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
Austin Sector Deep Dive: Transportation with Meg Merritt and Joseph Kopser
May 17, 2022
With the changing nature of work, new regional ecosystems flourishing, and massive domestic migration the demands to our infrastructure are changing and evolving. One of the most fundamental parts of this equation is the que…
Semiconductor Industry Deep Dive with Dave Anderson of Semi.org
May 10, 2022
Texas has long been a home for the semiconductor industry. I guess it started with a little company named Texas Instruments, but today in the Austin area, we have Samsung, NXP, Micron, AMD, and Intel, But, this growth doesn’…
Funding the Future with the Elizabeth (Ela) Mirowski SBIR/STTR Program Director at the National Science Foundation
May 3, 2022
Capital is the fuel that drives the innovation ecosystem. Grants can make up an important component in funding and catalyzing innovation. The biggest source of grants is of course the US government through numerous agencies …
Super Regions: Texas Triangle with Ed Curtis, CEO of YTexas
April 26, 2022
Today we’re going to expand our focus a bit, and look at the entire state of Texas, not just Austin. We want to dig into what has brought so much attention, and new people to the Lone Star State, how it’s impacting business,…
Super Regions: The Austin Metro with Laura Huffman, President and CEO of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
April 19, 2022
We have gone deep and we have gone wide in looking at the sectors and factors that drive the growth of the Austin region. Today we are going to take a holistic look at the entire metro from San Macros to Taylor and Bastrop t…
Tech Transfer with Les Nichols, Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization at The University of Texas at Austin
April 12, 2022
A common plank in ecosystem development is having a strong research-focused university churning out discoveries and intellectual property that can then be spinout our licensed into the private sector. In Austin, we have one …
The Future of Connected Work with Razat Gaurav, CEO of Planview
March 29, 2022
Work is changing, whether that is how we work (remote, hybrid, in-person), the tools we use, or how we govern these organizations. One of the superpowers of Austin is that "We are living in the future" and in this case, it m…
A 1st Timers' Impression of SXSW
March 22, 2022
We are changing up the format this week as we are flying without a net and without a guest. This time is just a conversation between our hosts. Jason had the opportunity to attend SXSW. Hear one point of view on how Austin w…
Digital Roadtrip to Atlanta and Nashville
March 15, 2022
We are hitting the road again and learning about all the other "emerging" ecosystems. This time we are heading to the Southeast and making pitstops in Atlanta and Nashville. We are joined by Blake Patton, Managing Partner Te…
Unique to Austin - It's SXSW with Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer at SXSW
March 8, 2022
This is another in our Unique to Austin series where we look at what gives Austin its special sauce. There is nothing more unique about Austin than SXSW. Over the past 30 years, Austin has grown, matured, and adapted to ever…
Sign up to get updates from us
About the Hosts
Jason Scharf
Jason is an experienced strategy executive and active angel investor in the life science and digital health sectors (~40 investments from Seed to Series B). He has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation at companies including Kean Health, Illumina, BD, and Amgen.
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.