A-LIST: Up Close & Personal YouTube playlist

On Oct. 7 and 8 the Chamber and SXSW hosted A-LIST: Up Close & Personal, a three-part series of virtual award announcements and conversations with stellar speakers on timely issues.

Austin American-Statesman reported on the event:

Now in its ninth year, the list is intended to increase the visibility of Austin’s most fundable, scalable and innovative startups and attract more venture capital funding and top talent to Central Texas.

Here's a recap of the event and check out the list of this year's winners!

Austin's industry sectors are seeing diversification and growth. Here are some of the industries experiencing these trends the most.

The biomedical sector's rapid growth was accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Director of Economic Development Arthur Jackson was quoted in this Community Impact article sharing his take on the industry's upwards trend:

The pandemic quickened a need for the mass production of medical supplies by a trained workforce situated in laboratories with plenty of room for growth and easy access to distribution routes, said Arthur Jackson, senior director of economic development for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s definitely going to be a trend that’s going to continue upwards,” Jackson said. “I think [the coronavirus pandemic] was an accelerator, but the trend will definitely continue.”

The automotive industry is also growing. Automotive parts manufacturer, Saleen Performance Parts announced its HQ relocation from southern California to central Texas. The move will bring 150 jobs to the area. Opportunity Austin and Economic Development Senior Vice President Charisse Bodisch was quoted in this Patch article:

"We are excited to welcome the Saleen Performance Parts headquarters to Round Rock," Austin Chamber/Opportunity Austin Senior Vice President, Economic Development, Charisse Bodisch said in a prepared statement. "Saleen Performance Parts' decision to invest in the region will expand our growing automotive industry, leverage local assets like Circuit Of The Americas, and bring jobs during a time we need them most."

The tech industry is setting records. As reported by Built in Austin, tech is adding the majority of new jobs:

So far this year, 32 companies have announced 9,660 new jobs in Austin, more than double the number of new positions added in the city in 2019, according to data provided by the Chamber. ...

Over the past two years, the tech industry created 70 percent of new jobs, the Chamber said.

Let's not forget e-commerce. As online shopping increases, the need for warehouse space does too. Texas logistics real-estate is booming as reported by Freight Waves:

Across Texas, distribution centers and logistics facilities are hot commodities, fueled by a surge in online shopping.

Austin ranks as the fastest growing metro in the U.S. Annually since 2010, the Austin metro area gains about 32,000 people a year from domestic migration, 6,850 from international migration, and 16,200 from natural increase.

Amongst the fastest growing metros, other Texan cities such as Houston, San Antonio and Dallas also rank within the top ten. Read more in our Austin Migration Insights report, which was cited in this CultureMap Austin article about the in-migration trend line.