Everything you need to know to break into the Austin tech scene

The most frequently cited statistic in Austin might be that more than 150 people move here every day. The exact number fluctuates based on who you ask and how you measure it, but the bottom line is there are always plenty of newcomers trying to find their away around.

If you’re one of them, take heart: The following is a guide to the Austin tech landscape.

Tech news

Tech is a time-honored tradition in Austin, so it’s no surprise entire media outlets have cropped up here to cover it. Those include independent publications like Silicon Hills News, Techzette and Built In Austin, as well as the local subsidiaries of corporations like Advance Publications, which owns the Austin Business Journal and Austin Inno, and 512tech, the tech reporting arm of the Austin American-Statesman. You can also count on Texas Tech Pulse to keep you posted on the latest breaking headlines and announcements.

Online communities

Tech Jobs

Check out the Built In Austin job board.

Events, meetups and groups

Beyond the annual hurricane of SXSW Interactive (maybe you’ve heard of it), there are plenty of events in Austin to keep you connected to the local tech scene.

The big ones are the semi-annual Startup Games (which we love to cover), the Austin Startup Crawl, which tends to coincide with major tech events such as SXSW and Austin Startup Week and 3-Day Startup.

Built In Austin hosts and sponsors a number of recurring events to help Austin tech stay connected, find new jobs and unwind after hours. The main one is our Built In Brews series, but we also host recruiter panels and job fairs like Startup Connect.

There’s a whole section of our site devoted to the best events in Austin tech. Every Monday morning, we pick five that look fun and interesting, and post them in a roundup like this one. Here are some of our favorite sources:

Lynn Bender maintains a list of monthly meetups at GeekAustin.org, an entity Bender founded in 1999 to serve the local tech community with events and workshops.
The Tech^map hosts a series call Co-Founders Monthly Pitches at Capital Factory. It’s a good way to discover early-stage startups and get a shot at pitching your own.
Austin Inventopreneurs

Meetups

Intro to the Austin Tech Startup Scene: Capital Factory founder Josh Baer holds open office hours every Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Startup Grind Austin: Monthly speaker series featuring local entrepreneurs. Members: 1,537.
General Assembly Austin: This global network of coding campuses makes it easy to keep track of their events in this Meetup group, which includes a mix of paid workshops and free info sessions.
Galvanize does the same thing. Their Meetup group is called Learn to Code Austin.
Open Austin focuses on open government and civic technology issues, inviting its nearly 600 members to work on compelling public interest projects and hear guest speakers address issues such as police body cameras, accessible user interface design and consumer protection.
Feminist Hack ATX takes a huge part of tech’s diversity problem head on with its aim to provide “actionable resources for the Austin tech community to combat sexism and support the retention and leadership of women in our industry.” The group, led by recruitHER co-founder Dr. Gina Helfrich, frequently hosts happy hours, open coffees and classes.

Incubators/Accelerators

Techstars Austin connects area startups with its national network of advisors and investors, and also shares its wealth of wisdom with office hours throughout the week.

Startup Runner leans heavily on the mentorship model, guiding young startups through the process of developing a marketing strategy and acquiring customers. It announced today it’s joining WeWork, where it will operate its program in coordination with WeWork Labs.

Capital Factory calls itself the entrepreneurial center of gravity in Austin. There’s no denying it’s a popular spot, with a central location, cool coworking space and a packed schedule of events. Its accelerator program offers mentorship and investments for just two percent equity in your company.

Coding schools

Our list includes eight places offering intensive training to get you started — or out of a rut — on your self-guided search for a new career in tech.

Of those, General Assembly and The Iron Yard frequently host free events and happy hours with course samples and networking. Look out for those on our events calendar, and take advantage when you can — it’s the best way to get to know the schools and communities of developers and entrepreneurs that surround them.

Coworking

Sparefoot published a thorough guide a few years ago that includes Austin coworking spaces of all sizes and styles. Since then, a few big names have emerged as leaders in the market, such as Galvanize and WeWork, which each offer convenient space downtown at competitive rates. So does Capital Factory.

As demand grows for open and flexible workspace, some have launched to accommodate specialized work needs. Open Source Coworking (pictured above) caters to developers and engineers who need a quiet place to focus without the boisterous, collaborative vibe found elsewhere. HeLiX Coworking Lab is being developed by MedtoMarket to give engineers and entrepreneurs a place to develop products for the healthcare and life science industries.

Funding

A big part of the reason Built In Austin exists is to help local tech startups succeed. So here’s a quick guide to what VC firms are looking for in your pitch.

And here’s a list of some local venture capital groups. We’re not affiliated with any of them, and this list is by no means complete or ranked. But it should give you an idea of the landscape.

You’ll find many more on Austin Startup List’s directory of VC firms.

Food

Tacos

They’re the lifeblood of Austin tech, almost literally. If you aren’t into them, you will be, and they’re everywhere, so you won’t need our help finding them. But here’s a truck we love: Vera Cruz.

BBQ

Franklins BBQ We mean business when it comes to barbecue in Austin. Here are the spots you have to try.

Micklethwait. 1309 Rosewood Ave.
La Barbecue. 1906 E Cesar Chavez.
Franklin’s (pictured above). 900 E. 11th St. Be prepared to wait.
Freedmen’s. 2402 San Gabriel St.
Salt Lick. Don’t be a dummy and have it at the airport. The real deal is a 30–45 minute drive from downtown, out in Driftwood. But it’s worth the trip. Pro tip: Shoot for mid-afternoon on a weekday for a shorter wait.

Did we miss something? Tell us or tweet @BuiltInAustin.