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05/31/2012 03:54 PM

City partners with local investors to aid startups

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Recent economic numbers show that Austin has added thousands of jobs in the last few months, with many of them coming from small start-up tech companies.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce is doing what it can to help out. They’ve started a new initiative titled Austin TechLive to help.

In cooperation with Capital Factory, city officials hope to foster 50 new startup companies and create 5,000 high-tech jobs by providing workspace, education and funding for innovative ideas.

"Austin TechLive is a way to tap into the entrepreneurial power that Austin really has," Bryan Jones with the Greater Austin Tech Partnership said. "When you're really trying to learn about how to take your company to the next level, there's a place to go to learn about that, to be around other people that are going through similar problem sets at the same time."

They say these small companies will be key to creating more jobs in central Texas.

Chuck Gordon is a job-creator himself. Three years ago, his company Sparefoot was just a dream, but with help, it’s become a reality.

"We've since grown to be 45 people plus, and we have our own office," Gordon said. "Without the mentorship and networking opportunities that were given to us by Capital Factory, we wouldn't have gotten to where we are today."

Austin TechLive will soon offer help to engineers and other professionals looking for high tech jobs.

For more information, visit the AustinTechLive.co.