University of Austin today announced a partnership with Capital Factory, Texas’s most active early-stage startup investor and largest community of entrepreneurs. The collaboration is a pillar of UATX's unique blend of tradition and innovation.
UATX faculty, staff, and soon, students, will access Capital Factory's extensive network of events, mentors, and services, nurturing their ventures and linking them to the vibrant Texas startup ecosystem. To solidify these connections and create daily interaction, UATX will house its Office of Entrepreneurship and Leadership (OEL) within Capital Factory's downtown innovation center, located two blocks from UATX’s main campus in the Scarbrough Building at 6th & Congress and serving as an extension of the university’s downtown campus.
"I'm thrilled to see this partnership come to life," said Keri Waters, Chief Innovation Officer at UATX and OEL leader.
"Capital Factory is an incredible resource for entrepreneurs, and I personally experienced their welcoming and inclusive approach when I first arrived in Austin," she continued. "Their ability to curate deep connections with tech and government VIPs while remaining open to everyone is truly unique. I'm confident that our students and faculty will benefit immensely from the proximity and access this partnership provides.”
“Once students hone their critical thinking, knowledge, and communication skills through our Intellectual Foundations program, we're excited to help them translate their big ideas into reality,” Waters said.
Joshua Baer, Capital Factory's founder and a rising civic entrepreneur, called UATX “a cornerstone of Austin’s cultural and intellectual renaissance.”
"No one's a prouder Austinite than I am, and seeing innovative institutions like UATX blossom is the kind of thing we need to stay the best city in the country,” Baer said, adding that Capital Factory is “honored to be a bridge to the Austin technology and entrepreneurship community."
Baer, who teaches a entrepreneurship course at UT Austin that he started with Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe in 2011, says college students should learn to be founders and builders.
Talent in the 21st century “needs to think more like an entrepreneur to be successful at navigating rapid technological change,” he said.
“Regardless of your chosen career path, building your own community, charting your own course, and developing personal agency are essential skills in today’s world,” Baer continued. “UATX can cultivate powerful leaders and entrepreneurs who will start to make a difference while they are still in school."
Visit us at the Startup Crawl During SXSW:
Capital Factory will host its annual SXSW Startup Crawl on Friday, March 8th, at 6 pm at 701 Brazos St. UATX representatives from admissions, OEL, and the Talent Network will be on hand to meet with prospective parents, faculty, and partners.
They’ll be giving away a limited quantity of an exclusive UATX T-shirt designed in partnership with Joshua Baer. This T-shirt, featuring Austin's skyline, Art Deco elements from the Scarbrough building, and logos from both partners, boasts the tagline "Don't just join a university, found one."
Going to the SXSW Startup Crawl? Reserve your free, limited edition T-shirt here.
Learn more about the University of Austin-Capital Factory partnership and sign up for updates here.
Undergraduate applications for UATX's Fall 2024 semester are open at uaustin.org/apply.
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