Austin is changing. 

You can see it in the expanding (and congested) roadways. You can see it in the neighborhoods and mixed-use buildings springing up everywhere like dandelions. 

And you could see it on March 12 from OJO Labs’ balcony overlooking the glittering, barely recognizable Austin skyline. 

For the over 300 in attendance that night at the Austin Venture Association’s first Investor Reception, it was obvious that more than the landscape is changing. This was the largest assembly of venture community professionals Austin has ever had in one place. 

Designing the Future of Venture

Austin Venture Association, or AVA, is a non-profit focused on the greater venture community supporting Austin’s startup ecosystem. Moving from its ideation to launch in mere months, AVA is doing exactly what the community it serves is — growing fast. 

According to CS Freeland, Executive Director and co-founder of AVA, two years ago there were only around 20 venture capital firms in Austin. Today there are closer to 70. That means that, not only is Austin’s VC scene exploding, but most of them are the new investors in town. New folks in need of a community.

And that’s where Freeland saw an opportunity. 

An Austinite of 12 years, Freeland has spent her career immersed in the startup and venture communities, working at different types of venture organizations such as startup studios and accelerators. In that time, and especially during the past two years, she noticed a huge influx of people in startup investor communities from both the East and West Coasts.

“I was spending a lot of time connecting these folks into the investor community here in town,” Freeland says. Until one day in June 2021, the idea struck her. “I should really just start an organization for startup investors.”

Turns out she wasn’t the only one thinking that. At a Women in Venture happy hour event, Freeland learned about a handful of people who were working on something similar. Soon, she was connected with Chris Shonk, co-founder and partner at venture capital firm, ATX Venture Partners; Carl Grant, EVP of Global Business Development at international law firm, Cooley; and Ari Salafia, founder and CEO of local startup, TaxTaker.

And the Austin Venture Association was really born.

AVA’s Mission

The AVA serves the greater venture community of venture capital firms, accelerators, incubators, family offices, corporates, startup studios, angel networks/funds, LPs, growth and private equity — over 150 local organizations represented in total. Their goal is to bring the startup investor community together through professional development, organizing the local venture community, and improving startup support to the region.

The Association plans to launch events and programming that focus on mentorship, thought leadership, career opportunities and network expansion. But it won’t only be VCs and their ilk that benefit from what AVA has done. Founders and entrepreneurs can also use the AVA’s Venture Directory to connect with potential investors.

“We’re organizing the community digitally in the Austin Venture Directory and providing a free resource that founders can not only use to get a good lay of the land, but also connect to investors, too,” Freeland says. “There’s way more people [in Austin] who want to be investors and help founders.”

Community Impact

Less than a year has passed since that meeting of minds, but this non-profit organization is already making an impact, by not only connecting founders to investors, and investors to each other, but also bringing local artists, musicians, eateries, and other talent into their events. 

According to Freeland, being part of the community is important to AMA’s mission because it’s what has drawn so many new investors here. “People from the venture According to Freeland, being part of the Austin community is important to AVA’s mission because it’s what has drawn so many new investors here. “People from the venture capital community and the founder community want to live in Austin,” Freeland says. “The reason why so many people are coming here and staying here is because they like the Austin brand and the culture,” she adds. “And that’s why they’ll continue to come, and they’ll continue to stay.”

That’s also why AVA is working to connect these investors to local talent. They hope to facilitate cross-pollination and funding among local artists and creators. “We want to get [investors] plugged into the artists community here in town — hire local musicians, be local with everything so we make sure we’re always supporting the Austin community, “Freeland says. 

So yes, Austin is changing. 

But in light of the growth and possibilities that the need for an organization like AVA represents, even long-time Austinites have to admit, sometimes change can be good. 

Freeland and AVA’s other founders are excited to be part of it all. “It’s a huge moment in time,” she says. “And it’s a tremendous opportunity for startup investors to really come together.” 

If you’d like to get involved, reach out to AVA via their website. You can also find them on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook.