The Austin region is a place where traditions are rooted in change and discovery.
Skylines are rising. Families are settling in. Founders are dreaming big. And communities are building futures together. We’re a region in motion — and always building towards what’s next.
Ideas move faster and scale further because innovation is part of the region’s DNA. Why?
Because this is where ideas are set in motion.
From early-stage startups to global industry leaders, companies come here to build and to scale. It’s a place where creativity and competition exist side by side and where bold thinking turns into real-world impact. This isn’t just where innovation happens; It’s where it accelerates.
Austin is the best city in the U.S. to start a business, ranking in the top 10 for five out of the eight factors providing evidence that a city encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.
(USA Today, 2024)
OA Innovation Programs
Soft Landing Program: Whether you’re an international company looking to expand or a domestic business relocating to the Austin region, we offer the support, connections, and tools you need to establish a strong foothold. From tailored resources to local partnerships, we help ease your entry and accelerate growth.
Global Launchpad: Companies approved through OA’s Soft Landing program are eligible to participate in the Global Austin Launch Pad.
Unicorns
A unicorn is a startup that reaches a billion-dollar valuation, and how many a region produces is one of the clearest measures of how well its innovation economy works.
Austin is home to more than 88 billion-dollar companies, counting both unicorn valuations and $1B+ exits, including names like Apptronik, whose humanoid robots grew out of a UT Austin lab, and Base Power, building home energy storage at grid scale.
What makes them matter is not the valuations alone: most began as a few founders working on a hard problem, and as they scale they become major employers, pulling talent, suppliers, and follow-on investment into the region. Each one is a reminder that the small startups being seeded across Austin today are the anchor companies and job creators of the next decade.
Case StUDies
Coming soon!
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