Friday, January 30, 2009

Will pockets of San Antonio technology band together?

I was in the northern part of Austantonio (Austin) for some meetings and to take part at the Austin High Tech Happy Hour .  During the course of my two hours attending this networking event, I met two former San Antonio residents.   Oscar, a friend of my client, Matt Genovese, the founder of Door64, had a late night respite at Katz's Deli on Sixth Street, where he asked me if the pockets of technology in San Antonio were coming together.

For years, our fair city has shown the makings of a world-class technology base, and if you look at the historical perspective, you would have seen some considerable innovation such as the first Army Air Corp flight at Kelly back in 1910 or the invention of the stent for heart surgery.

Yet, I will be the first to admit that our city is light years behind Austin in terms of holding networking events.  While we have two chambers who are starting to embrace technology, there is still a lot of work to be done.  The fact that I had to choose between three tech related events in Austin yesterday shows the scope of how Austin residents will come together over "high tea" and discuss partnerships and ideas.

Please note that I am not taking a negative view of what has happened with our tech endeavors, nor do I want to point out the shortcomings of some organizations .   However, I am sensing the start of some movement for cohesive efforts to build a broader and more dynamic tech base.  Here's hoping that the synergy that is starting to develop will really bring the many talented techies together.   We have a long road ahead of us, but we need to focus on the future and not on what hasn't happened.

1 comment:

JF said...

As a newcomer to San Antonio, my biggest concern is seeing some of the emerging (or now more apparent) back-biting and in-fighting that is occuring. Whether technology in SA is a number of different pockets or a cohesive movement, one thing is clear. We're in it together. One person trying to take credit for the efforts of many; one person trying to take credit without regard for the work of others, will lead to self-destruction. Selflessness, not selfishness will build San Antonio's technology community.