Thursday, February 20, 2014

Austin Technology Council: Austin Needs To Think Bigger

The Austin Technology Council rolled out its plans for the next year, plus eight new board members, telling the market to "think bigger" when it comes to making Central Texas a globally recognized market for technology. The ATC said its two year focus is on helping to grow access to talent, improve access to capital, help strengthen the life sciences industry, and give more market visibility to Austin as part of its goals. As part of its announcement of its new board members, board member Lynn Atchinson (CFO of HomeAway) said that although the region has "come a long way" as a tech hub, it needs to gain the "support of organizations and leadership outside of tech and beyond Austin" to help make the market globally recognized for its talent and innovation. The ATC's newest board members include Robert Alvarez (Bigcommerce), Bucky Couch (Lumesse), Sandeep Gupta (Calavista Software), Mike Peterson (ATT), Joe Ross (CSID), Jan Ryan (Capital Factory, Women@Austin), Chris Skyles (SkylesBayne), and Lawrence Waugh (Calavista Software). The group's board also includes another fourteen more members.