June 2025: Austin Startup Ecosystem Update + Event Details

Suman Poluri -

Welcome to the June 2025 update on Austin’s startup ecosystem! The local startup scene is continuing to thrive with entrepreneurs bringing high energy and incredible innovations. Read on to learn about the latest trends, events, and insights that every early-stage founder should know about.

We had a great turnout and excellent pitches at our Austin Startup Meetup this May. Great to see passionate founders share the exciting projects they're working on.

🛠️ ATX Ecosystem Updates & Resources
As usual, we'll start by taking a quick look at the state of the Austin startup ecosystem, talk about some news and upcoming events and provide startup resources.

📢 Lightning Pitches & Shoutouts
Then we'll get right into the most exciting part of the event. We'll welcome members from the audience to come and give lightning pitches on their startups, projects and ideas. We want entrepreneurs to come out of their comfort zone and talk about their ideas, challenges, wants and needs in an open forum of helpful members in the community.

🎁 Exclusive Raffle!
After that, we will give away a 100% FREE personal subscription that can be used with any JetBrains product of their choice.

  • 📍 Where
    • Voltron (1st Floor) @ Capital Factory
  • 🕝 When
    • June 2nd, 2025 6pm-9pm CST
  • 🔗 Event details and RSVP for future events here.
  • 💻 Get the event presentation slides here.

State of the Startup Ecosystem

As of June 2025, Austin’s startup ecosystem continues to evolve, showing a mix of challenges and opportunities. While venture capital funding has tapered off from the highs of 2021 and 2022, sectors like AI, greentech, and healthcare are still drawing strong investor interest. Austin remains a vibrant innovation hub, thanks to its top-tier talent pool and close ties to research powerhouses like UT Austin.

Upcoming Events

There are events for startups to look forward to in Austin.

  • June 1-3, 2025: The North American Information Security Summit is a premier gathering of industry leaders, information security executives, and experts dedicated to exploring innovative strategies, emerging trends, and best practices in the dynamic world of cybersecurity management.
  • July 1-2, 2025: The 7th Annual DigiMarCon Texas, a Digital Marketing, Media, and Advertising Conference, is promising an unforgettable two-day experience, packed with cutting-edge strategies, actionable insights, and the latest trends in the digital marketing world, this July at the Hyatt Regency Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas. Whether you’re attending in-person or online, this is your chance to dive deep into the next generation of tech and innovation, including Internet, Mobile, AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS technologies.
  • August 15, 2025: AI Expo is the premier event for exploring the latest trends and technologies in artificial intelligence, bringing together industry leaders, researchers, and innovators to share their knowledge and experience. It has everything from speaking sessions, workshops, trade show, opportunities to networks with peers and experts from leading companies such as Microsoft and AWS, as well as top researchers and influencers.

Large events are fun, but do not discount the power and personal nature of local meetups that can be as good or even more fulfilling. Here are some that you should know about:

  • June 4, 6:00 PM: Vibecoding Jam: Part co-working, part mentorship, all good vibes. ​Whether you’re just starting out or leveling up your skills, this is your chance to code with others, get unstuck, share your work, and learn something new.
  • June 5, 9:00 AM: Finaloop Ecommerce Finance Academy 2025: A one-day, no-fluff finance school for 7 & 8-figure DTC founders & operators - packed with practical tools, hands-on sessions, and real clarity. It’s a one-of-a-kind, focused learning experience for founders serious about mastering their numbers. Top speakers. Real-world content. Killer venue. Premium catering. 
100% free.
  • June 6, 9:00 AM: Pitch and Run/Walk ATX: Pitch your biz while running/ walking beautiful ATX. Every Friday 8AM outside of Merit Coffee on 222 West Ave. ALL PACES welcome! Community to support each other in Life, Running, Fundraising, Career Moves, etc. Pitch and run is about supporting each other! Everyone's welcome to join - founders, funders, employees of startups, fans of startups etc!
  • June 11, 5:30 PM: AI Agent World Tour in Austin: An exclusive evening of Lightining Talks, Networking and at the cutting edge Agentic AI! The AI Agents World Tour lands in Austin, co-hosted by Google and the MLOps Community. A great chance to connect with Google top engineers, share real-world insights, and explore the future of intelligent agents - whether you’re just starting out or deploying at scale.
  • June 13, 6:00 PM: Limited Supply | Austin Meetup: Where Austin top e-commerce minds, hustlers, and creators gather for an evening of great conversations and lasting connections. ​Whether you're building or scaling a DTC brand, running an agency, launching something new, or seeking fresh inspiration, this is where you can find the insights and connections you need.​
  • June 20, 8:30 AM: Austin Female Founders & Friends: ​The Artemis Fund believes technology can create prosperity for all. They lead seed rounds for companies creating resilient families, individuals, and businesses across the US. ​​Join them every third Friday to connect with female founders and investors as we cultivate a thriving founder community in Austin.
  • June 24, 5:30 PM: AITX Monthly Meetup: ​AITX is a monthly meetup for AI entrepreneurs, engineers, and explorers in Austin, Texas. At AITX, we're passionate about fostering a diverse and thriving AI community in Austin where like-minded individuals can connect with each other, share ideas, and inspire innovation.

Upcoming Deadlines

Here are some important upcoming deadlines for accelerator, incubator, and investment programs that Austin startups should keep an eye on:

  • July 26, 2025 - Founder Institute Austin 2025 Early Application Deadline. FI Core is a 4-month program for pre-seed founders, offering structured growth sprints, constant expert feedback, and a supportive network. It helps build fundable businesses through weekly sessions, tailored tracks, and clear milestones, preparing founders for investment and growth.
  • July 28, 2025 – Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) Cycle 4 application deadline. CTAN offers startups an opportunity to raise early-stage capital and gain access to a robust network of investors across Central Texas. The application deadline for Cycle 4 in 2025 is approaching for companies looking to secure funding and mentorship from local angel investors​. There are 6 total cycles in 2025.
  • August 31, 2025 - Founder Institute Austin 2025 Final Application Deadline. FI Core is a 4-month program for pre-seed founders, offering structured growth sprints, constant expert feedback, and a supportive network. It helps build fundable businesses through weekly sessions, tailored tracks, and clear milestones, preparing founders for investment and growth.

Additionally, keep an eye out for other notable programs with rolling or upcoming deadlines, like Techstars and MassChallenge, which offer various programs for startups at different stages of growth. These accelerators often provide a mix of funding, mentorship, and exposure to a global network of investors and mentors.

News of Interest To Startups

The Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) has launched Version 2.0 of its Startup Success Package, offering over $550,000 in credits and resources to support early-stage startups. The enhanced package includes credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, along with legal, HR, and fundraising services. New partners like Dropbox, Rippling, and Notion add significant value to the package, which aims to help more than 500 founders annually. CTAN’s initiative is designed to foster innovation and accelerate startup growth in Central Texas.

For more information and how to apply, visit ctan.com.

Investments in Austin Startups

Early 2025 saw record-breaking capital flowing into Austin startups - over $1 billion raised in a single week, pushing first-quarter totals above past peaks. Yet, early-stage investments have tightened dramatically.

According to VC advisor Andy Smetana, new seed-stage companies now must demonstrate substantial market traction and revenue (e.g., $1 million ARR) rather than relying solely on a strong business plan. Additionally, recent M&A activity has largely involved stock swaps between venture-backed firms, offering limited liquidity to founders or investors. The shift serves as a wake-up call for founders: venture funding isn’t the automatic path it once was, and bootstrapping or proving long-term value may be a more viable route.

  • Northrop Grumman Invests $50 Million in Firefly Aerospace
    • Northrop Grumman Corporation has committed $50 million to Firefly Aerospace to advance their co-developed Eclipse™ medium launch vehicle, leveraging Firefly’s Alpha heritage and Northrop Grumman’s Antares avionics. With over 60 Miranda engine hot-fire tests completed and qualification testing underway, Eclipse combines a 16 metric-ton-to-LEO capability and a 5.4 meter fairing on a production-efficient first stage shared with Antares 330. Utilizing Firefly’s patented tap-off cycle Miranda and Vira engines alongside carbon composite structures, Eclipse aims to serve NSSL Lane 1 missions, proliferated LEO/MEO/GEO constellations, and government payloads. First launch is planned from Wallops Island as early as 2026, addressing an underserved market by delivering up to 16,300 kg to LEO or 3,200 kg to GTO.
  • Wander Raises $50M Series B
    • Wander announced a $50 million Series B led by QED Investors and Fifth Wall (with participation from Redpoint Ventures, Uncork, Starwood, Breyer Capital, and others) to expand its premium, AI-driven short-term rental platform. Leveraging WanderOS - its proprietary AI operating system - the company automates nearly every operational task, delivers hotel-grade consistency across over 1,000 homes (a 14× year-over-year increase), and maintains an industry-leading NPS of 85 and a 92.1% customer satisfaction rate. Focused on the top 5 percent of properties that generate 30 percent of sector revenue, Wander combines high-quality inventory, seamless onboarding for owners, and always-available concierge support. The new funding will accelerate market expansion, deepen AI investments, and further build Wander into a global brand grounded in quality, trust, and technology.
  • QbDVision Raises $13M to Accelerate Digital CMC Transformation
    • QbDVision closed a $13 million financing round (bringing its Series A total to $28 million) co-led by Northpond Ventures and S3 Ventures, with participation from Create Health Ventures and existing insiders. The new capital will expand commercial operations and further develop QbDVision’s Digital CMC platform—which three of the top six global pharma and biotech companies already use—to replace siloed, document-centric workflows with a structured, AI-ready knowledge foundation for Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls. By linking and curating CMC data across a product’s lifecycle, QbDVision enables faster development timelines, improved regulatory readiness, and paves the way for AI-driven innovation in an industry facing supply-chain disruptions and evolving regulatory demands.
  • TAU Systems Raises $20M to Launch First Commercial Laser-Plasma Accelerator
    • TAU Systems secured $20 million in extended seed funding—led by Quantonation and joined by Team Global, Alumni Ventures, Impact Ventures, UT Seed Fund, and others—to open TAU Labs in Carlsbad, California: the first privately operated laser-plasma accelerator facility. The compact accelerator will initially focus on space radiation testing for satellite electronics (with a major satellite manufacturer as its first customer) while also supporting advanced X-ray imaging, semiconductor metrology, and medical research. Backed by ongoing collaborations with DARPA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, TAU aims to offer “Beamtime-as-a-Service” for precise, customizable high-energy particle beams, transforming traditional, large-scale accelerator infrastructure into a fast, flexible platform for aerospace, defense, and scientific applications.
  • Insurance startup, Steadily, has raised $30 million
    • Austin-based landlord insurance startup, Steadily, has raised $30 million in a Series C funding round, with a valuation of $355 million. The round was led by Two Sigma Ventures, with participation from other investors like Clocktower Technology Ventures and Nine Four Ventures. The company, which provides property insurance for landlords and rental property investors, plans to use the funding to expand its team and develop new products. 

Investors are paying close attention to Austin-based companies working on AI, blockchain, and health tech, signaling continued interest in innovative solutions coming out of Texas.

Launches, Exits, and Mergers

There have been some exciting exits and launches in the Austin startup scene recently. 

  • Adtech company MNTN raises $187M in IPO
    • Austin-based adtech company MNTN, Inc. (formerly known as SteelHouse) successfully raised $187 million in its IPO, pricing its offering at the high end of the estimated range, at $16 per share. The company, which provides a connected TV performance marketing platform, is now valued at around $1.2 billion. MNTN offered 11.7 million Class A common shares at $16 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $187.2 million. The offering included 8.4 million shares offered by the company and 3.3 million shares offered by selling shareholders. The company's valuation reached approximately $1.2 billion at the time of the IPO, according to Bloomberg. 
  • First Dollar Joins Inspira Financial
    • First Dollar, an Austin-based provider of consumer-directed health benefit solutions, has been acquired by Inspira Financial. The acquisition enhances Inspira’s health and benefits platform and integrates First Dollar’s technology and development team into Inspira’s operations, aiming to streamline health consumerism while maintaining its innovative Austin roots.

Other News

  • Stargate Project – $500B AI Investment Launches in the U.S.: SoftBank and OpenAI have announced Stargate Project, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative over four years, starting with a $100 billion investment in Abilene, Texas. Backed by Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Arm, the project aims to advance AI and AGI, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and boost U.S. technological leadership. Expansion plans are underway, with OpenAI deepening its Microsoft Azure collaboration. Leaders call it a transformative step for AI and national security.
  • Austin to Open SBA Women’s Business Center: The Better Business Bureau of Austin will launch a Women’s Business Center with an SBA grant, part of a $26.25M national initiative supporting women entrepreneurs. One of 13 new centers, it will offer business counseling, training, and networking to help local women-owned businesses grow. The initiative aligns with Mayor Kirk Watson’s Task Force on female founders, led by Carla McDonald. The center joins the SBA’s 168-location network, with opening details coming soon.
  • Waterloo Records has new owners and a new home: Iconic Austin record business was searching for new location amid plans to raise a high-rise in its longtime spot.
  • Fewer Tech Deals in Austin, but Optimism Remains: Despite a slowdown in tech deals, the Austin startup ecosystem remains strong. Investors are becoming more selective, focusing on quality over quantity, which could benefit startups with robust business models.
  • Creative Space Incentives: The Planning Commission’s approval sets the stage for City Council to boost creative spaces in Austin, which could positively impact startups in the creative, media, and tech industries.
  • Firefly Aerospace Launches Blue Ghost Lander to Pave Way for Artemis Moon Return: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander launched early Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center, aiming for a March landing in the Moon’s Mare Crisium under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. After separation, it established contact with mission control in Cedar Park, Texas, and completed initial commissioning. Over the next 60 days, “Ghost Riders in the Sky” will orbit Earth, transit to the Moon, and operate 10 NASA payloads focused on dust mitigation, drilling, and eclipse photography. The mission supports NASA’s broader Artemis campaign, aiming to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Conclusion

Austin’s startup scene is thriving. Despite tighter early-stage funding, entrepreneurs benefit from a rich lineup of conferences, meetups, and resource packages, plus growing partnerships with research institutions and federal agencies. Major investments in aerospace, biotech, real estate, and adtech highlight Austin’s diverse innovation landscape. By embracing bootstrapping, targeted accelerators, and sector-focused growth, founders can seize new opportunities and maintain momentum. With a spirited community and nonstop networking events, now is the ideal time to get involved—join the next Austin Startup Meetup and help shape the city’s future.