Most Recent Episodes
Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, P…
Poppi is a fashion brand that happens to be soda. Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder of Poppi, joins us to walk through the operating choices behind turning a vinegar problem into a modern soda badge. It’s how you build, scale, an...
Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavin…
Autonomy’s moment is now as the operating stack goes live across software, hardware, availability, and insurance. Outdoorsy Group CEO Jeff Cavins joins the show to unpack how RoboTaxis integrate with marketplaces, city system...
Reading the Global Rankings | Austin’s Momentum vs the Incumbents
Rankings aren’t just a scoreboard. They’re a map. Dealroom’s Yoram Wijngaarde and StartupBlink’s Eli David Rokah join the show to unpack ecosystem momentum, enterprise-value growth, and the business-environment factors that m...
Recent
Poppi is Fashion because Health is the New Wealth
A clip from our episode "Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, Poppi"
#Poppi #fashion #soda #health #healthyliving
Poppi is a $2B Fashion Soda
A clip from our episode "Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, Poppi"
#Poppi #Soda #cpg #pepsi #fashion
Ep 163: Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, Popp
Poppi is a fashion brand that happens to be soda. Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder of Poppi, joins us to walk through the operating choices behind turning a vinegar problem into a modern soda badge. It’s how you build, scale, and exit a consumer brand. It’s another signal that Austin’s flywheel is real and accelerating.
Highlights
01:48 Dark days, PMF before funding
08:05 Farmers market to Whole Foods
14:50 Rebrand beat Shark Tank awareness
24:58 Poppi as Fashion
33:46 Ma…
Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, Poppi
Poppi is a fashion brand that happens to be soda. Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder of Poppi, joins us to walk through the operating choices behind turning a vinegar problem into a modern soda badge. It’s how you build, scale, an...
Teen Drivers vs Self Driving Cars: Which is Safer?
From the episode "Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group"
#AutonomousVehicles #RoboTaxi #Austin #innovation
Austin is Now the Autonomy Capital
From the episode "Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group"
#AutonomousVehicles #RoboTaxi #Austin #innovation
Weekly AI progress equals the 20th century
From the episode "Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group"
#AI #innovation #autonomousvehicles
Austin is the Autonomy Capital
From the episode "Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy"
#AutonomousVehicles #RoboTaxi #Austin #innovation
Ep 162: Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group
Autonomy’s moment is now as the operating stack goes live across software, hardware, availability, and insurance. Outdoorsy Group CEO Jeff Cavins joins the show to unpack how RoboTaxis integrate with marketplaces, city systems, and the consumer experience. Austin’s talent, technology, and risk appetite are making it the Autonomy Capital.
Highlights
01:31 Why Outdoorsy Group is betting on RoboTaxis
05:44 Software must command the car
10:40 RoboTaxi as the default transpira…
Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group
Autonomy’s moment is now as the operating stack goes live across software, hardware, availability, and insurance. Outdoorsy Group CEO Jeff Cavins joins the show to unpack how RoboTaxis integrate with marketplaces, city system...
Startup Rankings: Austin vs the World
A clip from our episode "Reading the Global Rankings | Austin’s Momentum vs the Incumbents"
#AustinNext #Austin #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #Startups #VentureCapital
EP 162: Reading the Global Rankings | Austin’s Momentum vs the Incumbents
Rankings aren’t just a scoreboard. They’re a map. Dealroom’s Yoram Wijngaarde and StartupBlink’s Eli David Rokah join the podcast to unpack ecosystem momentum, enterprise-value growth, and the business-environment factors that move founders, corporates, and capital. We read the global rankings with Austin as a live case study, setting its momentum against incumbent hubs to find the signal in the noise.
Highlights
00:59 Momentum as design choice in rankings
03:22 Enterprise-va…
Reading the Global Rankings | Austin’s Momentum vs the Incumbents
Rankings aren’t just a scoreboard. They’re a map. Dealroom’s Yoram Wijngaarde and StartupBlink’s Eli David Rokah join the show to unpack ecosystem momentum, enterprise-value growth, and the business-environment factors that m...
Austin's Tech Ambitions
From our episode "Can AI Really 2X Output and Break Legacy Business Models? | Dru Armstrong, AffiniPay CEO"
#Austin #Innovation #Startups #innovationecosystem
The Billable Hour is Golden Handcuffs
From our episode "Can AI Really 2X Output and Break Legacy Business Models? | Dru Armstrong, AffiniPay CEO"
#LegalTech, #GenerativeAI, #ProfessionalServices
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Recent Blog Posts
New Report says Austin is turning into life sciences "superstar" hub
Thrilled to have been featured on 'Tech this Out' with Walt Maciborski, discussing the booming Austin Life Sciences Sector!Our report, 'Austin Life Sciences Sector: A Powerhouse Emerging at a Pivotal Crossroads,' was born from a desire to catalyze a…
Austin's Venture Funding Challenges the Global Stagnation
The global venture funding landscape narrative for the first half of 2023 has been portrayed as one of stagnation. Headlines from notable publications, such as Crunchbase's "AI Was Q2’s Big Hope To Reverse The Global Venture Funding Slowdown. …
Austin Life Sciences Sector: A Powerhouse Emerging at a Pivotal Cross…
Welcome to Austin Next, where we explore Austin's ascension into a global innovation powerhouse. We delve into the region's evolution, examine the building of robust ecosystems, and consider the impact of emerging trends and technologies. With Austi…
About the Host
Jason Scharf
Founder & Host
Jason Scharf has spent nearly two decades pursuing his life’s mission of catalyzing innovation. As an early stage investor, he targets the bio innovation tech stack and the business of health. He has held key leadership roles in strategy and market intelligence at industry pillars such as Illumina, BD, and Amgen. Through the Austin Next podcast and Substack Ecosystem Metacognition, he explores innovation, Bio & Health, tech, ecosystems, Austin, and their convergence.