July 7, 2017 July 7, 2017

Member Spotlight

Winning at Creator Awards, Austin sisters give back to community

When entrepreneur Abianne Falla won $180,000 at the Creator Awards, she knew that her company was about grow at a pace she had only dreamed about. Falla is cofounder of CatSpring Yaupon, which makes tea from a plant that grows wild throughout Texas. To satisfy the growing demand for her product, she realized she needed […]

By Mark Sullivan

July 6, 2017 July 6, 2017

Member Spotlight

Triple threat Jovan Landry is revolutionizing hip hop

Jovan Landry hates the idea that artists are often forced into one category. As someone who is equal parts filmmaker, photographer, and emcee, she definitely does not fit neatly into one box. When she was recently described as an “interdisciplinary artist,” she thought the term was a perfect fit. “I really try to emphasize that […]

By Reesa Hylton

July 5, 2017 July 5, 2017

Member Spotlight

At Arkiv, vintage sneakers are big business

That pair of Air Jordans you’ve kept in pristine condition all these years? You wouldn’t believe what they’re worth. “These sneakers are commodities,” says Robert Mulokwa, founder of Arkiv. “They are very valuable assets. The secondary market in U.S.—just for sneakers—is over a billion dollars a year. That’s 300 million pairs of sneakers a year.” […]

By Mark Sullivan

July 5, 2017 July 5, 2017

Member Spotlight

Austin’s Matt Glazer wins WeWork’s Community Award

Matt Glazer jokes that he “blacked out a little” when he heard his name from the stage of the Austin Creator Awards. Glazer, executive director of the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce, had no idea he was going to win WeWork’s Community Award. That award, presented on June 27 by cofounder Miguel McKelvey, is given […]

By Mark Sullivan

June 29, 2017 June 29, 2017

Member Spotlight

At Warmilu, Grace Hsia’s high-tech way to help premature infants

When she was a student at the University of Michigan, Grace Hsia discovered that 75 percent of babies born prematurely die from hypothermia, something that is largely preventable. “I was born one month premature, so I had this very surreal moment,” recalls Hsia. “I was lucky to be born here in the U.S.” Hsia was […]

By Reesa Hylton

June 29, 2017 June 29, 2017

At WeWork, hundreds of reasons to celebrate Pride Day

“It’s wonderful that there are tens of thousands of people who march and who spectate the parade who can make our daughter feel like she belongs, no matter who her family is,” says WeWork’s Emily Meyers. Meyers and her family were among the more than 400 people who came out to celebrate New York City’s […]

By Reesa Hylton

June 29, 2017 June 29, 2017

Foley artist Joanna Fang’s long journey to pride

This is how Joanna Fang describes herself: “I am an Emmy-award winning Foley artist, an avid guitar collector, a Taiwanese American, and also transgender.” In the years she spent “struggling with my body,” she focused on her work as a Foley artist, the person who creates everyday sounds effects for television and movies. To create […]

By Mark Sullivan

June 28, 2017 June 28, 2017

Member Spotlight

Top winners at Austin Creator Awards announce ‘we’re hiring’

Austin entrepreneur Robert Olivier says that getting this far hasn’t been easy. “I literally couch surfed, and even spent a few nights sleeping in my car,” says Olivier. “But it was worth it, because it got me to the place that I am now.” That place was on the stage of Austin’s ACL Live at […]

By Mark Sullivan