Another milestone that I thought I'd share… we have been accepted into the Austin Technology Incubator!  This is very exciting for us on a few levels.

First, ATI is a cornerstone of Austin's entrepreneurial heritage, having helped companies get off the ground for over 20 years now.  A lot of companies and a lot of people have moved to Austin or stayed in Austin as a result of ATI.  In fact, when we researched places to relocate Stratfor in 1996, ATI was one of the factors that helped us select Austin over other cities.  So we're proud to be part of that history.

Second, ATI has some very talented people on staff and in its extended network who we are excited to interact with.  We've had nothing but great experiences with ATI Director Isaac Barchas, Wireless/IT Director Bart Bohn, and Director of Operations Aruni Gunasegaram.  All three of them have given us great feedback on our business as early as June of last year.  We expect that we'll continue to have a great relationship as we grow.

Third, this represents a new phase for us.  Phase I was when my CTO and I worked 2500 miles apart for the first six months.  Then in Phase II after my wife and I moved to Austin last October, we worked from the dining room table for a few months then moved to a cramped 10×12 office here in MCC.  Now we're grappling with issues of growth and scale, so ATI is in many ways a perfect partner for us.

So we're excited about the development.

Finally a few notes about our experience in Austin to date.  It's unreal how many entrepreneur resources there are in Austin now.  Think about it:

  1. ATI — collaboration between City of Austin, University of Texas, and local entrepreneurs,
  2. Techranch — early-stage incubator & collaboration hub designed to help people get new ventures started,
  3. Capital Factory — seed-stage mentoring program that offers assistance from many of Austin's best/most successful entrepreneurs,
  4. Triggerbox — advisory services focused on market alignment, business model optimization, strategic partnering and capital fundraising.  Also recently began angel investing in Austin startups.
  5. Conjunctured — co-working facility, ideally suited for skilled contractors and one/two person companies,
  6. EDCO Ventures — facilitates the creation of new business activity in economically distressed areas, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border,
  7. TechBA — helps Mexican technology companies accelerate their business in the United States and other markets.

Of these, only ATI was around just 5 years ago.  Austin sure has come a long way!