The Austin tech and startup scene is relatively quiet in the first week of November, giving everyone a little extra space to vote and scroll through all the election news. But after that, it's lights, cameras and action for a strong lineup of local tech and startup events.
To help put interesting content on your radar, we've gathered many of the best virtual events we could find for the month ahead. So, let's zoom in to see what's on the calendar in November.
Also, be sure to register for our upcoming Inno on Fire awards show on Dec. 2.
Click the links in the summaries below to navigate to event registration pages. See you on the other side of the screen!
Friday, Nov. 6, at 10:30 a.m.
Providing employees with personal financial education is perhaps more valuable now than ever before as the economy adjusts to a historic pandemic. Austin Technology Council and Netspend will share insights about how to provide financial health for the workforce in a roundtable discussion with Netspend's Adam Kujawa.
Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m.
Undergraduate students from the University of Texas at Austin will bring their pitches to the big virtual stage for the DisrupTexas Undergraduate Pitch Competition. We've got 16 semi-final teams lined up, with a winner being announced around 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 9, at 1:15 p.m.
The connection between the defense industry and tech startups has never been closer in Austin. But working with the government is still a little different. Get the lowdown on how to connect with the defense sector and government in a MassChallenge Texas Zoom discussion called "Startup Innovation in the Defense Industry." Mike Millard, managing director of MassChallenge Texas, and Bobby Blount Jr., serving as The MITRE Corporation’s Cyber Operations Division Strategic Engagement and Innovation Lead. The lineup also includes director of the Austin hub of AFWERX Matthew Scott and Clif Colbert, a commercial engagement executive at Defense Innovation Unit.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m.
Don't you miss those nice little coffee shop meetups? Well, you can approximate that vibe at Open Coffee Club, which is designed to help entrepreneurs and investors meet over a caffeinated beverage.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, at noon
Capital Factory's Veterans in Tech Summit includes opening remarks from local entrepreneur and Special Advisor for Military Leadership and Strategy Policy at UTJospeh Kopser and Heidi Connelly, a solution specialist at Azure Apps & Infrastructure at Microsoft. It also includes a panel discussion on fundraising, networking opportunities and a discussion of veteran success stories.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m.
Here's a timely topic: "State of Economic Development Post-Election." It's tough to know what the election will bring. But Charisse Bodisch, SVP of economic development at the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Amy Madison, executive director of Pflugerville Community Development Corporation and Ben White, director of economic development at the City of Cedar Park will make their post-election predictions in this one-hour Zoom meeting.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:15 p.m.
One of Austin's most well-known founders, whurley, will take the virtual stage at the Austin Forum on Technology & Society's monthly conference. His presentation, called "Quantum Computing: The Next Computing Revolution," will explore the potential of quantum technologies.
Thursday, Nov. 12, at noon
UT's McCombs School of Business is bringing Kevin Curry, CEO and founder of Fit Men Cook, and Mndy Price, CEO and co-founder of Kanarys to the virtual stage for a conversation hosted by UT's John Sibley Butler. The chat, titled "Straight Talk on Black Entrepreneurship," will cover lessons learned by both business leaders.
Thursday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m.
Austin's CPG scene is booming. Want to understand it better? Check in with several thought leaders in the industry at the Austin Chamber of Commerce's "PowerUp Tech Talk: Understanding the Austin CPG scene." Speakers include Hugh Forrest of SXSW, Kirstin Ross of SKU and Aimy Steadman of Future/Proof and Naturally Austin.
Friday, Nov. 13, at 10:30 a.m.
Hundreds of businesses in Austin have taken PPP loans to help make it through the lean times of the pandemic. Austin Technology Council and BBVA USA plan to help attendees figure it out in a panel discussion called "Understanding PPP Forgiveness and Payment Options."
Monday, Nov. 16, and Tuesday, Nov. 17
This virtual version of Austin Technology Incubator's ATI Demo Days event will feature eight health care companies on Monday, starting at 11 a.m., and 15 sustainability startups on Tuesday, starting at 11 a.m.
Monday, Nov. 16, through Wednesday, Nov. 18
Everything is going virtual in this year of the pandemic, including the Startup of the Year Summit. The pitch competition and conference features 100 startups, as well as a long lineup of speakers, including Tim Draper (Draper University), Kara Goldin (Hint Water) and Mike Evans (GrubHub, Fixer.com).
Tuesday, Nov. 17, through Thursday, Nov. 19
Capital Factory, which has toured the state in recent years as it expands hubs in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, will host the first virtual version of its Texas Startups Roadshow. It announced Dallas venture capitalist and "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban will be the keynote speaker on Nov. 19. Austin startups will be featured on Nov. 17. The Dallas version, on Nov. 19, will feature the UT Dallas Big Idea Competition.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 9:30 a.m.
Online accelerator Tarmac TX will host its annual Demo Day event in a virtual format this year. Its most recent cohort, which participated in a three-month program based in Austin, includes Classical Childhood, Cleanbaskt, Homenow.io, LoFi Recycling Studio, Profarmer Software Solutions, Terra, Throw-A-Weigh and Zeus Wild.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m.
Everything will feel a little out of place until SXSW resumes its normal in-person operations. But that doesn't mean we won't get a lot of the same awesome content the festival is known for. Join SXSW Chief Programming Officer Hugh Forrest and the Austin Technology Council for a discussion on "What to Expect: SXSW Interactive 2021."
Thursday, Nov. 19, at 3:30 p.m.
Capital Factory is running with a throwback Thursday edition of its regular community showcase event. This special edition will include highlights from companies in the Capital Factory ecosystem, trivia and themed pitches from FOUND Experience and Taubyte.
Thursday, Nov. 26
It's Thanksgiving y'all. Consider pitching in to help the community by volunteering or donating to Operation Turkey, which delivers meals to the homeless.
