If you follow our posts here on the MBA Insider, then you likely heard us talking last month about our plans for SXSW Interactive (SXSWi). With the event bringing in nearly 25,000 people, including the “Who’s Who” of the tech industry and promising entrepreneurs, we felt that getting involved with the event was a no-brainer.
“It was great to be part of McCombs’ official engagement with SXSW – it is so unique that essentially the entire web, social media and entertainment industries come to its backyard to collectively explore innovation. These spaces have continued to grow aggressively through the emergence of new companies which perfectly complements Austin’s startup and creative communities. Providing a formal mechanism for all of the alumni to reconnect, and for current students to get unprecedented access to industry leaders, is a spot on way to distinguish McCombs.”
- Bart Bohn, Founder and CEO, AuManil and Texas MBA Class of 2007
Through events like Startup Village, the Texas MBA Ignites SXSW Startup Village networking reception, and the SXSW Trade Show, our students, alumni, faculty, and staff were able to mix and mingle with industry executives, prospective students, and other SXSWi attendees. Having a presence at the event not only allowed us to make many great connections, but also to further increase awareness of the McCombs brand, while reinforcing our reputation as an innovative, entrepreneurial, collaborative and tech savvy organization.
Chris Treadaway (third person from right), MBA ‘05, CEO of Polygraph Media and Aaron Lyons (second from right), MBA ‘11, founder of Urban Dish joined us at the Alcatel-Lucent Trend Lounge to talk with visitors about the program.
The Texas MBA family came together at Vince Young Steakhouse for the Texas MBAs Ignite Startup Village networking reception. In this photo, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at McCombs, Eric Hirst (on left), is pictured with Ryan Hand, Elizabeth Nichols, and Mike Svatek, all of Bazaarvoice.
Current students, alumni, and MBA and MSTC staff members maintained the booth, sharing their experiences in the program and connecting with potential employers and prospective students. At the booth, we held raffle drawings each day (for Mack Brown autographed footballs, among other prizes), and of course handed out tons of burnt orange Texas MBA swag!
With the help of our great sponsors, volunteers, and staff, it is safe to say that our first experience at SXSW truly exceeded expectations. A HUGE thank you goes out to all the people listed below–we couldn’t have pulled it off without you!
Sponsors: AMLI Residential, Bazaarvoice, Famigo, IC2/Austin Technology Incubator, Moth to Flame, MSTC (Master of Science Technology Commercialization), Ordoro, Polygraph Media, Texas Venture Labs, Urban Dish, UT System Office of Technology Commercialization, and Vince Young Steakhouse.
MBA Alumni: Q Beck from Famigo, Naruby Schlenker from Ordoro, Aaron Lyons from Texas Venture Labs and Urban Dish, and Chris Treadaway from Polygraph Media
MBA Student Volunteers: Christine Chen (and Moth to Flame volunteers), Jessica Cheng, Josh Tinch, Josh Gladding, Emily Behncke, Laura Shaham, Jenny Gibson, Anne Hallock, Shivani Arora, Solu Nwanze, Scott Gabriel, Dan Scellen, Dan Amodio, Chris Atkins, Praveen Katta, Lauren Martin, Lakshmi Gupta, Andrew Koperwas, Cheryl Lewis, Erik Norwood, Larcombe Teichgraeber, Shina Kim, and Alejandra Carlos-Padilla
MSTC Program Representatives: Vanessa Manley, Dr. Gary Cadenhead, Dr. Bob May, Ashwin Kumar, Guanyan Cai, Toni Miranda Arranda, and Virgil McCullough
MBA Staff: Angela Zerda, Susan Masson, Yvette Brown, Scott Good, Michelle Hardy, Kurt Mitschke, and Courtney Seager
For more photos, and to see what others thought about the event, also check out our post on Storify.
