With multiple days of programming planned at Capital Factory during SXSW, you can imagine the impact on the AFWERX team when the city of Austin understandably canceled large gatherings due to concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19. Despite the sudden setback, the team quickly adapted and got to work on re-imagining Spark Collider into an 8-hour live-streamed event. With the event to begin in 48 hours, the AFWERX team with support from Capital Factory staff were able to create an event that attracted 5,000 virtual viewers- which was 4x the number of people expected to attend the actual in-person event. Learn how the event all came together from Capital Factory's Senior Programs Manager, Maryann Alspaugh, and AFWERX members Adam Welch and Tony Perez. 

From a school project to a full-fledged business, Pandata Tech is making sure that the data you capture is processed and validated in mere minutes. Co-founder Jessica Reitmeieter has built a business that improves your companies data capture in real-time and reduces the overall false positives or negatives that other management systems struggle with. Jessica walked us through her entrepreneurial journey from Canada, her college co-op, to the creation of Pandata Tech.

Sebastian Long has heard so many horror stories from friends over the years when using Airbnb, VRBO, and other vacation rental apps. Born and bred into the hospitality business, Sebastian has had years of training and experience to build Lodgeur into the ultimate vacation rental for frequent travelers. Lodgeur offers stylish and comfortable rentals for travelers that feel like home. If it's for a long or short stay, Lodgeur is introducing a new type of experience.

Founded on the vision of shaping the future of computing, David Zakariaie and his team at Senseye are building the way humans and computers interact with each other. Founded in 2015, Senseye provides products that connect the user to the tech and future-proofs your business in order to keep your assets safe and secure. David sat down with Gordon Daugherty, President of Capital Factory, to chat about the cutting-edge tech Senseye is working on and they're unique sensory interface technology that is directly linked to the brain from a computer via the eye.

Bad things happen every day. A lot of the times you hear different things in the news but they don't really capture the full effect of everything going on. In the first few months of 2020, there has been increased violent behavior on college campuses. Pocket punch is looking to make a change with a four-in-one self-defense device. Founded by five female college students at the University of Texas at Austin, Sydney Marvin and Ashley Raymond chatted with Nick Spiller about the story behind Pocket Punch and how they are empowering individuals to be in charge of their own safety.

Going to the gym can be intimidating and stressful. What if you could get the same workout at home or at your office that fits right into your schedule? Kanthaka is a marketplace for personal trainers where you can schedule highly vetted personal trainers for whenever you want to sneak in that daily workout. Sylvia Kampshoff started Kanthaka 2 years ago in Houston and is now nationwide with over 15 cities and more to come! Sylvia sees the future of Kanthaka to be the go-to, accessible app for anyone wanting to live a healthy and fit life.

In 2020 our word of the year is “Houston” and our goal is to achieve the same scale and synergies we have in Dallas with a unique Houston angle to it. On January 29th, Capital Factory official announced that it has merged with Station Houston and will be the first member of The Ion with Rice University and Houston Exponential! Gordon Daugherty traveled to Houston to chat with Gabi Rowe, Executive Director and CEO of The Ion to talk about what the merger means for the Houston Startup Ecosystem and a preview of what's to come with the Ion's new building.

Whether you're starting a business or looking for your next project, having a mentor is extremely important. Having a person that can tell you the hard truths and tell you when you're wrong about something can help you grow both professionally and personally. Maia Donohue, author of The Startup Mentor, sat down with Gordon Daugherty to talk about her new book, the relationship between a mentor and mentee, and personal experiences with mentorship.

With only a week to go until SXSW kicks off on Friday, March 13th with the Startup Crawl, we had the chance to catch up with Hugh Forrest, the Chief Programming Officer of SXSW to hear all about the new tracks, panels, and session that will be happening this year! If you have not signed up, be sure to register for the SXSW Startup Crawl with a group of friends and tour the latest and greatest of Austin's startup community. Also, be sure to listen to the previous episode recorded with Hugh from SXSW 2019 here.

In the early 2000s, Justin Siegel and his best friend didn't want to work for other people anymore and saw an opportunity for making mobile games. Fast-forward 20 years, Justin is now the co-owner of NRG Esports— a massive global esports organization with teams in Call of Duty and Overwatch that include investors such as Jennifer Lopez, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Strahan. Find out how Justin went from creating mobile games to earn some extra cash to helping run one of the most popular esports organizations in the world.