Austin Forum

Tech idea to tech startup

4/10/2019

April 2019

Here’s what Happened at the Austin Forum in April

Thank you to everyone who attended our event at the Central Austin Library and to our speakers Gordon Daugherty, Kirk Cesari, Harold Ingersoll, Mitch Jacobson, Jill Murphy, and Nicolia Wiles for sharing their immense expertise on the joys and pitfalls of starting a tech business.

Congratulations to Josh Terry for the question that won him a SXSW Interactive 2019 badge.
"The recent spotlight on Fyre festival and Theranos show the same resilience and ability to avoid 'no' sometimes become pathological. How do founders avoid this?"
Josh will be enjoying all that SXSW Interactive has to offer in March 2020 including tracks on Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, AR/VR/MR, Cities, Government & Politics, Coding, Intelligent Future, and more.

Join us next month for your chance to win a 2020 SXSW Interactive badge. Find out how at the May event.

Missed the event? Catch up on these:

Event Slides

#startupsAF

Event Photos

Top 6 Takeaways
1. Listen to your mentors when they offer sage advice!! They have been there and done that.
2. There are 3 big legal mistakes startups make:
–Being merely reactive instead of proactive. Each business should have a detailed strategic plan and a budget for dealing with legal issues (Work with your attorney and get it in writing!);
–Not having all of the proper contracts in place;
–Not actively managing their legal costs.
3. Some of the biggest accounting/tax mistakes startups make are choosing the wrong legal entity for efficient tax treatment, mixing personal and business funds, and not asking for professional help before and after startup.
4. When planning your PR and marketing, focus on research, relationships, and results. Do your market research, contact editors and stay in contact especially after your competitors vanish, and measure effectiveness of campaigns and bounce backs.
5. Austin has a successful, supportive startup ecosystem of accelerators and incubators, including Austin Technology Incubator at The University of Texas, with long-standing resources and great expertise & investment power.
6. Protect yourself and your IP. Identify your most valuable assets. Make your secret sauce harder to steal by checking and rechecking resources, new hires, etc. Report suspicious activity to the FBI.

Welcome to SAIC, our newest partner!
And thanks to Kuan Collins for serving on the Advisory Board.

Thanks to Chris Blanding of Cisco and Chelsea Collier of Digi.city for their service on the Austin Forum Advisory Board in 2018-2019. We appreciate their insight, professionalism, and support.

Kuan Collins

Chris Blanding

Chelsea Collier

The Austin Forum has other media and resources. Check them out now to learn even more.

Blog

Podcast

AF app- coming soon!

Special thanks to Trifecta on 3rd for another great after-party! Our attendees have shared they enjoy keeping the conversations going after our presentations and networking receptions, so keep an eye on our website for info on future after-parties with food, drinks, and connection.

Join us on May 14, 2019 for 5g: The Wireless Communications Technology That Will Transform Society
with Fawzi Behmann (TelNet Management), Amber Gunst (Austin Technology Council) & Arun Ghosh (AT&T Labs).

Tuesday, May 14, 2019 
Austin Central Library
710 West Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, TX 78701

5:15pm — Check-in and refreshments 
5:45 pm – Doors open for seating
 6:15 pm – Presentation
7:30 pm – Networking
8:15pm - Post-event networking at Trifecta on 3rd

We welcome your participation! Please send us your questions, answers, and prognostications in advance.
Admission to the Austin Forum is always free.

HELP US CLOSE AUSTIN’S DIGITAL DIVIDE
The Austin Forum accepts donations of used smart phones and tablets at all our events. Donated devices get a factory reset and are set up as new by the team at Austin Pathways’ nationally-recognized “Unlocking the Connection” initiative, which connects every public housing resident with a digital device, digital literacy, and a free or very low-cost internet connection. Your donated smart phone can change lives and help close Austin’s digital divide, thanks to Austin Pathways.

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