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Howdy, Austin.
Welcome to Austin Founders Feed, your weekly look at what’s going on behind the scenes in the city’s startup scene.
If you’re a founder building in Austin and want to stay in the loop, you’re in the right place.
Here’s what’s inside this week:
Top Story - Austin’s delivery robots take over downtown
Interview with Conscious Builders - What makes Austin a builder’s dream
AFF Business Directory - Add your business to our list for free exposure!
Poll - Would you like to be featured next??
Did you know? - Free accounting/finance help
The Feed - Austin’s new founders watering hole
Social Calendar - 53 founder events (links)
Let’s dive in.
— Warren
Local News
📰 Your Uber Eats Driver Is A Robot
You may have seen fancy coolers with wheels and smiley faces rolling around town and thought, “What the f*** are those?”
Meet Avride’s autonomous food delivery robots.
Now cruising all over downtown Austin, each little unit can carry up to 6 large pizzas plus drinks with a delivery range 1-2 miles.
It runs on 3 layers of sensors:
Advanced lidar - for 3D mapping
Cameras - to identify colors and details
Ultrasonic sensors - for immediate collision alerts
With this stack, it can safely navigate streets and sidewalks, adapting to changes in the environment at a moments notice.
So you can kiss your awkward delivery driver interactions goodbye… No more tips. No more late food arriving cold. No more missing french fries. Just enter your delivery code, grab your food from the robot and bounce.
Avride’s partnered with Uber and so far they’ve logged over 10M+ miles while also building:
$54.3M ARR
$475M funding
200 employees
This is proof that Austin isn’t just a place to launch, it’s a live testing ground where you can put hard tech on live streets, rack up millions of reps, and prove your product works.
Local News
📰 Conscious Builders Founder Spotlight
This week Ken got the chance to sit down with Nate Ginsburg, founder of the Conscious Builder community. During their conversation, Nate revealed what it takes to build a valuable community, and why Austin is the perfect place to do it.
Their next event is Jan 29th! RSVP here (link).
Ken: So Nate, what is a conscious builder?
Nate: A conscious builder is someone who builds with intention. It’s not just about creating something successful, but about how you do it and who you do it with. It means valuing the people involved, the process, and the broader impact of what you’re building, not just the end result.
Ken: How did you get your start with Conscious Builders? What’s the background?
Nate: The short version is that I wanted more real community in Austin. I’d spent time in both builder-focused spaces and more conscious or personal-growth spaces, and I saw strengths and weaknesses in both. The idea was to take the best parts of each and bring them together. We launched the first event about a year ago, and it worked right away. The turnout was strong, the energy was great, and since then we’ve just stayed consistent. Each event has grown in momentum, quality of people, and overall vibe.
Ken: Why is Austin the right place for this? What makes it special?
Nate: Austin is in a unique moment. It’s been attracting people from everywhere for years, which creates a lot of fresh energy. Many people here are new, open, and actively looking to meet others and build connections. It’s not a city where everyone already has their fixed social circles. There’s an openness and optimism that makes it easier for something like this to take root and grow, and Conscious Builders fits naturally into that energy.
Ken: What advice would you give to someone building a value-driven or conscious business?
Nate: I really believe in the idea of conscious capitalism, which is that a business needs to create value for all stakeholders to be sustainable. That includes employees, customers, the community, and the owners. If one of those groups is consistently losing, the system eventually breaks down. The strongest businesses are the ones that create real value across the entire ecosystem, not just in one place.
Ken: What’s one trend in the Austin founder scene that excites you right now?
Nate: Austin has a different feel compared to places like New York, LA, or SF, which can be more transactional. Here, people are more open and genuinely interested in connecting as humans, not just as opportunities. That energy shows up in the founder scene too. One thing I hear a lot is that people are surprised when they come to a Conscious Builders event. Builders expect something stuffy and professional and are surprised by how fun and real it is. People from conscious communities expect something ungrounded and are surprised to find thoughtful, capable people doing real work. We seem to sit in a really healthy middle ground, professional but not stiff, conscious but grounded.
Poll
Tap your answer below. How did you like the interview with Nate from Conscious Builders this week? Would you like to be featured next?
Announcement
20+ Businesses Listed in the Austin Business Directory!
Don’t miss out on a free opportunity to grow your business!
The Austin Business Directory (link) is a database of some of the finest local businesses in Austin.
Apply to join the Austin Founders Feed network by filling out THIS FORM.
Economic Outlook
Austin vs Miami
Austin
Housing: 3% above avg.
Utilities: 4% below avg.
Groceries: 2% below avg.
Transportation: 5% below avg.
Median Household Income: 16% above avg.
Startup Density: 46% above avg.
Miami
Housing: 59% above avg.
Utilities: 5% above avg.
Groceries: 3% above avg.
Transportation: 1% above avg.
Median Household Income: 12% below avg.
Startup Density: 85% above avg.
From City Hall
1/14/2026 (What Actually Matters for Founders)
City finances are stable but cautious. FY25 general fund revenue came in slightly above estimate and spending slightly below, adding ~$3.6M to reserves, but sales tax is basically flat and development-related revenue is down, so the city’s not in crisis, but it’s not in “big new programs” mode either.
Traffic calming works, but money for it is basically tapped out. The audit found Austin’s speed cushions and traffic-calming projects reliably reduce speeds, but existing bond funds for those projects are already allocated, and the city is being pushed to get more data-driven and cost-efficient with what’s left.
Huge demand for neighborhood safety upgrades, limited capacity to deliver. The city gets around 1,200 traffic-calming requests a year, far more than staff and funding can handle, and speeding enforcement has dropped sharply (speeding citations down ~90% since 2015) due to APD vacancies, so expect continued neighborhood pressure and future policy/funding shifts around Vision Zero and street safety.
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Did You Know??
Free Small Business Accounting + Finance Help
If you’re struggling with bookkeeping, cash flow, or how to actually get funded, the Texas State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers no-cost, confidential 1:1 advising for small businesses in our region.
Their advisors help with:
Business accounting & budgeting
Cash flow management
Financing / capital and loan packaging
Business planning and strategy
All funded through the SBA and the State of Texas, so you’ve basically already paid for it with your taxes.
Check it out here.
The Feed
Austin’s Most Anticipated Founders Watering Hole
Leona Botanical Cafe & Bar is the most ambitious hospitality project Austin has seen in years. Set on five acres in Sunset Valley, the space blends a coffee shop, a cocktail bar, and an open-air park with multiple food counters tucked among preserved trees and newly planted gardens. It’s being developed by Lakana and Justin Trubiana of Dee Dee and sisters Reyna and Maritza Vázquez of Veracruz All Natural. These two teams first met as neighboring food truck operators and later decided to build something bigger together. Instead of separate brick-and-mortar spots, they partnered on a shared destination anchored by a central cafe and bar, with rotating food concepts including Bun Bun Burger and an emphasis on creating a place people could linger.
The vision pulls directly from the founders’ roots. Lakana grew up in rural Thailand, where gardens and cooking went hand in hand, while the Vázquez sisters scaled Veracruz from a single truck into one of Austin’s most recognizable local brands. Their shared idea was a modern outdoor marketplace surrounded by nature. First announced in early 2024, Leona quickly became one of the city’s most talked-about restaurant projects, with renderings fueling anticipation as construction and permitting stretched the timeline into a November 2025 opening. The long runway only heightened expectations around what this kind of experience-driven campus could become.
Since opening, Leona has attracted a steady crowds and constant online buzz. Guests regularly praise the setting and atmosphere, while some early reviews flag the operational hiccups typical of large launches. The overall tone from the community so far has leaned hopeful rather than euphoric. Whether Leona ultimately becomes a durable Austin institution is still an open question. Big hospitality bets take time to settle, and this one will be judged over years, not months.
— Ken
Networking / Events
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Monday, Jan. 26:
The Unofficial Future Titans Cocktail Kickoff - Breakers + Rock Yard Ventures + Citizens Private Bank + Juniper Square - 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM - Canje, 1914 E 6th St Ste C, Austin, TX 78702 - High-signal venture crowd (GPs/LPs/founders) in a social setting. Easy place to spark real follow-ups over drinks (Paid).
6 Weeks to Success: Build Real Career & Product Leverage in the AI Era - Austin Idea to IPO - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Online - A structured 6-week cohort to ship a real AI-native workflow/product and build leverage fast (not just “learn AI”) (Free).
SMB Land Meetup: January 26th Happy Hour - SMB Land - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Cosmic Saltillo, 1300 E 4th St, Austin, TX - Relaxed happy hour with operators/investors/buyers. Great for finding your “first domino” and meeting people who actually do deals (Free).
Solopreneur Life – Myths Busted, Readiness Tested, Freedom Designed - Chris Lopez (Foundation Series) - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Austin, TX - Reality-check + practical playbook for building a one-person business with AI tools. Good if you want structure and community accountability (Free).
Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback - Austin Startup Founder 101 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM - Online - Low-stakes way to test your pitch and get real-time feedback from people who’ve built before (Free).
How to Bring your Innovation to the World Stage Without Losing Your House in the Process - Behr & Associates (via Capital Factory) - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 - High-energy workshop on commercialization + partnerships. Designed to give you a proven approach without burning cash (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, Jan. 27:
Scrappy Startups Meetup - Scrappy Startups - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 - Founder-friendly networking with structure (intros + focused discussions) plus free food/drinks. Easy place to meet builders (Free).
How AI hype is reshaping developer and maker communities - PyLadies ATX - 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM - Turnstile Bar & Restaurant, 10025 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX - A real convo (not fluff) on how builders are using AI in practice. Great if you want ideas you can apply immediately (Free).
Women In Business Networking Night - Creative Collective x Parlor Social Club - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Creative Collective ATX, 2505-A E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702 - Curated circles + vendor showcase for genuine connections (not spray-and-pray networking) (Paid).
official FT26 after-event - Rock Yard Ventures + Carta (FT26) - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Austin, TX - Post-summit hang for VCs/LPs/angels. Good for relationships without the pitch-theater vibe (Paid).
ACM Austin + IEEE Tech Talks | January Meetup - ACM Austin + IEEE - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - The Center for Government & Civic Service, 1218 West Ave Bldg 3000, Austin, TX 78701 - Solid technical talks (AI/cloud/security) + a room full of engineers and serious builders (Free).
How to make money with newsletters - Ethan Brooks - 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Austin, TX - If you’re writing in 2026, this is a shortcut: clear monetization models + what to do first so you don’t stall out (Paid).
ACM/IEEE Austin: New Year Tech Talks & Community Showcase - ACM Austin + IEEE - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - CGCS (ACC Rio Campus) Bldg #3000, 1218 West Ave, Austin, TX - Practical talks + a strong technical crowd for real peer connections (Free).
AITX Monthly Meetup - AITX - 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM - Antler VC, 800 Brazos St #340, Austin, TX 78701 - Demos from local AI teams + founder-friendly networking. Great for staying plugged into what’s actually being built (Free).
Optimizing Instagram Bios for Small Businesses - The Courage Blueprint (Paula Shepherd) - 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM - 603 W Goforth Rd, Buda, TX 78610 - Quick tactical session to tighten your IG bio for search + conversion without getting lost in marketing jargon (Paid).
From Idea to Start-up: 1 Day Entrepreneurship Course in Austin, TX - (Organizer not listed) - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Regus (Dobie Center), 2021 Guadalupe St #Suite 260, Austin, TX 78705 - A full-day crash course to go from idea → plan → execution with frameworks you can reuse for future projects (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).
LinkedIn Local Austin Networking at The iPic Theater - LinkedIn Local Austin Networking - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - IPIC Theaters, 3225 Amy Donovan Plaza, Austin, TX - Join for an evening of networking, at a unique venue offering both premium dining and entertainment. Perfect for connecting with fellow professionals in Austin (Free).
Austin SaaS & AI Founder Happy Hour - RevStar - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - 11501 Rock Rose Avenue #100 Austin, TX 78758 - Join Austin’s top SaaS founders, AI entrepreneurs, & C-suite tech leaders at Haywire for a tactical happy hour (Free).
Wednesday, Jan. 28:
Austin EVO VC & Startups in Otopia Rooftop Lounge - EVO VC & Startups - 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM - Otopia Rooftop Lounge, 1901 San Antonio St Unit 1100, Austin, TX 78705 - Founder/investor networking with a “quality > quantity” vibe. Good for real conversations and follow-ups (Free).
Austin Robotics & AI - Austin Robotics & AI - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - HICAM, 6201 Quinn Luke Trail, Austin, TX - Local robotics/AI talk + networking. Great if you want to meet technical builders working on real systems (Free).
Claude Code Meetup Austin - Place To Stand Agency + Anthropic - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Austin - Bring-your-laptop meetup for people exploring AI-assisted coding. Good if you want to swap workflows and see live demos (Free).
Moontower Society Presents: Scott Hickle - Moontower Society - 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM - Robert B. Rowling Hall, Austin - Founder talk + real lessons from hardware/AI startup building. Useful if you like learning from real founder stories (Free).
Planting the SEED: Journeys in Impact Entrepreneurship & SEED Kick-Off - UT McCombs / SEED - 5:45 PM to 7:15 PM - Rowling Hall (UT Austin) 300 W MLK Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78705 - Meet impact founders and get ideas for turning big problems into real businesses (plus a community entry point) (Free).
Boozyless: N/A Happy Hour (founders) - The Red Fridge Society - 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM - The Red Fridge Society, 508 Oakland Ave, Austin, TX 78703 - Founder social without alcohol. Easy way to meet people and actually remember the conversations (Free).
AI Won't Wait. Neither Should You. (Free Masterclass) - AI for Business (Austin) - 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM - Online - Practical framework for turning AI experiments into adoption + ROI. Good if you’re tired of hype (Free).
Secret LinkedIn Algorithm Hacks to Dominate in 2026! - Network After Work - 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM - Online - Tactical session if you want more reach this year and you’re willing to test what actually moves the needle (Free).
BXN North - Weekly Networking Luncheon - BXN - 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM - Casa do Brasil, 10515 N Mopac Expy NB, Austin, TX - A consistent referral-style lunch. Best if you want relationships compounding in Austin (Free).
Meet Your Co-Founder - Reuneo Match Networking - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - 701 Brazos St, Austin, TX - A structured speed networking event to find your startup's missing piece. This is not a random social mixer (Free).
Rise & Thrive: Connecting Business Owners at Live Oak BNI - BNI - 7:45 AM to 9:15 AM - Waterloo Ice House Escarpment, 9600 Escarpment Blvd, Austin, TX - Morning, high volume networking event (Free).
Founder's Circle 2026 - Lupita McGregor & Shelley Dahlman - 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM - Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Austin, TX 78701 - Join a supportive network for founders to connect, share experiences, and discuss strategies to keep pushing forward (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).
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).
Thursday, Jan. 29:
Conscious Builders ATX - Conscious Builders ATX - ****6:30 PM to 11:30 PM - 309 E 3rd St, Austin, TX 78701 - ******Expect brand activations, live art, bodywork, and vibes that feel more like family than “networking” (Paid).
ONLINE EVENT: Q4 2025 - Marshall Reddick Mortgage Fund—Investor Call - Austin Real Estate Investing (Education & Mentoring) - 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Online - Straight-to-the-point investor call for accredited investors evaluating the fund and strategy (Free).
2026 State of Texas Startups & VC - FI Texas - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM - Austin, TX - Panel + ecosystem intel for early-stage founders. Good for trends, resources, and where money/attention is moving in 2026 (Paid).
Austin Startup and Tech Fall Mixer - BuildNScale - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Higbie’s, 720 Brazos St Ste B-710, Austin, TX - Paid mixer built for meeting clients/partners/cofounders. Good if you want intentional business connections fast (Paid).
Women in Tech Austin - Women in Tech Austin - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Higbie’s, 720 Brazos St #Ste B-710, Austin, TX 78701 - Big-room networking. Go if you want volume and lots of new faces in one night (Paid).
Austin Tech Mixer 2026 - Austin Tech Mixer - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Higbie’s, 720 Brazos St #Ste B-710, Austin, TX 78701 - Another high-volume tech mixer. Useful if your goal is meeting lots of people quickly (Paid).
Founders After Five - DivInc - 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Remedy Bar, 360 Nueces St, Austin, TX 78701 - Friendly monthly mixer for founders and supporters. Easy place to make a few real connections (happy hour pricing helps) (Free).
Austin Business Owners: Cut Marketing Costs 60% + Free Drinks - ABN: Co-Op Marketing & Growth - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - W 6th St, Austin, TX - Casual launch party for builders/freelancers/agency folks. Good if you want early-member relationships and recurring community (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).
Real Estate Virtual Coffee Mastermind - Texas Real Estate Investment Education - 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM - Online - Weekly mastermind with quick training + breakout rooms. Good for meeting investors and leaving with follow-up contacts (Free).
Austin International Founders Meetup - IFN-ATX - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Capital Factory, ACL Room (16th floor), 701 Brazos St · Austin, TX - If you’re an international founder, immigrant entrepreneur, or building a global startup in Austin, this community is for you (Free).
Friday, Jan. 30:
Lean Operations Essentials for Startups & SMEs – 1 Day Training - Mangates - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Regus (Dobie Center), 2021 Guadalupe St #Suite 260, Austin, TX 78705 - Learn lean tools to cut waste and tighten ops. Great if you want a cleaner system for execution as you scale (Free).
Validate Your Startup Idea with Canvas: 1 Day Course - Mangates - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Regus (Dobie Center), 2021 Guadalupe St #Suite 260, Austin, TX 78705 - One-day sprint to pressure-test your idea, map competitors, and leave with clear MVP next steps (Paid).
Saturday, Jan. 31:
Tech Networking, Austin @ Upgrade Labs - Techfluence Austin - 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM - Upgrade Labs, 1611 W 5th St, Austin, TX - Meet engineers/founders/AI + health-tech folks and get hands-on demos of legit equipment, easy conversation starter built in (Paid).
VC Connect and Networking Event- Austin - Primewise Founders Club Austin - 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM - Online - A high-impact opportunity for early-stage founders to pitch directly to active venture capital investors (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, 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)!
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
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Until next week,
Austin Founders Feed
