Austin Next

Innovation does not scale on size alone. It accelerates on the connective threads of an ecosystem, from curated founder groups to open networks and through shared stories and honest champions. Brian Hall, incoming President of the Austin Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, joins us to explore what actually drives trust, access, and scale in a thriving tech hub.

Episode Highlights
  • Role of Ecosystem Connective Tissue
  • Founder Forums and Peer Accountability
  • Third Rooms vs Third Spaces
  • Depth Over Volume in Relationships
  • Time Scarcity in Founder Support
  • Why Healthy Ecosystems Scale
  • Navigating Fragmentation in Austin
  • Gatekeeping and Startup Access
  • Scaling Founder Infrastructure
  • What’s Next Austin? 
    • “Healthy things grow. And that starts with an individual, but then it goes to the city and beyond.”
Episode Links
Brian Hall: LinkedIn, X/Twitter
EO Austin; Traverse Legal; TraverseGC; TraverseConcierge


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

What is Austin Next?

Austin is building the new tech, cultural, and intellectual stack. The region is a living laboratory to answer a single question: How do you build a global innovation superpower?

Host Jason Scharf dissects innovation from the individual to the ecosystem. From the soundstage to the data center to the fab, we decode the mechanics of Austin's innovation ecosystem.

As Atoms, Bits, and Intelligence converge, we explore how Hard Tech scale, digital velocity, and creative density collide. This is an audit of the future. We map the physics of the flywheel so builders and investors can navigate the chaos.