Welcome to this issue of The Austin Business Review, a weekly roundup of great local events and insights for Austin business owners (plus some other cool stuff for your life outside of work).
I’m gonna keep this intro short because there are sooo many events to get to. But I want to make a special mention of something one of my advertising partners is hosting that I think sounds useful:
GSD Camp is an upcoming bootcamp designed specifically for busy founders, PMs, and ops leads, who find themselves building software with AI, and want to be able to ship stuff that survives contact with the real world.
It’s led by John Davison, whose name you’ve seen many times in this newsletter, because he’s deeply involved in the tech community here. And it’s specifically focused on a few timeless principles, so you can talk confidently with engineers, or diagnose your own problems.
“The 5% you need to know so AI can handle the rest,” is how John says it. There’s no technical background needed, so take a look, and if you’d like a personal intro to him, feel free to hit reply and let me know.
-Ethan
Upcoming Events
🗓️ TONIGHT: Nerd NIte: Like a local version of TED, this month’s installment dives deep on animation
🗓️ TONIGHT: Bordeaux Futures Masterclass: Taught by local Sommelier, Mario Matavesco, who’s fresh back from tasting the 2025 vintage at En Primeur
🗓️ May 1: Coworking at Carpenter Hall: Ben Pfeffer from (local investor and founder of the Austin Ruck Club) just started hosting this. Swing by any time after 2pm!
🗓️ May 1: Cocktails & Conversations: There is no link for Nathan Ryan’s event But it happens at 5PM on the first Friday of every month over at Remedy, on Nueces
🗓️ May 3: The AI Implementation Club: Every week, Chrissy McDannell hosts a dedicated focus sprint to ship that AI project you’ve had in mind for weeks
🗓️ May 4: VibeCoding for Indie Entrepreneurs: John Davison’s twice-monthly workshop for solo founders and leaders of SMBs
🗓️ May 5: Doing Business In Texas: US India Chamber of Commerce is bringing in a panel of leaders to talk about how to win Texas state contracts
🗓️ May 5: Business After Hours: For those of you out west, tired of going downtown for events, West Austin Chamber is hosting this at Steiner Ranch
🗓️ May 5: Beyond Chatbots: Jay Boisseau, who founded the Austin AI Alliance and does advanced computing at Google, is hosting an expert panel on the agent revolution
🗓️ May 6: The Systems That Power Our City: Not strictly business-related, but important – hear from leaders in policing, energy, and water about the future of ATX
🗓️ May 6: Woman’s Way Business Awards: The 11th annual celebration of Austin’s women-owned, women-led businesses (tickets, tables, and sponsorships available)
🗓️ May 6: Thought Experiments on Patios: Okay, this blew up! Join interesting people for cold drinks and a series of thought experiments and philosophical quandaries
🗓️ May 7: Investor Breakfast: Meet Laurel Orley, who founded Daily Crunch in 2020 and has grown it to 9,000+ locations
🗓️ May 7: Yaupon Tasting: Chris Taylor is hosting Ian McCluskey, founder of December Yaupon, an RTD beverage made from America’s only native caffeinated tea
🗓️ May 7: KS WELI Senior Celebration: Highlighting the students graduating UT’s Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (solid recruiting opp)
🗓️ May 7: Workroom After Hours: This month’s installment of Sara Loretta’s workshop (and pizza) series: The art of post-project client & process reviews
🗓️ May 7: Prompt Lab: Gary Shen and Steve Tran host this event, designed to help you brainstorm how/where to use AI to elevate and accelerate your projects
🗓️ May 8: Consumer Week Walk & Talk: Kick off ATX Consumer week with Marc Nathan, Bree Whitehead, Ben Pfeffer and a 2.5 mile walk (or ruck) around the lake
🗓️ May 8: League of Originals: 500+ DTC founders getting together over at Assebly Hall (there’s also a retreat taking place May 6-7)
🗓️ May 9: Founders & Funders Social Dance: No pitches or panels. Just laid back music and a li’l two-steppin’ with Kevad Belle, Andrew Lane, Zeke Torres and others
🗓️ May 9: Austin Under 40 Awards Gala: This is the 27th annual installment of this celebration of Austin’s rising business and community leaders
🗓️ May 11: The Poisoned Ivies: Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is joining UATX to talk about her latest book on the decline of America’s elite colleges and what to do about it
ATX Small Business Week Is May 4th - 8th
This is pretty cool. As part of its ongoing mission to support small business owners in town, Austin Economic Development has organized more than a dozen events next week, on a range of useful topics, like:
Microloans and Other Funding Paths For SMBs
The Commercial Permitting and Development Process
The Psychology of Pricing and Negotiation
And more…
Typically, this would be a branded photo of the event. But I’m still not over the city of Austin’s new (bad) logo. So while I brood about that, enjoy this actual photo of the Heart Nebula, taken by one of the rangers out at Palo Pinto Mountain State Park, the newest state park in Texas (see… I like some new things)
Other Fun Stuff Coming Up
TONIGHT: Movies on the Lake - Dazed & Confused
May 1: Los Lobos - Live at the Historic Paramount
May 2: How to Plant A Dog-Friendly Garden
May 3: Forest Bathing & Tea Ceremony at the Wildflower Center
May 4: Florence + The Machine - Live at the Moody Center
May 7: The Whiskey Road Trip - by Austin Wine & Food Foundation
May 7: Movies on the Lake - Mama Mia
May 7: Movies in the Park - KPop Demon Hunters
May 8: Siete Foods’ Backyard Asada w/ Teddy’s, Naco, and Curry Boys
May 8: Ali Siddiq - Live at the Moody Center
May 8: Off The Wagon - Comedy Drinking Show
May 9: The 49th Annual Pun-Off World Championships
May 11: Dave Mathews Band - Live at the Moody Center
May 1-30: Margarita May - Half Off Margs at A Dozen Local Bars
Meet The Architect Behind Austin’s Latest Viral Bar
If you’ve been anywhere on social media in the last few weeks, you may have seen Stoney’s Good Time Ranch, Austin’s newest watering hole (complete with mural-sized tribute to Dolly Parton and a name inspired by a horse), absolutely blowing up.
Turns out, the architect who brought that vision to life is an ABR reader!
Abbie Janette de Leon is the founder at Lioness Architecture, a firm she launched in 2025 after more than 25 years reimagining buildings across Austin.
She sat down recently to share the story of her business, along with favorite books, inspired purchases, and under-the-radar getaways in town.
Heads Up: If you have questions about planning or design for an architectural project (can be residential, commercial) check out her new Coffee With An Architect series!
That’s all for this week!
Email me here if you want to share any feedback, or let me know about an event you’re hosting.
Until next week,
-Ethan
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