Howdy, Austin.
Welcome to Austin Founders Feed, your weekly behind the scenes peak at the fastest growing entrepreneurship community in the country.
South by Southwest is coming up next week. This is one of the best opportunities all year to network and grow your business in Austin. In this edition we include our list of non-ticket holder events from March 12-18th. Don’t worry, we still have our usual events for this week too!
Exciting news! We are doing our first “micro event” on March 4th from 8-10am (this week). Come meet other local founders and give us feedback on how we can make Austin Founders Feed more useful to you!
There will be free coffee and a surprise gift from us. →→ Sign up here ←←
Here’s everything that’s happening this week:
Top Story - AFF South by Southwest guide
Local News - NODA AI Raised $25M Series A
Say This Not That - Lead with clarity, not reactivity (Special partner discount below)
!New Section! - Resources from Austin Founders Feed
Economic Outlook - The 100 Mile Trail Connecting ATX and SA
AFF Business Directory - Add your business to our database for free exposure!
From City Hall - Updates from 2/24/2026 City Council Work Session
Social Calendar - 51 founder events (links)
Top 4 Featured Events - Special events and discounts for our community
Coffee with Austin Founders Feed (Mar. 4th) - Come join Ken and I at our first micro event! From 8-10 am at the new Teal House Location on I-35 (Free).
Conscious Builders ATX (Mar. 5th) - Sign up now for the early bird discount. Get an additional 10% off with our code “CB10”.
SideHustle Live (Mar. 18th) - $5 off with our exclusive code “AFF5”.
Say This Not That - Online Workshop (Mar. 30) - Only $7 if you use the code “AFF20”. (Tickets are usually $27, this is the biggest discount we’ve been able to get you so far!)
Let’s get to it.
— Warren
This week’s letter is sponsored by The Service Standard.
Interested in sponsoring Austin Founders Feed? Take 30 seconds to fill out this form and tell us about your business.
Local News
📰 SXSW Non-Ticket Holder Guide (Free & Low Cost Events to Grow your Business)
South by Southwest (SXSW) is Austin’s biggest collision of tech, media, startups, music, and culture, and for local business owners it’s one of the rare weeks where the entire city turns into a live networking floor.
Investors, operators, creators, and decision-makers from around the world are suddenly concentrated within a few square miles, which creates outsized opportunities for partnerships, customers, talent, and visibility if you know where to show up.
The best part is that you don’t need a badge to benefit.
Every year, dozens of free and low-cost events pop up around SXSW that are specifically designed for founders and operators who want the upside without the price tag. Below is a link to Austin Founders Feed’s curated list of free and cheap events happening during SXSW week that are actually worth your time.
Many of the events fill up fast, so sign up for the events you’re interested in ASAP.
This Week’s Sponsor
Say This Not That - Online Workshop (Mar. 30)
Austin Founders Feed subscribers get in for only $7 ($20 off with our code “AFF20”)
📍 March 30th - 10 - 11 AM CST @ Online
👉 Reserve your spot here
Say This Not That is a live online workshop for GM’s, AGM’s, and people managers in restaurants, hotels, and service concepts.
Walk away with a conversation framework, scripts for real hospitality situations, a leadership cheat sheet, a notable increase in your confidence, and more control over your emotional reactivity.
Local News
📰 NODA AI Raised $25M to Orchestrate Cross-Vendor Autonomous Systems
Austin-based defense-tech startup NODA AI just raised $25M in Series A funding.
The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Draper Associates, Bloomberg Beta, and Alumni Ventures.
NODA says the funding will help it deepen integrations across 30+ existing platforms and scale it’s orchestration platform.
NODA calls it ‘algorithmic warfare’: coordinating many autonomous systems as one unit.
Right now, AI warfare is siloed; an autonomous ship here, drones there, satellites somewhere else. Most unmanned systems are locked inside original equipment manufacturer ecosystems, creating fragmented capabilities with poor interoperability and low resilience.
And without a unified layer, operators are forced into manual coordination and constant oversight, which doesn’t scale well.
That’s what NODA AI is aiming to solve with their orchestration layer for mixed-vendor fleets.
Their big idea is that everyone’s building better pieces, but they’re building the player.
“The world builds better platforms, tools, and behaviors—the chess pieces. We’re building the world’s best Chess Player.“
As autonomy proliferates, the advantage shifts from hardware to the coordination layer, and NODA AI is betting that Austin is the perfect place to build it.
Resources from Austin Founders Feed
🚨 New Section Alert!
In this brand new section we’ll include all of our resources and announcements that we’re building to help support the AFF community. We’re working hard to aggregate resources that get you closer to your business goals.
Our Top Resources For You:
Austin Founders Feed Business Directory (link) - This is a database of some of the finest local businesses in Austin. Add your business to get on the radar of our 2,300+ founder network. All you have to do is to fill out THIS FORM.
Austin Founders Feed Free Resource Guide (link) - Ken spent 100s of hours putting together 20+ pages of info on grants, educational resources, funding sources, and much more to help you get a competitive edge for your Austin local business.
The Feed
Intimate Group Dinners for Austin Founders Feed Subscribers
Ken and I attended the New Media Summit this weekend and one of the most valuable experiences we had was a small curated dinner. We were paired with other newsletter operators, and we got to learn from each other in a more intimate setting.
We absolutely loved it.
In our experience, it’s quite difficult to network at large events, especially if you don’t already know many people. It was much easier to get to know people in the small dinner (4-6 people), and the conversations led to some great lessons and potential partnerships.
This got us thinking… we could offer this to our Austin Founders Feed community.
Is this something you’d be interested in taking part of?
Economic Outlook
100-Mile Trail Could Connect Austin to San Antonio by 2036
A proposed 100-mile hike & bike trail could link Austin to San Antonio through communities like New Braunfels, San Marcos, Kyle, and Buda, building a continuous “trail spine” through Central Texas.
Beyond recreation, the project is designed to help conserve 50,000+ acres over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, a major drinking water source for the region.
The Great Springs Project estimates the completed trail + related land conservation could generate about $55.9M in annual benefits, driven by visitor spending, transportation savings, and health impacts.
If this corridor gets built out, expect new demand in “trail-adjacent” businesses: hospitality, fitness/wellness, bike/outdoor retail, experiences, and short-term stays, especially in the midpoints like San Marcos and New Braunfels.
From City Hall
City Council Work Session - 2/24/26
Austin’s Homeless Strategies & Operations Office presented its first strategic plan, and opened with several headline results from the last year: 3,000+ people housed, 25% reduction in housing wait times, and the first reduction in “new homelessness” in five years.
Council also dug into how shelter placement works today.
Residents strongly supported a proposed ordinance change targeting chronic racing/engine revving on 2222, including a petition with 1,000+ signatures.
City staff described a proposal to amend an agreement with CapMetro using EPA climate grant funding to enable easier movement between East Austin + downtown.
Networking / Events
Ken will be attending both of these events. He will actually be on stage performing at Side Hustle Live. If you see him, come say hi! He will have a special gift for you. This is what he looks like —> https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenjee/ Conscious Builders ATX (Mar. 5th) - Sign up now for the early bird discount. Get an additional 10% off with our code “CB10”. SideHustle Live (Mar. 18th) - $5 off with our exclusive code “AFF5”. |
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Monday, Mar. 2:
Bill Gurley & Matthew McConaughey: Thrive In a Career You Actually Love - BookPeople - 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM - Hogg Memorial Auditorium, 2300 Whitis Avenue, Austin - Drawing on decades at the forefront of venture capital, leadership, and innovation, Gurley shares hard-won lessons about risk, resilience, ambition, and staying true to your instincts. In conversation with Academy Award–winning actor and fellow Longhorn McConaughey, the two will explore pivotal mistakes, defining moments, and the mindset required to chase meaningful work — and catch it (Paid).
ATX Ecosystem Resources, Updates, Networking, Lightning Pitches, Raffle & More - Austin Startup Meetup - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin - The best “plug-in point” for Austin founders: quick ecosystem updates, lightning pitches for fast feedback, and easy networking with builders (Free).
ATXR: Austin's XR Industry Mastermind - Capital Factory - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Padawan (5th Floor), 701 Brazos Street Austin - This FREE professional mastermind brings together professionals across AR, VR, spatial computing, and 3D platforms to share insights, discuss real-world use cases, and collaborate on what’s coming next (Free).
I.M.P.A.C.T. Innovation in Medtech, Pharma, AI, Clinical Trials - I.M.P.A.C.T. - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM - Austin - A space where stakeholders from every corner of the healthcare ecosystem — including researchers, clinicians, startups, vendors, sponsors, CROs, and innovators — can connect, collaborate, and support each other (Free).
Momentum Monday - Momentum Coworking - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Lazarus on Airport - Quiet, focused productivity sprints broken up by 5 minute breaks for connection (Free).
Central Austin Toastmasters - Toastmasters - 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM - Parish Hall, 2008 Justin Lane, Austin - Join in person or via Zoom to improve your public speaking and leadership skills (Free).
Tuesday, Mar. 3:
Facilitation Lab Austin - Station Austin - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Astro Boy (1st Floor), 701 Brazos Street, Austin - A monthly in-person meetup for changemakers, collaborative leaders, and facilitators across Austin. Their purpose is to foster learning by doing in a psychologically safe environment, building a strong and supportive community of peers across the region (Free).
Austin Happy Hour - Sprig - 5:30 PM - The Eleanor, 307 W 5th St, Austin - A high-signal UX research happy hour with a panel + real discussion—great for meeting researchers and product people who care about craft (Free).
Exclusive Networking Event for Health/Wellness Professionals - Health Hustlers ATX - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - 2043 S Lamar Blvd, Austin - Join us for an evening of meaningful connection and collaboration for anyone who works in the health, wellness, or fitness space here in Austin (Free).
Tech & Tequila Meetup - Blue People - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - ACL (16th Floor), 701 Brazos Street, Austin - A curated experience where technology professionals gather to exchange ideas, hear from trailblazing speakers, and enjoy the rich tradition of tequila tasting. Whether you're a founder, developer, or curious mind, this is your space to grow (Free).
Founder-Led Sales for Startups - Daniel H. and Jorge Garcia - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - 701 Brazos St, 16th Floor, Austin - The goal for early start-ups remains the same - create momentum and generate revenue. In this class, you’ll learn strategies and techniques that you can start applying today (Free).
Pitch Like a Pro Workshop: Storytelling - Brumley Institute for Graduate Entrepreneurship - 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Rowling Hall (UT McCombs), RRH 1.354, 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin - 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Lecture from Holly Tachovsky on best practices for crafting a founder/startup story to engage customers and investors (Free).
Book Club - Austin Product & Strategy - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM - 4300 Speedway Unit 104, Austin - Book club for product techies (Free).
Bitcoin & Coffee - Bitcoin Park Austin - 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM - 2110 S Congress Ave, Austin - Join for coffee, breakfast tacos, and Bitcoin conversation (Free).
Wednesday, Mar. 4:
Coffee with Austin Founders Feed (Local Founders Event) - Austin Founders Feed - 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM - 7313 S I-35 Frontage Rd, Austin - Come enjoy free coffee while meeting other local entrepreneurs. This is the first micro event hosted by Austin Founders Feed (Free)!!
2026 March Startup Coffee Connect - Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM - FAC 101D, 2304 Whitis Ave, Austin - Coffee + breakfast tacos + founder conversations—perfect for low-pressure networking and a fresh set of startup faces (Free).
Join Biggest Community | Investors Founders - Tablon Global - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM - Online - Quick onboarding session if you want to plug into a wider founder/investor network and start booking follow-up calls (Free).
How to Bring your Innovation to the World Stage Without Losing Your House in the Process - Capital Factory - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - 701 Brazos St, Austin - A three hour high-energy workshop on how to commercialize your innovation on the world stage through strategic partners (Free).
VA Networking Happy Hour - The Austin LINKS group - 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM - 1621 West 5th Street, Austin - Join for a fun evening of networking and socializing with indsutry and VA folks (Free).
Cedar Park / Leander / Liberty Hill Business "Coffee Hour" - Networking Local - 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM - 1615 Scottsdale Drive #Building 1 Suite 110, Leander - A free mingle-style business networking event over coffee for "business neighbors" of greater CP/L/LH area (Free).
AI Meetup (March) for GenAI LLMs and Agents - Austin AI Developers Group - 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM - 701 Brazos St, Austin - Join for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and Agents, hands-on experiences on code labs, workshops, and networking with speakers and fellow developers (Free).
AI Automation and Marketing Meetup - AIAM - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Voltron (1st Floor), 701 Brazos Street, Austin - In this session, Gary shares how he moved from AI bootcamp graduate to paid consultant by starting with people in his existing network who trusted him to solve real business problems (Free).
Business Networking | Elevating Your Potential - Strive Networking - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Parlor & Yard, 601 W 6th St, Austin - Network with people with professionals with backgrounds in the arts, finance, tech, real estate, healthcare, and more, good for broad connections (Free).
Small Business Office Hours - Austin Small and Minority Business Resources - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM - 12500 Amherst Drive, Austin - Connect with resources, programs, and services. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and make referrals to available programs and services offered by City departments and local business support organizations (Free).
BizAid Business Orientation - Austin Economic Development - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM - 12500 Amherst Drive, Austin - This class will help you make informed decisions, understand your next steps, and connect with the resources that support long-term business success (Free).
Dinner with Entrepreneurs | Austin (Gold Tier Edition) - Ermantourage - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - East 6th Street, Austin - A cozy dinner with entrepreneurs to network + share experiences! This is for more established entrepreneurs (Paid).
Connecting Business Owners at Live Oak - Business Networking International - 7:45 AM to 9:15 AM - 9600 Escarpment Blvd, Austin - Surround yourself with driven, like-minded professionals who are passionate about business growth and building lasting connections (Free).
Thursday, Mar. 5:
Conscious Builders ATX - Conscious Builders - 6:30 PM to 11:30 PM - 309 E 3rd St, Austin - If you’ve been before, you already know the vibe is something special. And if you haven’t yet, but you’re feeling curious or called… that feeling is probably pointing you in the right direction. Sign up now for the early bird discount. Get an additional 10% off with our code “CB10” (Paid).
Small Business Founder Story: Connor Davis, Serial Entrepreneur - Brumley Institute for Graduate Entrepreneurship - 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Rowling Hall (UT McCombs), RRH 1.354, 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin - Founder story + lessons learned from a multi-business owner—great if you want real-world perspective and a campus-founder crowd (Free).
HERizon Women's Business Mixer - Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - 1506 South 1st Street, Austin - A dynamic networking experience created to empower, connect, and elevate women in business (Free).
Product Happy Hour: South (Opa) - Product HH - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Opa Coffee & Wine Bar, 2050 S Lamar, Austin - Low-pressure product community happy hour—easy to meet PMs and builders and swap what’s working (Free).
Funnel ’26 - SDR Leaders of USA - 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Austin - A rare room for 2nd/3rd-line GTM leaders to talk strategy, profitability, and the next wave of pipeline - with an after-party (Paid).
TEDxSouthCongress Meetup - Capital Factory - 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM - Antones (16th Floor), 701 Brazos Street, Austin - Monthly Circles are designed to deepen community engagement and practical understanding of the TEDx ecosystem. Topics include how to apply to speak at a TEDx event, what happens behind the scenes of a TEDx conference, the intersection of TEDxSouthCongress and the Austin startup community, and many others (Free).
Entrepreneur Networking Event & Business Opportunity - Stacey Lauren - 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM - Online - Gain direct access to business opportunities, exclusive experiences, and powerful connections — all in one room. Whether you're looking to scale your company, expand your network, or discover your next big partnership, this event puts you in the right environment to make it happen (Free).
BSC Lean Success Forum - BSC Success Forum - 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Online - Collaborative Lean discussion for business owners—show up with a challenge, leave with peer feedback and actionable ideas (Free).
Introduction to Startup Law - Buckworths - 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Online - Join for a crash course in navigating the legal maze of startups - it's going to be informative, interactive, and fun (Free)!
Networking Breakfast - Networking Austin - 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM - 5406 Balcones Drive, Austin - Connect, collaborate, and grow your business with like-minded professionals (Paid).
BXN Westlake Networking Luncheon - Business eXchange Network - 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM - 3201 Bee Caves Road, Austin - Connect with fellow professionals, foster business growth, and enjoy the interactive and referral-driven atmosphere of our group (Free).
Buda Networking and Coffee Hour - Business eXchange Network - 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM - 306 S Main St, Buda - Join us for some Networking and Coffee at Nates in Buda! Connect with other professionals and help grow your business (Free).
Friday, Mar. 6:
Angel Speed Dating - Central Texas Angel Network - 9:45 AM to 11:45 AM - 3508 South Lamar Boulevard #300, Austin - If you are a founder looking for 1:1 time with angels in Central Texas, this event is for you (Paid).
Quantum Leap for Business Owners - Jan Lee - 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM - 9606 N Mopac Expy #950, Austin - A reset-style morning session to pause, realign, and design the next move—good if you’re feeling scattered and want clarity (Free).
ACEA North Coffee Chat - Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Association - 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM - 101 W Louis Henna Blvd., Ste. 400, Austin - Enjoy a cup of coffee and morning networking with civil engineering and constructions professionals (Free).
Saturday, Mar. 7:
Cafe Cursor @ UT Austin - Cursor - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM - UT Austin, Austin - Cowork with other Cursor users, get hands-on help from the team, and leave with new workflows (Free).
Founders Running Club Austin - Founders Running Club - 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM - Estacionamiento Edward Rendon Park, 1601-1999 Nash Hernandez Senior Road, Austin - Join founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking (Free).
Software Developer Coffee @ Blue Lacy - Austin iPhone Developer Group - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM - 1825 Mcbee street, Austin - Meet and chat with app developers and other people interested in software development (Free).
Meetup at Buzzmill Coffee E. Riverside - Tech and Trends - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - 1505 Town Creek Dr, Austin - This core purpose of this meetup is fostering a community of people who enjoy intellectually stimulating conversations about the world around us. We talk about tech a lot, like cryptocurrencies and AI, but also topics adjacent, such as politics, economics, and foreign affairs (Free).
South Austin Makerspace Roundtable - South Austin Makerspace - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM - 4477 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin - Get together and discuss ideas about who, what, when, where, why, and the how of a location in South Austin (Free).
Dinner with Entrepreneurs | Austin (Gold Tier Edition) - Ermantourage - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - East 6th Street, Austin - A cozy dinner with entrepreneurs to network + share experiences! This is for more established entrepreneurs (Paid).
Big Ballers: Dinner with Entrepreneurs | Austin (Giving Back Edition) - BarCada - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - Congress Avenue, Austin - Join for a cozy dinner with local entrepreneurs to network, share experiences, & make new connections while giving back to those in need (Paid)!
Sunday, Mar. 8:
Who’s Who of Women Leading and Building ATX (IWD Celebration + Unofficial SXSW GatHERing) - FoundHERs - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM - Austin Central Library (Special Events Center), 710 W Cesar Chavez St, Austin - High-impact International Women’s Day event with 20+ women-led org intros, an SXSW panel, and open networking—perfect for meeting the women shaping Austin’s future (Paid).
Networking With Entrepreneurs And Self Growth Enthusiasts - Have Fun And Be Happy - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM - 13000 North I-35 Frontage Road, Austin - Join to the most consistent meetup group in town (Free).
Meet other Algorithmic Traders, Day Traders, Option Traders and Investors - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - 11920 Domain Dr, Austin - Meet people who are interested in trading or building a career around it, especially algorithmically (Free).
Which event are you going to this week? Hit reply and let us know.
Until next week,
Austin Founders Feed
