Falafel, AI and fintech: Meet the 2022 A-List winners

Austin's startup ecosystem has created hundreds of success stories, and each year the Austin Chamber of Commerce takes nominations, selects finalists and names winners for its A-List Awards, which honor fast-growing startups. In partnership with South by Southwest, the chamber on the evening of Aug. 3 named this year's winners at an event at the Long Center.

See a list of finalists and winners at the bottom of this story. They range from falafel maker Afia to the artificial intelligence experts at Kungfu.AI.

The A-List Awards focus on innovative companies on strong growth trajectories. The Aug. 3 event included a conversation with Janice Omadeke and Albert Swantner, both successful founders who also work with The Fund Austin, a venture capital micro fund focused on backing diverse entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, the chamber debuted a startup resources platform in partnership with Dealroom.co. The platform includes lists of Austin-based startups where local founders can describe their business and share data points.

"The Austin metro is an incredible home for entrepreneurial innovation," stated Roland Peña, senior vice president for global technology and innovation for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. "It's important for us to help continue cultivating a support system around start-ups so they can continue to prosper here in Central Texas."

The platform's data includes recent funding rounds, as well as an overview of the local ecosystem. For example, its dashboard shows 3,441 verified startups in the Austin region, 177 VC investors and 385,000 startup employees.

Here are the Austin A-List Award finalists, with winners in bold.

BOOTSTRAPPED

ANGEL & SEED

EARLY STAGE

LATER STAGE

INVESTOR OF THE YEAR