BY DAVID STERNBERG — Michelle Breyer didn’t set out to start a multimillion-dollar company. She merely wanted to create a space where curly-haired women like her could address their frustrations with the lack of positive representations of textured hair. But what started out as a simple online forum in the late ‘90s has since transformed…
Michael Hodson
BY JAHNAVI MUPPANENI — When Michael Hodson decided to take a year off from work to travel the world, he didn’t think he would be leaving his law firm forever. But the sights and sounds of his globetrotting journey inspired him to take a different tack in life and to somehow share what he had…
Evan Smith
BY ALVARO CÉSPEDES — Evan Smith is a firm believer in the power of technology to increase people’s engagement in democracy. As the CEO of The Texas Tribune, one of America’s most groundbreaking news organizations, Smith leads a team of award-winning journalists dedicated to informing and engaging with Texans “about public policy, politics, government and…
Stacey Higginbotham
BY SUNG JAI LEE — Stacey Higginbotham says she doesn’t have an entrepreneurial spirit — she just works hard. That work ethic led her to leave her job as a technology journalist and launch her own project: The Internet of Thing’s Podcast. Higginbotham’s podcast explores the increased use of advanced gadgetry in everyday life and…
Ane Urquiola Lowe
BY BRIANNA YOTIDES — Ane Urquiola Lowe didn’t know it at the time, but the end of her four-year relationship was actually just the beginning. Soon after the breakup, Urquiola Lowe, founder of Austin-based blog The Hungry Chronicles, discovered a new sense of freedom and excitement. She was inspired to take a break from work,…
Jay Manickam
BY ERIN GORDON — Come Labor Day weekend, you’ll find Jay Manickam at Burning Man, riding across the Nevada desert in cars that look straight out of a Mad Max movie and watching a 69-foot wooden statue ignite in flames with 70,000 other festivalgoers. But until then, you can find him in his Austin offices,…
Eric Highland & Brittany Highland
BY KATIE WALSH — Like so many startups before them, The Austinot was born on a living room floor. Husband and wife team Eric and Brittany Highland were anticipating a move from Seattle to Austin and wanted a way to connect to their new home. So in late 2011, the couple launched a blog and…
John Garrett
BY RYAN FRANK — Community Impact Newspaper is bucking the trends of today’s media landscape. In a world where most newspapers are still struggling to adapt to digital publishing, Community Impact is putting out a physical product — and the hyper-local newspaper seems to be succeeding. Before launching Community Impact in 2005, founder John Garrett…
Nicholas White
BY SYDNEY MAHL — Nicholas White is not your typical entrepreneur. He doesn’t claim the ability to predict future business trends, but instead believes in dumb luck — the kind of luck that got him promoted to web editor at his former paper while throwing up in front of his boss after a night out….
Cameron Gibson
BY JENNA KHAKOO — If anyone is under the impression that music journalism is struggling, Cameron Gibson is here to rock their world. As co-founder and CEO of the music news app JamFeed, Gibson has provided thousands of music fans across the world with a new way to stay connected to their favorite artists and…
Jane Ko
BY SHANNON SMITH — If you asked 8-year-old Jane what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would’ve said librarian. If you asked 20-year-old Jane what she wanted to be, she would’ve said dietician. Ask 27-year-old Jane what she sees herself doing in five years, and she’ll tell you she has no idea….
Laura Lorek
STORY BY JULIA COLLADO LAINEZ & PHOTO BY JENN LEWIS — No one ever said it was easy being an entrepreneur. The critical ingredient of entrepreneurship is not just about the ideas, but making ideas happen. In order to accomplish this, risks are crucial. As McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc once said: “If you’re not a…
Innovators of Austin 