Austin’s startup scene is developing fast, with the major players now well and truly started after late-stage funding rounds. But there’s an exciting new generation coming up behind them.
You may not have heard these names yet – but you’ll be hearing about them in the second part of 2020. Some have raised seed funding, others are bootstrapped or have just been very quiet while securing their Series A round.
Here are the 20 names to watch out for in the Austin startup scene in H2 of 2020.
Aquifer Motion animates selfie-like avatars for text messaging, capturing dozens of muscle movements to reproduce users’ facial expressions in real time.
Boutiq, like Aquifer, recently joined the Techstars accelerator; it uses data science for buying and managing luxury vacation rentals.
Chipper helps student loan borrowers find better repayment plans, saving the average user $6,400 and 2.5 years of repayments.
Cloudsnap, which helps companies integrate their apps with automation software, has just raised $1.8 million from Active Capital and Mercury Fund and hired a new CEO, Matt Bradley, formerly chief strategy officer of Rackspace.
Credo Foods has created a plant-based, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free version of Austin’s favorite queso, plus a range of “flavor bombs” to give queso lovers a variety of tastes.
EarBuds, founded by NFL player Jason Fox, is an app that lets you hear the tunes NFL players are rocking on their headphones as they stretch.
Eventador is the latest venture from ObjectRocket founders Erik Beebe and Kenny Gorman, helping businesses get better value from streaming data.
Fetch helps apartment complexes handle piles of delivery boxes by having them delivered to a warehouse, from which they deliver directly to residents’ doors; it boasts $10.5 million in fall funding and a friendly labrador logo.
Imandra, part of Dcode’s Spring 2020 cohort, uses AI to analyze algorithms to provide companies with accountability and the ability to foresee problems.
Invoiced, a startup that helps people get paid on time by automating accounts receivable processes, has eschewed the search for funding and bootstrapped itself to massive success, now employing 11 people and boasting more than 23,000 business clients, including Chase.
Literati, which has grown exponentially this year thanks to national press exposure, provides book clubs for children, giving them new books to explore in rotation, plus exclusive artwork and the chance to buy favourite titles.
Mens Gold Boxx solves big and tall men’s clothing struggles through an online store, gift boxes and subscriptions.
OpenTeams brings open source code developers and projects together with organizations that use their code; COO Eunice Chendjou took home one of Austin Inno’s 25 Under 25 awards this year.
Pensa Systems uses AI and drones to help retailers do stocktakes of inventory and predict needs; the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Richard Schwartz, this undeniably cool idea scored a $10 million seed round this year.
Popspots’ smart displays are not just smart but multitalented, showing video ads to shoppers while quietly scanning for out-of-stock products and recording store data in the background.
Rhythmo is a build-your-own MIDI controller and drum machine kit for students of all ages; created by Ethan Jin, it’s brought in over $160,000 of funding on Indiegogo.
Slingshot Aerospace, which uses AI and data analytics to gather insights from geospatial imagery and data, is already working with Boeing, BAE Systems, the U.S. Air Force and NASA.
Spot specialises in user-friendly health-insurance gap coverage for those who live dangerously, from athletes and adventurers to average scooter drivers.
Verb uses written content to liven up employee learning and development and help workers engage with goals, activities and lessons, activities and goals; Dell alumni Suzi Sosa and Tom Meredith are co-founders.
Viviota’s software analyzes sensor data from vehicles (including spaceships), semiconductors and medical devices to improve development cycles and free up engineering teams.