austinpreneur

Top 11 Austin Startups to Meet at #SXSW

Inspired by Evan Baehr's Top 10 Austinites to Meet at SXSW, I've taken my own crack at the Top 11 Austin Startups to Meet at SXSW:

1. Forecast - Their location-based app for telling friends where you will be keeps getting better and better and so does their traction. I find myself using this app more and more. Meet Rene Pinnell @RJPinnell or Eric Katerman @geometrid. (I'm an investor through CF 2010)
2. Greenling - They are making us all healthier by delivering organic and local food straight to our doorsteps. They just expanded to Dallas and practically doubled their revenue overnight. This model is ready to scale. Meet Mason Arnold @masonarnold. (I'm on the Board of Directors)
3. Mass Relevance - They are powering most of the social media at SXSW and on most of the broadcast TV shows you see. Check out their SXSW real-time feed. Meet Sam Decker @SamDecker or Brian Dainton @bdainton. (I'm an investor)
4. Onespot - They recently re-invented themselves and the new model is HOT. They have more friendly, more effective way of using display ads to drive traffic. Meet Matt Cohen @zencohen or Ian Clarke @sanity. (I'm an investor)
5. Outbox - They have an ambitious goal - to kill the postal service and digitize everything. Team comes from Facebook and HBS and they have attracted the best investors in the world (including me!). Meet Evan Baehr @evanbaehr.
6. OwnLocal - They are actually making money off newspapers. I swear! Meet Lloyd Armbrust @lloydarmbrust. (I'm an investor, also Y Combinator)
7. RecycleMatch - They pivoted from a marketplace to an enteprise software play and have a big pipeline with the biggest companies in the world. Meet Brooke Farrell @brookebf. (I'm an investor through CF 2010)
8. Socialware - They make social media work for financial services. Nuff said. Meet Chad Bockius @bockius.
9. Sparefoot - They guys killed it when they went through Capital Factory and they have killed it every day since then. I can see how this might be a billion dollar opportunity. Sparefoot makes self-storage sexy. Meet Chuck Gordon and Mario Feghali @MarioFeghali. (I'm an investor through CF 2009)
10. StormPulse - Hurricane season is coming in a few months and StormPulse is batting down the hatches and getting the servers ready for the cyclical surge of traffic. Weather is not a fad, it's a long term trend that affects almost every business on the planet more and more. Meet Matt Wensing @mattwensing and Brad Wiemerslage @wiemersl. (I'm an investor)
11. Volunteerspot - This mega-viral site is growing like a weed with no marketing spend and extremely high user engagement. Meanwhile, they are amassing an audience of affluent, active Moms with kids that has the attention of big brands. Meet Karen Bantuveris @VSpotMom. (I'm an investor)

Then there is Indeed.com - So under the radar. So awesome. Not sure if you could still call them a startup. Meet Rony Kahan.

Oh yeah, and of course don't miss out on these CloudSMTP, OtherInbox and the ballers at WP Engine!

And not quite startups, you should also check out our latest IPO success stories - HomeAway (AWAY) and Bazaarvoice (BV).

I'm sorry to anyone I left out... there are so many other great Austin startups and I'm writing this at 1am after my first day of SXSW. I love all Austin startups!

What are your favorite Austin startups? Tell me on Twitter @JoshuaBaer

What would it take to make Austin 'the next Silicon Valley'?

I'd like to share my viewpoint on the recent Statesman article, What would it take to make Austin 'the next Silicon Valley'?

While I don't think that Austin wants to become Silicon Valley any more than Texas wants to become California, I think that we can learn from Silicon Valley to continue attracting great innovators and entrepreneurs to Austin.

Steve Blank commented that one of the most important aspects of Silicon Valley that differentiates it from the rest of the world is that failure is a badge of experience, not a badge of shame. Austin needs to be a safe environment for entrepreneurs to try out new ideas, to experiment, and to fail.  

Part of that is attitude and culture, but a big part is access to early stage capital and collaborative working spaces where entrepreneurs can meet each other, incubate ideas and inspire each other. We are very fortunate to have spaces such as Conjunctured, Cospace and Tech Ranch and communities like Bootstrap Austin. Still, we would benefit from a larger, central community meeting space and coworking facility. We need the Startup District that John Erik Metcalfe and Ceasar Torres started promoting a few years ago.

Capital Factory is one piece of the puzzle. We provide a small amount of capital and lots of mentorship to 5 select startups each year. More than half of the 15 companies in our portfolio are from outside of Austin and come here to participate in our summer program. Half of those stayed here after the program ended because they find the environment so friendly to entrepreneurs. We need to expand the number of companies so that we can have a bigger impact.

One obvious way reach more entrepreneurs is through the University of Texas. Inspired by the success of Capital Factory and the encouragement of Dr. Bruce Porter in the UT Computer Science department, I'll be joining with John Butler and Bob Metcalfe to teach and undergraduate entrepreneurship class at UT called 1 Semester Startup. I hope that through this class we can identify promising young entrepreneurs at UT, accelerate them down the path of success and keep them here in Austin.

Communities like Angel List are helping Austin by connecting our entrepreneurs with early stage investors from Silicon Valley and around the world. There are more than 100 Austin startups listed and more than 300 investors "watching" the Austin market (most of them NOT from Austin).

First time entrepreneurs need inspiration from successful entrepreneurs. They need role models to look up to and get advice from. Bazaarvoice, HomeAway, Spiceworks and Rackspace are all helping to fill this void. Let's not forget the massive Trilogy Alumni network that are driving many of the top companies in Austin right now. We need more visible leaders in the entrepreneurship community like Andrew Busey, Brett Hurt, Jack McDonald, Kip McClanahan, Bryan Menell, Bob Metcalfe and John Price.

I actually think most of the right things are happening. I've been here for more than 10 years and Austin has only become more attractive to startups and entrepreneurs. We are one of the top cities in the world attracting young smart entrepreneurs, college grads, and young professionals.

We are attracting startups like Gowalla and others that are moving to Austin from elsewhere in Texas and around the country. Austin is a great place to launch a startup because it is a market full of early adopters. I am contacted at least once a month by a startup who is looking for advice about moving here.

What do we need to do? We need to keep Austin attractive to young, smart people and innovative startups. We need to continue growing the early stage venture community and our connections to outside capital. We need to identify our Startup District (East side?) and achieve critical mass. We need to embrace failure. We need to keep being Austin. 

What do you think we should be doing to promote entrepreneurship and startups in Austin? Leave a comment below.

Austinpreneur's Guide to SXSW 2011

If you're an entrepreneur coming to Austin for SXSW 2011, here are the events you won't want to miss!

Thursday

• 4:00pm-10:00pm ATX Startup Crawl
• 6:00pm-8:00pm Austin Tech Happy Hour

Friday

• 5:00pm-7:00pm Entrepreneur's Lounge at Fogo (invite only)
• 5:00pm Bootstrap Meetup 
• 6:00pm-10:00pm Ignite SXSW
• 6:00pm-9:00pm Mixergy SXSW Live Bonanza

Saturday

• Lean Startup SXSW
• 11:00am Jason Cohen - A Bootstrapped Geek Sifts Through the Bullshit
• 1:30pm Austin Ventures Party (invite only)
• 3:30pm Joshua Baer - 5 Secrets to a Killer Elevator Pitch
• 5:00pm-7:00pm Entrepreneur's Lounge at Fogo (invite only)
• 6:00pm-9:00pm Austin on Rails Party
• 6:00pm-9:00pm Wordpress Party
• 9:00pm 500 Startups Afterparty (invite only)

Sunday

• 10:00am Capital Factory Office Hours
• 12:00pm Inbox Love Lunch (invite only)
• 5:00pm-7:00pm Entrepreneur's Lounge at Fogo (invite only)
• 5:30pm Data Cluster Party
• 8:00pm Capital Factory Dinner (invite only)
• 8:00pm-11:00pm Tech Cocktail

Monday

• 10:30am Accelerator
• 5:00pm-6:00pm Trilogy Alumni Happy Hour
• 5:00pm-7:00pm Entrepreneur's Lounge at Fogo (invite only)
• 6:30pm-8:30pm StartupBus Finals
• 9:00pm Startup Digest / Kauffman Foundation Party (invite only)

Tuesday

• 10:30am Accelerator Finals
• 3:00pm IronGeek Competition
• 5:00pm-7:00pm Entrepreneur's Lounge at Fogo (invite only)

Everything starts with the ATX Startup Crawl on Thursday the 10th at 4:00pm. 

After you check-in on Thursday hop on the Smiley Shuttle and catch a ride to 20 Austin tech startups within a 1 mile radius. Visit Capital Thought, Gowalla, Infochimps, OtherInbox, PeopleAdmin, Tabbed Out and a dozen other startups. Each one will have beer, games, music and more waiting for you. Most startups are clustered so that you can visit 2 or 3 at each stop. More than 1,000 people have RSVP'd so we know this is going to be a blast!

Friday night lets Ignite SXSW!

In this Ignite we’ll ask 16 experts in their fields to look ahead 10 years and help us understand how our every day lives will be affected by advances in technology and society. This will be an official SXSW event promoted in the booklet and directory. Anyone with a SXSW badge can attend without a ticket but we still would appreciate if you would register so we can plan better. There are a limited number of tickets for sale to friends of Ignite who will not have SXSW badges. We’re psyched that Dorkbot will be joining us for the event and setting up around the perimeter of the Music Hall.  

Saturday you don't want to miss Jason Cohen's talk Saturday at 11:00am in Salon AB:

A Bootstrapped Geek Sifts Through the Bullshit

After starting four companies, I've found that some widely accepted advice lead me to failure while trusting my (inexperienced) gut lead to success. So many business philosophies profess they're the One True Way, yet different business face different hurdles. With stories, six actionable lessons, and a workshopping of 37signals' philosophy, you'll learn when to follow the rules and when to go your own way.

Saturday at 3:30pm please attend my interactive talk in Salon AB:

5 Secrets to a Killer Elevator Pitch

Everyone in a startup should be able to give the "elevator pitch", even the programmers! Having the right pitch can help you land a big customer, catch an investor's interest, or just explain what you do to your mom. Learn about the 5 secrets to a killer pitch from an expert speaker who has pitched at TechCrunch50, SXSW Accelerator, Ignite, DEMO, and many other competitions. This is not for beginners! These investors have seen thousands of pitches and invested in hundreds of companies. Come to this presentation after you’ve already given your pitch a 100 times and are really ready to take it to the next level. First I’ll spend 20 minutes talking about the 5 secrets and show some killer examples. Then the panel of investors will take five volunteers from the audience and work with them to improve their 2 minute pitch. Come prepared! And just to eat my own dog food, here is a 5 minute elevator pitch for this presentation!

I need 5 volunteers to come up on stage and pitch their company, and then receive some feedback from myself and other mentors. Please email me or reach out on Twitter if you're interested in being one of the companies.

Lean Startup SXSW

If you're not planting at the Convention Center for the day, it might be worth the trip up to the AT&T Executive Center at UT for Lean Startup SXSW. Many of my favorite speakers will be on stage including Eric Ries, Dave McClure, Hiten Shah, Ash Maurya, Jason Cohen and Steve Blank. I'm sure this will be an incredible event and full of quality people.

Capital Factory

Applications are being accepted for our third summer program with Capital Factory 2011! Partner with 20 successful entrepreneurs to be your mentors, plus get $20,000 in cash, free office space, legal services and more. Now is the time to meet with mentors, ask questions, and get feedback. Sunday morning we're holding Capital Factory Office Hours from 10am-noon at the Convention Center and its open to anyone who wants to stop by. Location will be announced on Twitter so follow @CapitalFactory.

Inbox Love

I'll be making sweet Inbox Love for lunch at a special email lunch I'm putting together with Jared Goralnick and 500 Startups. Inbox Love is focused on email as a platform - it's not about email marketing, spam or security. I'm looking forward to seeing many of the connections I met at the Inbox Love conference in Mountain View last month in a casual setting. Thanks to Port 25 for sponsoring! If you would like to attend please email me or reach out on Twitter for more info.

StartupBus Finals

FIVE buses full of 40 strangers are converging on Austin from around the country. On the way here, they are forming teams and building startups in a StartupWeekend fashion. They will arrive on Thursday for the ATX Startup Crawl and then have the weekend to try and get some initial traction with their product. On Monday evening, we'll be having finals to choose the best companies from all of the buses. You don't want to miss this event.

IronGeek

On Tuesday come see me compete in the DAS IronGeek competition. I'll be typing Dvorak, assembling computers, and other feats of geekiness. Come cheer me on, I need your support!

Entrepreneur's Lounge

Hanging out at Fogo next to the convention center is now a tradition for SXSW entrepreneurs. Also known as the "Meat Up" because its held at a Brazilian restaurant. Go up on the rooftop deck, enjoy some drinks and snacks, and meet up with other entrepreneurs and investors.

What other entrepreneur events are YOU looking forward to? Please leave a comment.

Austin Startup Digest Event Submission

I recently started curating the Austin Startup Digest, a weekly email list of the upcoming startup events in town. I assemble everything I can find, but I need your help making sure that its got all of the best events listed.

For a short link to this form, use http://bit.ly/austinstartupdigest

What if your email account got deleted?

TechCrunch reported that a blogging site called JournalSpace lost all of its customers data. It sounds like their database crashed and they didn't have any good backups. What a nightmare!

Have you ever thought about what would happen if you lost access to your email account? What if you logged into your Gmail account one day only to find that all of your email messages were gone? Or what if you just couldn't remember your password and the password reminders went to an old email address? It is also quite plausible that your account could be incorrectly suspended for abuse (the bad guys also try to make it look like someone else).

I use Google Docs, and I have a number of important documents up there that would be quite painful to lose. A few times, I've logged in only to see a warning that my documents weren't available. I almost had a heart attack! Fortunately it wasn't long before they re-appeared.

What about your photos? I have the master copy of all my photos on my local hard drive, I back them up with Time Machine on my Mac, and I also upload them to Amazon S3 with JungleDisk. So I feel pretty safe. But I have heard of lots of people who start out with their photos on their computer and on Flickr, but then their computer crashes and Flickr becomes the master copy. What if your Flickr account got deleted along with all of your photos? Or what if they just decided your pictures were obscene and took down your account?

Have you ever lost something important that you assumed was safe "in the cloud"? Have you heard of any major websites losing customer data?

Road Runner is putting ads in your DNS

As a sign of the times, my cable modem Internet service from Time Warner's Road Runner now is serving a Yahoo search page instead of generating a proper DNS error when you mistype a web page URL. If you're on Road Runner, try clicking on this link as an example. 

Network Solutions tried this a few years ago and got so much bad press that the canned the program within a short period of time.

While I was initially frustrated by this, I was happy and impressed to see the opt-out link at the bottom of the page. Clicking on the opt-out brought me to a page that allowed me to turn this off and go back to the standard (and proper) behavior.

If you use Road Runner, I recommend you click on this link and opt-out now.

Clicking on the opt-out link takes you to this preferences page:

After opting-out, your error page should look like this: