Austin's economic growth has continued on the upswing through 2019, so far. And it continues to draw top global tech talent.
It's also fertile ground for launching startups, with an new venture firms and funds, as well as robust accelerators and coworking spaces. This abundance of people with big ideas and in-demand skills means there’s a ton of hiring going on within the tech community — as well as occasional layoffs.
We’ve rounded up the the most interesting moves of October below. And you can get more of this type of information on the regular by subscribing to our daily newsletter, the Beat.
Here we go ...
Locally based cryptocurrency venture fund Multicoin Capital added former Google project manager Tony Sheng to its investment team, according to a company blog post. He’ll be based in Los Angeles.
Phunware, an Austin-based mobile app and enterprise software company, laid off 18% of its workforce -- or 21 people, according to SEC filings. The company says that its contract with Fox Networks Group came to an end on Sept. 30, though it still has services agreement with Fox. The contract had represented 42% of Phunware’s net revenues last year.
Locally based chip and software maker Silicon Labs announced Megan Lueders as its new CMO. She was previously VP of worldwide marketing at Austin’s Lifesize and CMO at Zenoss.
Spindletop Capital Management, an Austin growth equity firm focused on health care, appointed Jim H. Henry to its advisory board. He joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1981 and was recently managing partner of the San Francisco area for the company.
Elsewhere Partners, an Austin venture capital firm, announced it hired Josh Stephens, former VP of technology at SolarWinds, as its CTO, a newly created position. He has been an operating advisory with Elsewhere since 2015, and he has advised startups including Vyopta, ActivTrak and BurstIQ.
Austin-based brand experience design firm Accomplice announced Craig Mathe would join its team as executive VP. He was previously VP of operations at Austin’s T3, and he has also worked at Frog and Razorfish. The hire comes after Accomplice recently acquired Design & Manufacturing and Spatial Cinematics.
Favor, the locally based on-demand delivery company acquired by H-E-B last year, added Marisa Pryor as director of CRM. She was previously director of customer marketing at Pier 1 Imports, and before that she was global director of CRM at Whole Foods Market.
Karen DeSalvo, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School and former Obama administration health official, has been hired as Google‘s first ever chief health officer. She’ll start later this year along with former FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, who is leading Google’s health and strategy policy, CNBC reported.
Next Coast Ventures, an Austin venture capital firm, has added Zaz Floreani as a principal. She was previously VP of corporate development at Austin startup Dropoff. Before that, she worked at Spredfast (now called Khoros) on M&A efforts, and she was also previously director of business development at Austin Ventures.
Medici, a local virtual health care startup that helps connect patients and docs for text, call and video, added several people to its advisory board. They include: former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell; U.S. Marine Mark Geist (memeber of team that fought the Battle of Benghazi), Seal Team Six member Rob O'Neill (who may have fired the shot that killed Osama Bin Laden), and Omar Avila, a former military member who was badly wounded in Iraq and is one of the world's strongest athletes.
Austin tech consultant Sam Wood was named director of consulting services for recruiting firm The HT Group. Wood was previously principal at Waterloo Technology Consulting.
