09/01/2026
Austin’s technology story was never about one kind of company.
We have a scrappy startup scene full of founders willing to bet on themselves. We have some of the largest tech employers in the world (17 of Austin’s 20 biggest private employers are technology companies). And between those two ends sits something just as important: a growing base of small and midsized companies scaling, hiring, and building their next chapter here. Some of them will become the next Austin unicorns.
But the number of companies was never the point. What made Austin work is how the pieces connect: Startups, global players, universities, investors, entrepreneurs, service providers, and civic leaders. We have not always agreed, and we never will. Austin became an international tech hub and innovation center because, at our best, we figured out how to work across those differences anyway.
That matters more now, not less.
At the Austin Technology Council, we believe community, collaboration, and conversations are how strong ecosystems solve problems and open doors. We honor the people who built this community. We stay in the fight over what is happening right now. And we are paying close attention to what comes next: new companies, new technologies, and a new generation of leaders who will shape Austin for the next 20 years.
The future of Austin tech will not just happen. It goes to the people willing to build it.
