The coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves through tech startup ecosystems across Texas and around the globe. While several fast-rising startups have been laying off talented team members, others are gearing up to hire.
Austin-based venture capital firm S3 Ventures is right in the mix of it. Like many firms, it has seen portfolio companies go through painful cutbacks and layoffs. Meanwhile, several startups they've invested in are on the hunt for top talent.
So, the VC firm has launched the S3 Ventures Talent Network. At a glance, it has the basics of a job board. But it's curated in that it includes only startups it has backed, which puts it in good position to provide warm introductions.
"Despite the recent wave of layoffs at local startups like ScaleFactor and GoDaddy, several VC-backed startups continue to grow and hire in the Covid world -- as the adoption of digital tools is accelerating in many cases," Joe Curry, a senior associate at S3 Ventures, said via e-mail.
The job board has 80-plus openings across 16 companies. Of those, 34 jobs are in Texas -- with 19 in Austin at startups including BrainCheck, Interplay Learning and Chrono.gg.
Meanwhile, Plano-based digital banking startup Alkami has 14 jobs listed. The site also directly reaches out to companies that may be laying off employees, inviting them to connect as a way to help those laid off transition to new startups.
S3 Ventures is among several VC firms that have created job boards. For example, Silverton Partners' job board shows 132 jobs across 24 companies, including 84 in Austin and five in Dallas. And ATX Venture Partners lists 34 jobs at 22 companies, including 23 in Austin.
