Year after year, Austin startups continue to push the bar higher with bigger funding deals and more lucrative exits. It's a sign of the city's maturing tech ecosystem and the breakneck pace of growth in Central Texas.
That means this year's Austin Inno Fire Awards are, in a sense, bigger and better than ever. It includes innovations bolstered by the ongoing pandemic, such as supply chain and food startups, as well as companies that are literally shooting for the moon. The thing they share in common is a drive to make everything from communications in space to tortilla chips better than they ever have been.
The 50 Austin-based companies on this list, selected from nominations and Inno's editorial team, have had breakout years in 2021. Our selections are based largely on major milestones, including funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches and social impact, and we expect big things from these companies in 2022.
Follow the links below for the skinny on this year's Fire Awards winners, broken down by category:
2021 Fire Awards: 10 top software startups
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top CPG startups
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top social impact startups
2021 Fire Awards: 10 top fintech and security startups
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top exits and acquisitions for startups
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top community builders in Austin's startup scene
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top health tech startups
2021 Fire Awards: 5 top lifestyle startups
