Some things change, some things don't.
Austin has a long history of social impact entrepreneurs ramping up nonprofits and businesses hoping to create meaningful societal changes, both in local neighborhoods and far-flung villages. You can see it in our grocery stores -- such as Whole Foods and Wheatsville Co-op -- and in the city's environmentally conscious culture and the smattering of nonprofits and think tanks surrounding the Capitol.
That goodwill and dedication to mission has been steady in Austin's recent history. But the city's rapid growth and the explosion of entrepreneurial efforts has changed how startups and nonprofits raise money and approach making an impact.
Now, there's a fast-growing segment of local founders pursuing missions that fall broadly under the social impact umbrella, some of which also generate profits.
“It’s changed significantly," said Zoe Schlag, the managing director of Techstars Impact program who came to Austin in 2014 to found UnLtd USA.
Since her arrival, organizations including Notley Ventures and the Center for Social Innovation, DivInc, True Wealth Ventures and Impact Hub's Austin Impact Accelerator have all taken on increasingly large roles in driving social impact conversations. And they're bringing new funding and attention to tech savvy founders who typically gauge their success more on real world outcomes than revenues.
A few years ago, Schlag's work with UnLtd was folded into the new Techstars Impact program, which draws applications from founders around the globe. At least three startups have decided to make Austin their home or second office after being in the program -- Haven Connect, MR Presta and Troposphere.
Meanwhile, Techstars Impact's $7 million fund, launched in 2017, is almost fully invested in 73 ventures -- and the pipeline is growing.
And, while accelerators and VCs play big roles, Schlag said the growth of city's social impact ecosystem is still clearly founder-driven.
“From a founder perspective, I’m really excited about the number of founders choosing Austin to start their businesses," Schlag said. “To me, that’s indicative of a city that provides a better advantage for them to build their companies."
With that growth in mind, we're highlighting five Austin area social impact startups that we think should be on your radar -- if they're not already. Let's take a closer look.
What They Do: The front door to personalized care: an AI-powered personal assistant that reduces missed appointments and helps vulnerable patients access care. We aim to identify, understand, and overcome any barriers that prevent an individual from reaching the care we all deserve.
Origins: Founded in November 2017 by Jerold McDonald and Ani Bagepalli.
Clients, partners or markets served: Community health providers, medium-sized physician groups and insurers.
Additional reading: Startup's AI-Powered Digital Assistant Aims To Reduce No-Shows To The Doctor (Forbes)
What they do: Using a variety of sensor technologies surrounding work sites, Tropshere Monitoring identifies different types of gas -- propane, butane and others -- to detect methane leaks in real-time and help companies view permitted and non-permitted emissions. This is key, especially in places with a lot of oil and gas activity. At scale, their monitoring could save 1.2 gigatons of CO2 emissions per year. The team also has a product called Clair that identifies impurities in the air in your home.
Origins: Founded in Baltimore in 2018 by CEO Anna Scott, COO Yan Azdoud and CTO Chris Kelley.
Clients, partners or markets served: The company was part of Techstars, Microsoft's Patent Program and the EPA's Smart City Air Challenge.
Additional reading: The team behind WeatherCube air quality monitors formed a new startup (Technical.ly)
What they do: Just is a nonprofit that provides microloans to low-income, female entrepreneurs to help change the narrative about low-income communities and their potential. They do that through trust-based lending, coaching and community engagement. Their loans have been as small as $400, and they go up to $5,000 and beyond.
Origins: Co-founded in 2016 by CEO Steve Wanta.
Clients, partners or markets served: Low-income women entrepreneurs
Additional reading: The Charity Charge Show: EP 18: Steve Wanta – Co-Founder and CEO – JUST (Charity Charge)
What they do: Ceresa's Leadership Accelerator is a 9-month program with mentorship and coaching. It's offered via an online platform that offered through employers or directly to individual leaders. It publishes an online magazine with content about leadership, authenticity and founder interviews. It is also a founding partner with Women@Austin and The Riveter on ERG Connect, which supports women-focused employee resource groups.
Origins: Co-founded in 2017 by CEO Anna Robinson and COO Nicole Tanzillo.
Clients, partners or markets served: It serves women entrepreneurs and leaders. Its participants and mentors include leaders at Kazoo, Bumble, Vrbo, SoFi and Pantheon.
Additional reading: How One Local Entrepreneur is Dedicated to Empowering Women in the Workplace w/ Anna Robinson (Austinpreneur)
What they do: Originally founded in San Francisco, Haven Connect is taking on the lack of affordable housing by providing new avenues to apply for units. Its online platform helps people search for affordable housing and apply to multiple waitlists by auto-filling applications. Meanwhile, it helps property managers more quickly fill vacancies.
Origins: Founded by CEO Caroline Caselli in 2014. It moved to Austin about a year ago.
Clients, partners or markets served: Prospective tenants and landlords in Texas, California, Massachusetts and New York.
Additional reading: Social Impact Startup Relocates to Austin and Raises $2.4M Seed Round (Austin Inno)
