Austin Next™
Austin Next™
Austin continues transforming into the next innovation powerhouse. In this podcast, we explore how Central Texas is growing…The people and companies, the industries and infrastructure, the macro and micro trends that come together to create the future of Austin.
We want to answer one basic question… What’s next Austin?
Listen to our trailer and find out what we are all about:
Recent Episodes
The Past, Present, and Future of Entrepreneurship in Austin. Part 1 of our Discussion with Brett Hurt Co-Founder and CEO of Data.World
Aug. 16, 2022
Brett Hurt is a serial entrepreneur, launching Bazaarvoice, Coremetrics and now Data.World. Over that time, he's learned a lot about software, people, software and soul. His latest company, Data.World, is a B Corp, or as he …
The Changing Austin Venture Scene with CS Freeland, Executive Director of the Austin Venture Association
Aug. 9, 2022
Clearly the Austin entrepreneurial ecosystem has been growing dramatically for the last several years. And, with that growth has come a lot of new investors. Whether it be VCs building larger funds, entrepreneurs reinvesting…
Innovation and Architecture with Todd Runkle Principal, Managing Director at Gensler
Aug. 2, 2022
Often how we live, work and play is determined by where we live, work, and play. The buildings we occupy can range from condos and offices in the central business district, to the wide-open spaces needed to test drones and f…
Peter Rex, Real Estate and PropTech Entrepreneur and now Austinite
July 26, 2022
We met and talked to Peter Rex, who with his team at Rex LLC owns substantial real estate in Austin and across the United States. Since 2018, Peter has focused a lot of his time and energy on Rex Tech Ventures, his technolog…
Deploying Advanced Infrastructure with Jeff DeCoux of the Autonomy Institute
July 19, 2022
One of Austin’s superpowers is that we live in the future. We are both inventing the future and it’s being deployed here in Central Texas. We’re joined today by Jeff DeCoux founder and CEO of the Autonomy Institute to talk a…
The Unlikely Path from Creative to Life Science Entrepreneur with Casey McPherson, CEO to Cure A Rose Foundation
July 12, 2022
The road to being an entrepreneur has many twists and turns. Starting that journey from a nontraditional starting point, in this case the music world, can create even more unexpected challenges. Today we are talking with C…
Austin Next 1 Year Anniversary - The Journey and What We Have Learned so Far
June 28, 2022
What an amazing year it has been. This week it's just the two of us reflecting back on where the podcast has been, what we have seen in the ecosystem, the insights that our guests have shared, and what comes next for both th…
Is Austin the City of the Future with Cullum Clark, George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative Director
June 21, 2022
Cities are changing as rapidly as ever due increased migration patterns, new hubs of innovation, and an evolving way we work. What does the city of the future look like and is Austin the new leader of that trend? Today we br…
Where Does Austin's Ecosystem Rank with Farshad Fahimi of Startup Genome
June 15, 2022
We see all of these best of city lists. Best places to live, most affordable, growing tech employment, and so on. How does Austin stack up when looking at our overall startup environment? Today we are bringing on Farshad …
Moving Towards Energy Abundance with Christy Cardenas, Managing Partner Grit Ventures
June 7, 2022
Infrastructure is one of the key issues impacting Austin’s rapid growth. Whether it’s water, roadways and transit, or power, we must ensure that we have the resources to handle our growth. Today, we focus on power… Joining u…
Sign up to get updates from us
About the Hosts
Michael Scharf
Michael brings the experience of a 40+ year career in corporate finance and banking as well as entrepreneurship. He is now focused now on corporate governance and sits on multiple advisory and boards of directors, and brings his knowledge and background to bear on regulatory issues, ESG as well as corporate management.