Not The Next Silicon Valley - The Next Austin (with Jason Scharf)

The ecosystem of Austin has proven over the last thirty years to produce the hottest boom town in business. Today's episode covers the "Secret Sauce of Austin" and what are the six "superpowers" of the region. According to Jason Scharf, this is a roadmap for other areas of the country (and the world) who want to grow their economies. It's not about copying Austin (or the Silicon Valley), it is about developing your own superpowers. About Jason Scharf Jason Scharf is an experienced strategy executive and active early-stage investor in the life science and digital health sectors. For the past 15 years, he has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation. Today he is the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for Kean Health, a direct to consumer at home genomic and microbiome solutions company. He leads product management, business development, and strategic planning. Prior to his role at Kean, he worked across the healthcare sector at biopharma, genomics, and medtech companies including Illumina, Becton Dickinson, and Amgen. In addition to his roles within the corporate environment, Jason has served as a co-fund manager of the San Diego Angel Conference, an investor with NuFund Venture Group, and a mentor with both the NexCubed Digital Health Accelerator and the Illumina Accelerator. He has invested in ~40 emerging companies from Seed stage to Series B focusing on the convergence of technology and biology. His investments have ranged from diagnostics/tools (Pleno, Iridia, and Visicell Medical), Biopharma (Elicio Therapeutics), and Foodtech (BlueNalu, Impossible Foods). He is also the co-host of the Austin Next Podcast. An exploration of Austin’s transformation into the next great innovation powerhouse, what it takes to accelerate the growth of an ecosystem, and what comes next. Jason Scharf earned his BA from University of California, San Diego and his MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices