Howdy, Austin.
Welcome to Austin Founders Feed, your weekly look behind the curtain at the fastest growing entrepreneurship scene in the country.
Ken had an amazing time at Conscious Builder’s event last week. He even got to meet a few of you! This week he’ll be going to Side Hustle Live on 2/5. If you’re going too, make sure to say hi.
Here’s everything that’s happening this week:
Top Story - How Austin’s Neurophos is taking on NVIDIA
AFF Business Directory - Add your business to our list for free exposure!
Local News - Austin is becoming a TV and film powerhouse
Did you know? - Take advantage of this grant for free employee up-skilling
The Feed - Top 3 handroll spots in Bat City
Social Calendar - 30 founder events (links)
Let’s get to it.
— Warren
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Local News
📰 Austin’s $110M Bet to Take on NVIDIA
Picture this: A multi-billion dollar idea scribbled on the back of a bar napkin.
No, I’m not talking about J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise. I’m talking about Patrick Bowen and Andrew Traverso, two Duke classmates who while grabbing beers, sketched out what might become NVIDIA’s next serious competitor: Neurophos.
They’re attacking the AI energy bottleneck from a totally different angle:
Optical computing — photonic chips.
Instead of relying solely on electrical currents, this approach uses light to move data which is especially advantageous for the intensive matrix operations that dominate AI. This technology can potentially cut the energy and latency required to scale models drastically.
Their bet: an OPU (Optical Processing Unit) that can deliver order-of-magnitude gains up to “100x” lower hardware cost, by compressing today’s GPU-rack-level output into something closer to the power draw of a single GPU.
Recently, Neurophos raised $110M in series A funding to go build this future, right here in Austin. Putting Neurophos’ total evaluation well over billion dollar unicorn territory.
Austin continues to prove that it can fund, house, and supply the talent for companies ambitious enough to take a swing at industry giants like NVIDIA.
This Week’s Sponsor
How AI Chatbots Can Improve Your Sales
How much would 39% more leads be worth to you?
Alex Hormozi preaches speed-to-lead: Respond in 3 minutes or lose the sale.
But you can’t respond to a new lead within 3 minutes when you’re buried in support tickets, stuck in meetings, or sleeping.
What if your AI could?
Join Austin’s Yifat Cohen, founder of NOEM.ai, for a free live workshop where you’ll see exactly how to:
→ Deploy an AI agent across your website, phone, text, and DMs (no code)
→ Qualify leads instantly (Hormozi’s 3-minute rule, automated)
→ Turn customer conversations into real business intelligence
→ Build a business that runs without you watching it
Become the kind of founder who relies on systems, not luck.
📆 Tuesday, February 17th @5PM CT 🎟 Free — Reserve your spot here (free)
Local News
📰 Austin is Becoming a Major Film & TV Powerhouse
Austin’s environment is perfect for startups, tech unicorns, and now film & TV as well.
Austin has it all:
access to high quality talent
blossoming cultural scene
relatively affordable
tax incentives
And now a bill was passed that puts Austin over the edge from an alternative option to a serious film & TV contender.
In 2025 Senate Bill 2025 was signed, which will inject $300M in funding every two years into Texas’ film industry over the course of the decade. This gives Austin the appeal to poach film production projects directly from Hollywood.
Expect explosive growth in this sector.
Poll
Tap your answer below. We want to know how Austin founders are actually using (or not using) all this office space.
Where do you mainly work from right now?
Announcement
Businesses in the Austin Business Directory Report Increased Traffic!
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to grow your business! Join 25+ Austin businesses that are already listed.
The Austin Business Directory (link) is a database of some of the finest local businesses in Austin.
Apply to become part of the Austin Founders Feed network by filling out THIS FORM.
Economic Outlook
Austin Ranked #1 Fastest Growing City in U.S.
Austin is ranked as the #1 fastest-growing U.S. metro area, with population growing by 5.1% and GDP by 14.6% in 2025.
This growth positively impacts Austin’s founder scene in a variety of ways:
increased talent pool
increased consumer demand
increased rate of innovation
Between 2010 and 2020 Austin Metro area exploded, growing by 33% — over 500k people. Many feared this growth would one day evaporate just as fast as it appeared.
But this scenario looks to be out of the equation as we’re seeing sustained growth even in 2025, with these trends looking to only continue strengthening in 2026.
From City Hall
1/15/2026 - Mobility Committee (MOBC)
Big federal money up for grabs for Austin projects. The city is preparing roughly $380M+ in applications to CAMPO for federal mobility funding, plus a new round of Congressional Community Project requests. Even if some projects don’t get funded now, they stay in the pipeline for future grants or bonds. That’s a long runway of infrastructure spend, good news for startups in mobility, construction, data, and any founder betting on Austin’s long-term growth.
200+ neighborhood mobility projects coming in 2026. The 2026 Local Mobility Annual Plan will roll out over 200 projects: intersection safety upgrades, new sidewalks, protected bike lanes, Safe Routes to School improvements, and urban trails, funded by past mobility bonds. Vision Zero projects are already cutting serious crashes by ~38% where they’ve been installed. This means safer, more walkable access for employees and customers and new “hot corridors” to watch for future office or retail locations.
Clearer rules on who fixes what (TxDOT vs City). Austin is updating its Municipal Maintenance Agreement with TxDOT for the first time since 1986, spelling out who maintains highways, frontage roads, sidewalks, lighting, drainage, and underpasses (including on I-35, MoPac, Lamar, etc.). For founders, that means more predictable upkeep on key corridors and clearer expectations if you’re locating offices or projects along state roads.
Did You Know??
Skills for Small Business Program
The Texas Workforce Commission is a state-funded grant program that covers employee training costs for small businesses. It pays tuition and fees for courses (up to $1,800 per new employee and $900 per existing employee) at local community colleges and technical schools.
Eligibility: Businesses in Texas with fewer than 100 employees. The training must be through a public community/technical college or the Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX).
The Feed
Top 3 Handrolls in Austin
I love a nice handroll (temaki). It’s like sushi but less complicated. It’s my favorite lunch — on the go to meetings around town.
These are my 3 favorite handroll spots:
1) Uroko - Great location and even better food. I co-work at the Springdale complex frequently, and this is my favorite lunch bite there. They also offer cooking classes and an Omakase experience. Cannot go wrong here.
2) Little Nishi - A cute, unassuming food truck off of south congress. They have some really bold and unique flavors that I love. I always try their specials.
3) Yuki Handroll Bar - This is a bit higher end, a handroll Omakase (tasting menu). Highest quality ingredients, traditional flavors, and great experience.
Give ‘em a try and let us know what ya think!
— Ken
Networking / Events
Join Austin’s NOEM.ai for a free live workshop on how AI chatbots can improve your sales this upcoming Tuesday, February 17th @5PM CT. |
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Monday, Feb. 2:
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, TX - Best “plug-in point” for the Austin ecosystem: get updates, meet founders, and jump into lightning pitches if you want fast feedback and new connections (Free).
ATXR: Austin's XR Industry Mastermind - ATXR - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 - Community-driven AR/VR mastermind where builders share use cases, test headsets, and collaborate. Ideal if you’re serious about immersive tech in Austin (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, TX - Join in person or via Zoom to improve your public speaking and leadership skills (Free).
Tuesday, Feb. 3:
DeepSeek mHC + Improving Claude Code's Code - Austin Deep Learning - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Capital Factory (Voltron Room, 1st floor), 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX - High-signal journal club for committed ML folks. Come to discuss real papers and get feedback on your implementations (Free).
Founders & Investors Pitch Night Austin - Sartup Valley - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - Higbie's, 720 Brazos St #Ste B-710, Austin, TX 78701 - Live pitches + investor/operator conversations. Great if you want fast feedback and to meet people actively building (Paid).
Founder-Led Sales for Startups - Founder-Led Sales Class for Startups - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Capital Factory (16th Floor), 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX - Hands-on sales training for technical founders. Leave with a talking track, a simple pitch, and a lead plan you can execute immediately (Free).
Monthly Dev Manager Meetup - How 2 Hire Austin - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Domain Area (TBA) - Swap proven hiring and interviewing tactics with other managers. Useful if you’re hiring, leading a team, or leveling up as an operator (Free).
🎾 Pickle & Pints: A Meetup for Austin's Tech and Research Community - Emporia - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Austin, TX - Low-pressure networking through pickleball. Easy way to meet researchers, builders, and operators without “mixer” vibes (Paid).
Bitcoin & Coffee - Bitcoin Park Austin - 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM - The Meteor, 2110 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX - Join for coffee, breakfast tacos, and Bitcoin conversation in a casual setting (Free).
Wednesday, Feb. 4:
AI Meetup (Feb) for GenAI LLMs and Agents - Austin AI Developers Group - 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX - Developer-focused talks + hands-on lab so you don’t just listen, you build and meet other practitioners (Free).
Build Your Business Hub: Notion Systems Workshop - Treya Digital - 5:30 PM 8:00 PM - Online - Build a single Notion HQ for tasks, notes, and projects so execution gets smoother immediately (Free).
AIMUG Monthly Mixer & Showcase - Austin LangChain AI Group (AIMUG) - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - 1218 West Avenue, Austin, TX - Monthly mixer + showcase for AI builders. Learn practical multi-agent workflow patterns and meet collaborators (Free).
AI Tech & Startup Night — Austin - Nomad Global Hub - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - Higbie's, 720 Brazos St #Ste B-710, Austin, TX 78701 - High-energy AI networking night with short intros. Good if you want to meet founders/investors/builders fast (Paid).
Small Business Office Hours - Austin (City/Library) - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM - Cepeda Branch, Austin Public Library, 651 N Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX 78702 - Bring your questions and get unstuck. Fast answers and referrals to local resources (Free).
BizAid Business Orientation (In person at Library) - BizAid - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM - Cepeda Branch Library, 651 N Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX 78702 - Great foundational session on navigating regs, resources, and the city process. Ideal if you’re starting something “real” (Free).
The Journey Within: Culture, Career, and the Courage to Pivot - W.tech ATX - 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Austin - Intimate fireside chat on non-linear careers and redefining success. Great if you’re in a pivot season and want thoughtful community (Paid).
Dinner with Entrepreneurs | Austin (Gold Tier Edition) - Ermantourage - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - East 6th Street - A cozy dinner with entrepreneurs to network + share experiences! This is for more established entrepreneurs (Paid).
Cedar Park / Leander / Liberty Hill "Coffee Hour" - Networking Local - 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM - 1615 Scottsdale Dr Building 1 Suite 110 · Leander, TX - Swing on by, meet your business neighbors and, most importantly, Stay Local! Enjoy great coffee, atmosphere and tacos (Free).
NIAX RevShare Referrals South - Reinventing Networking - NetworkingATX - 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM - Fast Friends Beer Co, 7313 S IH-35 Frontage Rd NB, Austin, TX - Referral-driven networking with a RevShare angle. Good for business owners who want relationship-based deal flow (Free).
Thursday, Feb. 5:
SideHustle LIVE in Austin, TX - SideHustle Entrepreneur Comedy Game Shows - 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM - 2415B E 5th St. Unit B, Austin, TX - Experience the shark-tank-style comedy game show live on stage at Pershing (Paid).
BSC's BOSS TALKS™ Mentoring Forum™ - BSC Success Forum - 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Online - Practical mentoring for artists and small-business owners with real strategies you can apply immediately (Free).
Vertex Dinner Series: Austin - Rainforest - 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar, Austin - Curated, off-the-record dinner with vertical software operators and investors. High-signal convos, no pitches (Paid).
Hack AI - Hack AI - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX - Monthly demos + collaborative hacking session. Perfect if you want to meet builders and work on something together (Free).
BXN - Buda Networking and Coffee Hour - BXN - 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM - 306 S Main St, Buda, TX - Coffee networking with a referral bent. Good for steady local relationship-building (Free).
Friday, Feb. 6:
PEF Austin Monthly Breakfast - February Edition (Every 1st Friday) - PEF Austin - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM - 1814 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin - Members-only breakfast for exited founders. Excellent for high-quality conversations and operator-level insight (Paid).
Saturday, Feb. 7:
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, TX 78702 - Join founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking (Free).
Dinner with Entrepreneurs | Austin (Gold Tier Edition) - Ermantourage - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - East 6th Street - 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 - Join for a cozy dinner with local entrepreneurs to network, share experiences, & make new connections while giving back to those in need (Paid)!
Sunday, Feb. 8:
Networking With Entrepreneurs And Self Growth Enthusiasts! - Communith of Friends - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM - Panera Bread, 13000 N IH-35 Service Rd (Building 20), Austin, TX - A relaxed dinner-style networking night for entrepreneurs and growth-minded people. Great for making warm connections that turn into real friendships and collaborations (Free).
P.S. Both Ken and I will be at the New Media Summit Feb 26-27. We managed to snag a promo code: “KEN20” for 20% off.
If you can make it, be sure to come say hi!
Last Week’s Poll Results
Do you want to see more local founder interviews?
Which event are you going to this week? Hit reply and let us know.
Until next week,
Austin Founders Feed
