Austin Tech Happy Hour - Oct 16 and Dec 4, 2014; ongoing in 2015
No presentations, no speakers, no agendas - just a big, bustling happy hour full of tech professionals. Sign up for the mailing list to get times and locations as well as early bird ticket specials.
SXSW Interactive - March 13-17, 2015
An obvious choice, South By’s interactive component is a must for Austin-based startups since it’s right in our own backyard. Badges begin at $825 and step up monthly as the date approaches; the walkup rate in March is $1295, so get your badge early.
Co-Founders Austin - ongoing
Whether you’re looking for a co-founder or just want to learn more about early-stage startups, Co-Founders Austin is a great place to start. Hosting frequent networking events for its 2,000+ members, software developers, UX designers, hardware architects, executives, students and more, this group brings people together to build on one another’s strengths.
Social Media Breakfast Austin - ongoing
If there’s a social media component to your startup -- and there should be, if only for audience engagement -- SMB is the group to spend time with, staying up to date on the best ways to leverage social media tools to grow your business. Join their Facebook group or follow the organization on Twitter to keep up with ongoing events.
Drupal Users Group - ongoing
Drupal users, unite! This group, 500 strong, hosts small “Drupal Dojos” every few days at a pizza place in north central Austin for folks who want to work in a hive mind environment around other Drupal users. Because friends don’t let friends code alone.
Women Who Code - ongoing
This meetup group gathers several times a month for various events -- lightning talks, study groups, programming sessions, social networking and more. Subscribe to the group’s updates on meetup.com for up-to-date event information.
Young Men’s Business League of Austin (YMBL) - ongoing
YMBL is known for its year-round roster of networking and leadership-building events, from philanthropic pursuits to parties. Membership requires an application review process, a background check and annual dues.
Lean Startup Machine - upcoming
Sign up for updates on when the next three-day event focusing on building a successful business will be held. This workshop has been covered in Bloomberg and PandoDaily and is made possible by Microsoft Ventures and Elance.
Especially for those who tire of the endless pressures of operating inside an industry bubble, networking doesn’t have to be limited to the tech startup scene. In a city as friendly and warm (both literally and figuratively) as Austin, there’s an abundance of opportunities to meet people through more general means, like Networking Austin, Meetup, Toastmasters or any niche group that hangs out together.
