Austin Next

Austin Next is an innovation-focused series hosted by Jason Scharf that examines how Austin’s hard-tech, education, and defense/AI infrastructure create compounding advantages. It’s a high-signal platform for founders and ecosystem builders who can translate strategy into “systems mechanics” across the individual, institutions, and regional flywheel.

Founder/CEO or senior innovation leader with tangible experience building or scaling hard-tech/AI/robotics/defense infrastructure or high-leverage education/talent systems; often with venture investment adjacency (e.g., former VC) or deep operational credibility (deployment, product scaling, research-to-production).

CEO/co-founder experience scaling an AI/tech company, Notable venture/investing track record or ecosystem-building leadership, Creation or scaling of major education/talent pipelines or platforms, Board or advisory roles tied to defense/finance/AI applications, Demonstrated revenue/product impact at scale