Awesome Austin Tech Events, May 15–21
The Forrest Four-Cast: May 14, 2017
The strength of the Central Texas technology / startup scene helps SXSW thrive as an epicenter of innovation. Some of the most interesting events in Austin for the week of May 15 through May 21 are as follows:
May 15–16: Accessibility Leadership Symposium
Knowbility Accessibility Leadership Symposium is a dynamic, collaborative symposium of leaders gathered to address leadership issues in digital accessibility. Tickets $1700.
Monday, May 15: Proven Rapid Growth Strategies for Startups
Supercharge your business or startup with Matthew Pollard’s proven Rapid Growth strategies that lead to more clients, higher profits, less stress, better reputation. At Mister Tramps Sports Pub and Cafe at 6:00 pm. Tickets $20.
Monday, May 15: Open Gov & Civic Tech Meet Up (FREE)
Open Austin hosts a monthly Meet Up to discuss local open government and civic technology issues. At Terrazas Branch Library at 6:45 pm.
Monday, May 15: Austin Blockchain for Business Meet Up (FREE)
The Blockchain for Business Meet Up is focused on a business applications for blockchain, distributed ledger and smart contract technologies and approaches. At Capital Factory at 7:00 pm.
Tuesday, May 16: Monthly Android Meet Up (FREE)
We meet monthly to network, present educational content, showcase apps and new ideas, and learn about whats new in the Android world. We welcome developers, designers, testers, business people, marketers, management, advocates, and just the curious. At Mister Tramps Sports Pub and Cafe at 7:00 pm.
Tuesday, May 16: Austin Music Tech Meet Up (FREE)
Austin is one of the best cities on earth for music and for tech startups, so this group fuses these two groups together. Entrepreneurs, developers, investors, service firms, music industry folks and anyone with a passion for tech and music should join! At Capital Factory at 7:00 pm.
May 17–18: John Slatin AccessU 2017
Named after John Slatin (a pioneering leader in web accessibility), this two-day event provide tools that can immediately be put to use by designers, developers, project managers, administrators, and anyone who is responsible for online content and development. John Slatin Access U teaches those skills in an interactive and communal environment where you will learn everything you need to know about integrating accessibility into your company. Tickets $249-$850.
Wednesday, May 17: Crowdfunding 2017 in Texas and Its Future
Crowdfunding can bring investors and businesses together on a wide range of projects, from drilling in the Permian Basin to a snore center expansion. But how does crowdfunding work? Who can participate, and how significant is it in Texas? You’ll want to hear our speaker next week talk more about the significance of crowdfunding in Texas and its future. Featuring the expertise of Hall T. Martin, the Founder and CEO of TEN Capital. At Metropolitan Breakfast Club at 7:00 am. Tickets $25.
Wednesday, May 17: Feminist Hack Power Hour (FREE)
Please join us for our next after-work happy hour meet-and-greet with fellow feminists in tech! Don’t bring your laptop; it is a purely social gathering. There will be lively conversation, networking, and the opportunity to meet like-minded tech folks in town. At Thunderbird Coffee at 6:00 pm.
Wed, May 17: Tech & Education: Preparing for the Future (FREE)
We’re talking about the future of Tech and Education with some of the companies and individuals leading the way and exploring new intersections between their field and technology. As we work to prepare both ourselves and children with skills for jobs and industries that don’t yet exist. At General Assembly Austin (WeWork Congress) at 6:30 pm.
Wednesday, May 17: AR/VR/MR Tools & Tech (FREE)
This group hosts advanced developer events, workshops and technical deep-dives focused on the software tools & plugins for the cutting edge development of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality experiences. Austin is the hub for creative design, and we have a strong developer community focused on creating experiences for the latest hardware and wearables! At Capital Factory at 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, May 17: Doree Shafrir Book Reading (FREE)
The author of the new book “Startup: A Novel” (pictured above) talks about founder follies and other entrepreneurial endeavors with Hugh Forrest. At Book People at 7:00 pm.
Thurs, May 18: Conversation With Two Life Science Pioneers (FREE)
Matt Winkler, PhD and Rick Hawkins are two of the long-term pioneers in the Austin Life Science community. Many people in the Austin life science community have worked at one or more of the companies that they founded. We will have a conversation with these two about the Austin Life Science community, how has it changed and where is it going in the future. At Lee & Hayes at 4:00 pm.
Thursday May 18: Austin Hardware Startup Meet Up (FREE)
We are a group for all things hardware startups. The purpose of this group is to bring together folks interested in building businesses around physical technology products. At Capital Factory at 6:00 pm.
Thursday, May 18: NonProfit Tech Club Austin (FREE)
NTEN is an organization of nonprofit tech professionals and those interested in tech, with the common goal of helping nonprofits effectively use technology for good. At Capital Factory at 6:00 pm.
May 19-May 21: IBM Cognitive Builder Faire
Start your data science and cognitive business journey by learning more about cognitive solutions like Watson and the IBM Bluemix Cloud platform! Join a community of data scientists and application builders for an amazing three days of learning and data innovation. Whether you’ve been a data scientist for years, or whether you are just getting started, this is the forum to engage with industry leaders from leading research institutes such as NASA, to level up your application building skills. Begins at Galvanize at 6:00 pm. Tickets $40.
On the horizon: Philanthropitch (May 22), Austin A-List Ceremony (May 25), ATX Hack for Change (June 2–4), Austin Forum (June 8), SXSW 2018 PanelPicker Entry Period (June 26-July 21), SXSW 2018 (March 9–18, 2018).
Hugh Forrest tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often (but not always) cover technology-related trends. When not attempting to wordsmith or meditating, he serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW in Austin.
