Austin Startup Week:  5 Events We Can't Wait for.

Austin Startup Week is just around the corner, and we couldn't be more excited.   If you were lucky enough to attend last year's event, which ran between the 9th and 13th of October, you might have happened across a few of more than 100 events designed to help locals and visitors alike discover some of the innovation and resilience that makes up the Startups in this little part of Texas.

This year, Austin Startup week is back and better than ever. In fact, Thursday is officially Apps Admin Day! As enterprise apps become more crucial both to existing businesses and startups, more organizations than ever before are looking for ways to take advantage of the expanding technology environment. After all, 66% of employees believe that connected work tools are crucial to their productivity.

At Coolhead Tech, we'll be participating in all of Austin Startup week, but we're particularly excited about a few special events that should help to enlighten the app administrators we're here to help. Here are the things we think you definitely shouldn't miss!

Veterans Presented by Grow with Google

Thursday might be the day we're most excited about here at Coolhead Tech. However, that doesn't mean that we're not looking forward to any of the other major events happening in Austin Startup Week. From Friday, September the 28th to Sunday, September the 30th at 9 pm, technology enthusiasts can start their week off right with an incredible Google experience.

The event is free of charge to active service members, veterans, and people with family in the forces. TechStars and Google believe that veterans make both exceptional employees and entrepreneurs too. With the Grow with Google startup weekend for veterans, you can learn how to build a startup from scratch and connect with your community too.

The Grow with Google experience draws on Google's extensive history of building platforms, products, and services designed to help businesses develop. You'll even learn a thing or two about the Google Cloud Platform and G-Suite during your education.

This is an excellent introduction to the technology world in Austin, and a fantastic way to celebrate veterans with new opportunities for employment and business growth.

SXSW 2019 Preview & Strategies for Startups

South by South West is one of the biggest conferences in the US. If you're looking to get an insider sneak-peek into what we can expect from SXSW 2019, then you have to attend this session at Austin Startup Week. The event happens on the 4th of October between 2:15 and 3:15 pm, and it will give attendees a little insight into the SXSW Conference for 2019.

Hosted by Hugh Forrest, the Chief Programming Officer for SXSW, the session will cover two of the new tracks that SXSW will be covering in the coming year: cryptocurrency & blockchain, and "Cannabusiness." Even more exciting for our Apps Admins, there will also be two tech-focused tracks coming in 2019, focusing on Entrepreneurship & Startups, and Tech Industry & Enterprise.

Hugh will also be looking at some of the best ways that founders can get involved with SXSW pitches for the event formerly known as the "SXSW Accelerator Pitch Competition."

The Future of AI Policy in the US

Things have changed drastically in the business environment over the last few years. The arrival of the European Union's new data regulation law, GDPR, combined with disruptive new technologies like AI and machine learning, means that startups have a lot more to think about when they're adding applications into their technology environments.

The session "The Future of AI Policy in the US" will discuss where privacy and AI are heading for the US in the next couple of years, and what changes entrepreneurs and startups can expect. Andy Cates, the General Counsel & Director of Government Affairs for the Texas Nurses Association will be leading the discussion. David Edmonson, the Executive Director of Tech Alliance, will also be present.

If this session between 9:00 am and 9:45 am on October 4th leaves you itching to talk more about artificial intelligence, you can also check out "Artificial Intelligence meets Design" at 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm on the same day. The session held by Jennifer Sukis, the Cloud Platform and Watson expert for IBM will discuss how you can add AI into your design strategies for business technology, apps, and more.

The Road to Remote

One of the biggest considerations that App Admins have to face today is how they can maintain productivity, efficiency, and security in an environment where employees aren't necessarily located in the same situation. Remote working is growing increasingly popular, and the "Road to Remote" session on October 4th aims to discuss this issue.

Running between 10:30 am and 11:30 am, the session is hosted by Global HR Business Partner for Atlassian, Nicki Bellington, and Enterprise Solutions and Corporate Partnerships expert for Remote Year, Ashley Kujawski. In this event, you'll learn about the benefits of remote working on company culture, moral, and creativity.

People interested in learning more about alternative strategies for working can also check out the Free Coworking Sessions at MELD. These sessions are available all day on October 4th, between 8 am and 5 pm. You're invited to go and see for yourself what it feels like to work outside of the office in a coworking environment.

Finally, this is the event we're most excited about at this year's Austin Startup Week! 

The ATX Startup Crawl

If you've ever wondered what it's like to see all of the hottest startups in Austin throwing a party at the same time, then you're going to love this incredible event. On Thursday the 4th of October, join the ATX Startup crawl to explore the startup scene for yourself.

Some of the most prominent startups in Texas are going to be there, all the way from Optimizely, to WeWork, Zello, Upskill, BigCommerce, JustWorks, and so many more. Of course, most importantly at all, you can hang out with Coolhead Tech as we explore the startup scene with you, helping you to discover how you can get the most out of today's App Admins environment.

Are you as excited about this year's Austin Startup Week as we are? We can't wait to see you there!