Austin
Austin chapter

Austin Startup Community

As an ambitious tech founder in Austin, you understand the importance of making the right connections. Join Founders Network and become part of a carefully curated community of experienced Austin tech founders who can offer mentorship, collaborate on ideas, and provide the guidance you need to thrive in the vibrant startup ecosystem of Austin.

Austin chapter

Our Local Leadership Team

Kevin Bradt
Chapter Director
Founder, Proptech Startup, CasaPerks
FN May 2021 Cohort

Auto-enrolled per Kevin direction on 2026-06-23. Please update via the Leadership profile flow with a current bio + photo.

Jason Collier
Chapter Director Emeritus
Founder, Scale Computing

Founder ● IT Evangelist ● Chief Technology Officer (CTO) ● Edge Computing Pioneer ● Hyperconvergence Thought Leader

Heather Rhyker
Membership Chair
Founder, Reffyy, Inc.
FN June 2024 Cohort

As a leadership coach, wellness expert, and longtime small business owner, I have seen firsthand how difficult it has become for people to determine who and what they can trust online. I am bringing that experience and market insight to Reffyy, a social trust engine building the expert and product intelligence layer for the future of online discovery. Reffyy combines verified expertise, trusted-network signals, and expert product insights to help people make better-informed decisions with greater confidence. Behind the user experience, we are building structured, explainable, AI-ready data infrastructure that connects experts, credentials, specialties, products, recommendations, and real-world trust. Our vision is to make trusted expertise more visible, useful, and actionable across consumer discovery, product intelligence, and emerging AI systems. Reffyy is creating the infrastructure to help people and technology recognize who has relevant expertise, what that expertise applies to, and how trust moves through real relationships.

A Founders Network member speaking at an event

The Austin startup scene

Austin startups raised a record $7.19 billion in venture funding in 2025, up 64.8% from $4.37 billion in 2024, according to Crunchbase News. Late-stage rounds made up $4 billion of that total.

The Startup Genome Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026 says Austin had the biggest leap of any North American ecosystem in its top 40, surging 12 places to #18. Startup Genome also puts Austin's ecosystem value at $107 billion and its seed and Series A funding at $4.1 billion for the second half of 2023 to 2025.

Founders Network in Austin

Founders Network is a peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Membership is selective and by invitation, and founders request an invitation to be considered.

Members get mentorship from other founders, chapter events, and introductions to investors and founders across a global network. Chapters are run by volunteer member leaders, who are listed on this page.

Founders listening at a Founders Network sessionFounders talking at a Founders Network eventA Founders Network roundtable
600+
Vetted tech founders
$50B+
In exits by members
55%
Serial founders
100+
Events a year
Next step

Meet us in Austin

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to the Nominee Preview Q&A, a 30-minute Zoom where current members walk through how Founders Network works and take questions. The next one is Thursday, November 19 at 9:30 AM PT.

Request an invitation

Already nominated? RSVP to the Nominee Preview.

Austin resources and communities

Austin, Texas, is a vibrant city known for its thriving tech and startup ecosystem. The city offers a range of resources and communities that support entrepreneurs and foster innovation.

Venture Capital Firms: Austin is home to notable venture capital firms that provide funding and support to startups. Firms such as Austin Ventures, Silverton Partners, and LiveOak Venture Partners actively invest in local startups and offer valuable mentorship and guidance.

Startup Incubators and Accelerators: Austin hosts several renowned startup incubators and accelerators that provide comprehensive support and resources. Capital Factory, Techstars Austin, and Austin Technology Incubator are prominent examples. These programs offer mentorship, funding opportunities, and access to a strong network of investors and industry experts.

Co-working Spaces: The city offers a variety of co-working spaces that cater to the needs of startups. Locations like WeWork, Capital Factory, and TechSpace provide flexible workspace solutions, networking opportunities, and access to a vibrant community of entrepreneurs.

Frequently asked questions

What startup events can I attend in Austin before joining?

Chapter events are open to guests by invitation. The Austin chapter has met roughly every other month over the last year. Request an invitation and we'll send you the next date. Your first event is on us with a one-time guest pass. Upcoming dates are on the events page.

How do I get a feel for the members before I apply?

Listen to our podcast. It features the network's most successful members telling the story of how they built and sold their companies. Most members are somewhere along that journey, from first-time founder to serial founder, and the episodes show the kind of founder they are learning from.

Is Founders Network a Austin group or a global one?

Global. Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011 and now has city chapters and sector groups around the world, with the largest concentration of members in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Most of the program is online and runs every week: facilitated peer roundtables, live expert sessions, moderated founder forums, and 1-1 introductions to members in any city. Members meet in person at the annual conferences, fnIRL and fnSummit. The Austin chapter adds local meetings on top of that, and they are a small part of the whole. The full program is on the mentoring tracks page.

Who are the members?

Founders of tech startups at every point on the journey, from a first company getting to market to serial founders who have exited. Each is nominated and approved, and what we select for is alignment with the network's values and vision rather than stage or sector. Members join to find customers, raise their first rounds, hire co-founders and early teams, and work through the hard parts of running a company with peers who have done it.

Can Founders Network help me raise money?

Founders Network can make you a more competent and better-connected fundraiser. It can't guarantee funding. The Scale plan is built for founders getting to market and raising seed: 1-on-1 pitch mentoring from VCs, a curated investor directory with warm opt-in introductions, and a pass to fnIRL, the annual San Francisco conference. On every plan you can ask the forums and get introduced to members who have raised at your stage. Plan details are on the membership page. Pricing is shared on approval.

How do I join Founders Network in Austin?

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to an info call with current members. All memberships are annual, and we never take equity.

Not a member yet?

Get an invitation to the community.

Founders Network is an invite-only peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Drop your email — we'll take it from there.

No spam. We review every request individually.