Tech Partnership

Overview

The city of Austin consistently is named to the "best of" list for a variety of topics - best places to live, best places to work, best places to retire, etc. And, Austin is also one of the best places to be to work in technology. Ranging from software to bio-tech, advanced manufacturing to clean tech, Austin is home to more than 3800 technology companies and over 91,000 technology employees.

This site has great information and details about the Greater Austin Technology Partnership. We hope you'll get a better feel about our amazing city and the companies and people that are powering our technology ecosystem, from publicly traded companies to startups, and everything in between. And, if you want more information, our staff is always available to provide additional information and assistance, so we encourage you to contact us at any time.

Again, thank you for visiting our site, and please come visit us in person as well!
Bryan Jones

Vision

Austin is the preferred United States region for technology innovation as well as company formation, expansion and relocation.

Mission

Provide leadership that identifies next generation technology trends and guides the creation of the best of class ecosystem for company formation and growth.

Learn more about the Greater Austin Technology Partnership at the Austin Chamber.

High Tech Employment Base

	2009
High tech manufacturing	27,734
Computers & electronics	23,676
Semiconductors	11,858
Computers & peripherals wholesalers	17,120
High tech information & other IT	29,084
Engineering, R&D & labs/testing	19,549
TOTAL	91,151

Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages.

Selected Major Tech Sector Employers

Dell	14,000		Clinical Pathology Labs	800
IBM Corp.	6,239		Cisco Systems	800
Freescale Semiconductor	5,000		BAE Systems	675
Apple	3,000		CSC Financial Services	588
Advanced Micro Devices	2,933		Hewlett-Packard	550
Applied Materials	2,250		Oracle	515
National Instruments	2,200		Emerson Process Mgt	500
Flextronics	1,875		Home Depot Tech Center	500
Hospira	1,365		Image Microsystems	500
Samsung	1,100		Silicon Laboratories	500
PPD Development	1,100		Bazaarvoice	500
3M Co.	1,000		Dresser Wayne	475
Intel Corp.	1,000		CFAN	460
Spansion	900		Overwatch Textron Sys	411
URS Corp.	886		Electronic Arts	401

Selected Austin Networking Organizations for Technology Professionals & Entrepreneurs

3D Austin/Autodesk Animation User Group Association

American Society for Quality, Austin Section

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Central Texas Section

APICS The Association for Operations Management, Austin Chapter

Association for Women in Technology, Austin

Austin Connects

Austin Entrepreneur Network

Austin Forum on Science Technology & Society

Austin Intellectual Property Law Association

Austin Internet Marketing Entrepreneur Network

Austin Software Process Improvement Network, Austin SPIN

Austin Tech Happy Hour

Austin Technology Council

Austin Wireless Alliance

Austin Women Entrepreneurs

Austin Women in Technology

Bootstrap Austin

CleanTX Forum

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, Central Texas Roundtable

Digital Media Council at Skillpoint Alliance

Door 64 Austin High-Tech Online

IEEE Computing Society, Austin Chapter

IEEE, Central Texas

International Game Developers Association, Austin Chapter

International Society of Automation, Bluebonnet Section

Mobile Monday, Austin Chapter

Product Development Management Association, Central Texas

Project Management Institute, Austin Chapter

Refresh Austin

RISE Austin

Robot Group

Semantic Web Austin

SEMI Austin

Society of Broadcast Engineers, Austin Chapter

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Austin Chapter

Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Austin Chapter

Solar Energy Entrepreneurs Network

Technology Entrepreneurs Exchange (TeXchange)

Texas Society of Professional Engineers, Travis Chapter

TiE, Austin

World Future Society, Central Texas Chapter

Patent Activity

Austin has earned its reputation as a city of creativity, innovation and invention. Patents are one of the best measurements of innovation and Austin has always been extremely competitive in the number of patents issued yearly. The University of Texas is third in the nation in the number of patents earned.

According to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office geographic analysis patent activity in the 1990s, Austin outpaces much larger and more economically diverse regions such as Phoenix, Seattle, Denver and Raleigh-Durham. This demonstrated capacity for generating new ideas has only increased in the new century. In 2006, The Wall Street Journal named Austin the No. 3 Most Inventive City due to patent activity.

Patents Awarded to Austin Area Inventors

Note: Additional patent data is available via the Chamber's Economic Indicators page.
Source: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Venture Capital Investment

With a demonstrated capacity of generating new ideas, Central Texas is one of the top targets for venture capital investment in the country.

Venture Capital Investment in Austin Area Companies

Venture Capital Investment in Austin Area Companies by Industry/Technology

	2006-2010	% of Total
Biotechnology	105,784,100	5.0%
Business Products and Services	18,779,100	0.9%
Computers and Peripherals	35,541,000	1.7%
Consumer Products and Services	32,305,900	1.5%
Electronics/Instrumentation	81,877,200	3.8%
Financial Services	73,089,100	3.4%
Healthcare Services	36,710,000	1.7%
Industrial/Energy	198,045,200	9.3%
IT Services	211,906,800	9.9%
Media and Entertainment	120,012,800	5.6%
Medical Devices and Equipment	191,359,900	9.0%
Networking and Equipment	96,873,100	4.5%
Semiconductors	423,981,700	19.9%
Software	427,466,900	20.1%
Telecommunications	78,130,800	3.7%
Total	2,131,863,600

Note: Additional venture capital data is available via the Chamber's Economic Indicators page.
Source: PricewaterhouseCooper/Venture Economics/NVCA MoneyTree Survey.