact Hub for Austin’s Workforce Development Accelerator Community Showcase Day featuring nine startup ventures. It kicks off at 6 p.m. at Impact Hub – 411 West Monroe St. Tickets are free.

TUESDAY- June 26: Career Pivots & Side Hustles – How to Create the Life You Want by Team Austin at WeWork West 6th starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

TUESDAY – JUNE 26: A Celebration of Defense Innovation in Texas at Capital Factory. Celebrating the launch of AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation initiative opening an office at Capital Factory kicking off at 6 p.m. Tickets are free, but limited.

WEDNESDAY – JUNE 27: 5G and the Future of Wireless in Austin by Austin Tech Alliance at Google Fiber Space starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are free.

THURSDAY – JUNE 28: How to Raise a Seed Stage Round of Investment, Galvanize at noon. Tickets are $10 and include lunch.

THURSDAY – June 28: Capital Factory Job Fair kicks off at 7 p.m. on the 1st floor. Tickets are free.

THURSDAY – June 28: Panel: Male Allies at Work by Breaking the Glass starting at 5:30 p.m. at RetailMeNot, 301 Congress, Fourth Floor. Tickets are free.

THURSDAY – June 28: Net Neutrality 101: Why an Open Internet is Important by the Electronic Frontier Foundation starting at 6:30 p.m. at Terrazas Branch Library, 1105 Cesar Chavez St. Tickets are free.

FRIDAY – June 29: Scaling Up for Female Entrepreneurs: Deal Head on with Head Trash. Starts at 9 a.m. at Capital Factory. Tickets are Free.

FRIDAY – June 29: ATXRHACK – a Visualization hackathon taking place at Walmart’s Technology Center in downtown Austin and put on by Underminer Studios. Tickets are $50.

Silicon Hills News’ Latest Magazine on Tech Startups Taking Off

October 7, 2014 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 2 Comments

By LAURA LOREK
Founder of Silicon Hills News

Rockets launching are a symbol of Texas’ rich history in the space industry.

Although innovation has become a buzzword in many circles it still rings true in Texas and the neighboring states of Louisiana and Mississippi, which all have NASA facilities.

Space exploration is at that heart of innovation.

First, the nation raced to put astronauts on the Moon. Mission accomplished. Next, NASA built Skylab and then took 10 years and 30 missions to complete the International Space Station. In September, NASA announced a $6.2 billion contact with private companies SpaceX, a startup, and Boeing to shuttle astronauts to the ISS.

And now NASA has sets its sights on taking humans to Mars.

Talk about big ideas. Texas has ideas as big as the state. And that’s evident when you look at the tech startups coming out of Central Texas. They aim to tackle big problems and deliver clever solutions.

The ecosystem of investors, law firms, accountants, public relations firms, accelerators and incubators, banks, universities, government departments, chambers and support agencies all help to make this a strong region for technology and innovation. But it’s the people who make things happen. And in this issue, you’ll meet one of them, Jacqueline Hughes, creator of the Austin Startup Week. And we’ll introduce you to even more people who make up the great tech scene in our next issue.

For now, enjoy these stories of entrepreneurs creating something from nothing and pushing the envelope of innovation.

Without a doubt, the tech industry is white-hot and taking off in Austin and San Antonio. The sky is the limit.

The Central Texas Life Sciences Industry is Booming

September 23, 2014 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 0 Comments

By LAURA LOREK
Founder of Silicon Hills News

TeVido BioDevices, a startup in Austin, recreates nipples and other body parts with 3-D printers using human cells.

iTraumaCare in San Antonio has created a life-saving clamp that quickly and easily prevents blood loss.

WiseWear, based in both San Antonio and Austin, has created a patch-like fitness device to track vital signs and more while working out.

Those are just a few of the biotech startups you will read about in this first annual issue of Silicon Hills News focused on the life sciences industry in Central Texas. This is Silicon Hills News’ second print magazine. The first, a field guide to Silicon Hills, debuted at South by Southwest Interactive in March and our Kickstarter backers made it possible. This issue is possible thanks to our advertisers: BioMed SA, the Texas State University Small Business Development Center, bankSNB, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Texans for Economic Progress, the World Stem Cell Summit, Geekdom and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Our next issue is on technology startups and will be published in October.

And thank you to the writers for this issue: Susan Lahey, Jonathan Gutierrez. Tim Green and Leslie Anne Jones.

It’s an amazing time to be in the healthcare and biosciences industry with all the innovation going on in treatments, drug development, medical devices and more.

In Austin, the life sciences industry generates more than $1 billion in economic activity, according to a recent report from the Austin Technology Council. Its strengths are in pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development in physical, engineering and life sciences, research and development in biotechnology, surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing and biological product manufacturing.

The industry is expected to grow with the new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. The building is under construction now, and the school is expected to admit its first class in 2016.

A university-backed health science center can serve as a catalyst for a thriving healthcare and biotechnology industry in a city.

Look no further than San Antonio to see the impact of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on the city. The Health Science Center serves as one of the cornerstones and catalysts of San Antonio’s bustling biosciences and healthcare industry, which employs more than one in every six jobs in San Antonio and has an overall economic impact of more than $29 billion, according to BioMed SA.
The Health Science Center has more than 3,000 students enrolled in five schools, which award 69 health-related degree specialties and pre- and post-baccalaureate certification programs.

Research organizations, private sector companies and the U.S. military drive the bioscience industry growth in San Antonio, according to BioMed SA. In addition to the Health Science Center, other major contributors to San Antonio’s industry include the University of Texas at San Antonio, InCube Labs Texas, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the Texas Research Park, Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio Army Medical Center, South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics and the National Trauma Institute.
Central Texas is a powerful region. When both communities collaborate and cooperate the region grows stronger and even more powerful. Cities no longer compete against each other. Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos are all thriving. The region competes globally for the best talent, resources, companies and institutions. And it has become a global hotspot for innovation in the life sciences industry with a cluster of universities, research and development institutions, medical technology startups and established companies.

Where Can I Get That Awesome SXSW Silicon Hills News Print Magazine?

March 8, 2014 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 1 Comment

Every night, you can find copies of the first print edition of Silicon Hills News at Fogo de Chao starting at 5 p.m. for Entrepreneur’s Lounge. This is an invitation-only party so if you’re not on the list, you might want to check one of the other spots.

This afternoon, I’m dropping some more copies by Capital Factory, the SXSW Interactive hotspot, coworking space and tech incubator and accelerator, nestled on the top floor of the Omni Hotel building downtown and at the Austin Chamber of Commerce offices.

In San Antonio, the magazine is available at Geekdom, the coworking and technology accelerator and incubator, based at the Weston Centre downtown.

Silicon Hills News copies are also available scattered throughout the Austin Convention Center and I’m (Laura Lorek) carrying around copies with me and dropping them at panels and parties that I attend. So if you see me, ask me for a copy.

On Sunday, copies will be available at the Silicon Hills News, Austin Technology Incubator and Central Texas Angel Network panel at the Austin chamber offices starting at 9:30 a.m. and running until noon.
After SXSW, the magazine will be available in PDF format at our website.

It’s All About Your Startup Story: SXSW Pitch Contest by Silicon Hills, ATI and CTAN

January 23, 2014 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 0 Comments

By SUSAN LAHEY
Reporter with Silicon Hills News

It will be a SXSW pitch competition with a media twist. ATI/Silicon Hills Startup Pitch, sponsored by Silicon Hills News, Austin Technology Incubator and Central Texas Angel Network, will give 10 Austin companies a chance to pitch in front of investors and the media to determine two things:
1. How appealing is your company as an investment?
2. Can you tell a story the media finds irresistible?
Many companies know the criteria investors look for: A strong team, market validation, disruption, potential for big returns. Then they try to pitch their story to the media using the same criteria. But what makes a story sexy to reporters doesn’t always fall in these categories. A startup might become a media darling because it has a super colorful founder who gives great quotes. It might have an inspiring back story about a person whose life was changed by the product or technology. It might include a “dark night of the soul” aspect where the company nearly failed but pivoted and rose to success.
Everybody loves a good story.
“Communication is paramount,” said Kyle Cox, director of IT/Wireless & University Development portfolios at ATI. “Often entrepreneurs are too close to their own solution and find it difficult to succinctly tell their story. (Entrepreneur and venture capitalist) Mark Suster has famously said that VC’s invest in ‘lines not dots.’ Having a memorable story, a hook, for why your company is differentiated and defensible is a key component to begin building that ‘line.’”
Among the prizes is a series of articles published in Silicon Hills—which has 20,000 unique visitors monthly–about one of the companies. This would be a kind of Hero’s Journey series which might include an initial profile about the founding of the company, another about some pivot or series of iterations they’re wrestling with, another about their process learning to pitch. The topics will depend on the company.
Other prizes include three months membership in ATI’s Landing Pad Portfolio, three hours pitch coaching from Articulate Persuasion’s Monique Maley, who has coached some of the top startups in Austin, and free entry into CTAN’s next funding cycle. Each of the 10 teams competing will receive one SXSW Interactive badge.
The first round of the competition will be held online at AustinFastPitch.com. Online applications must be in by February 5th. From those applicants, judges will pick 10 startups, each of which will pitch on March 9 at the Austin Chamber Offices. The first round will take place at 9:30; the final round at 11 a.m.
Judges for the event include Venu Shamapant Live Oak Partners, John Stockton of Mayfield Fund, Pat Noonan of Austin Ventures, Monique Maley, Gary Forni of CTAN and Tom Chederar of Venture Beat.
The event is part of SXSW’s Austin section of Startup Village, one of the most popular and fastest growing sectors of Interactive.
“It’s great to have an event where Austin startups get a chance to represent on the worldwide stage that is SXSW,” Cox said.

Silicon Hills News Launches a Kickstarter Campaign

January 18, 2014 / LauraLorek@gmail.com / 0 Comments

This week, Silicon Hills News launched its first Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to create a slick print magazine to be released at South by Southwest Interactive.
At SXSW, Silicon Hills News is hosting a startup pitch competition in conjunction with the Austin Technology Incubator.
We plan to distribute the 32-page color magazine at the SXSW panel. The magazine will feature a dozen or so Austin and San Antonio startup companies along with information on technology resources in both cities.
The Silicon Hills News mission is to shine a spotlight on all of the innovation going on in the Central Texas technology industry. For the past two years and four months, we have worked tirelessly to cover the Austin and San Antonio region. We’re also evolving into a networking platform for the technology industry in Central Texas. We seek to foster collaboration among people doing interesting technology ventures. We do this through event coverage, news stories, tech profiles, calendar postings, job listings, resource listings, expert contributors and soon monthly, quarterly and annual events and a section devoted to aggregating all of the local technology news.
Veteran technology journalists with two decades of experience covering technology lead Silicon Hills News. Laura Lorek and Susan Lahey understand business, technology and news startups. We are also trained journalists with a strong code of ethics and adherence to traditional reporting values.
We also believe in being a part of the community we cover. We are storytelling entrepreneurs blazing a trail in the new media landscape.
But we need your help.
To produce 5,000 copies of the magazine, we need to raise $5,000 and another $2,000 to pay for stories and photos and $500 more for marketing expenses.
We can do all of this with your support of our Kickstarter Campaign. But you don’t just get a warm and fuzzy feeling for helping out another bootstrapped startup entrepreneur, you also get perks.
For just $120, a startup can advertise on our site for a year – that’s just $10 a month (that’s less than a case or 36 packs of Ramen noodles) even pre-seed stage entrepreneurs can afford that. The ad is for 140 characters with a link and it will run on the main page for a year.
Technology companies with a little more disposable income might consider the $500 full page ad in the magazine or the combo for $1,000 of an ad in both the print and digital version of Silicon Hills News. You also get invited to a happy hour where we will debut the magazine and give you some free drinks.
If you like the job we are doing, please become part of our mission and support our Kickstarter campaign at whatever level you like. We’ve even got a $1 offering. We appreciate you and your support. Thank you, in advance, for helping to make our first ever print magazine possible.

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