“I deeply believe that entrepreneurship is a path to not only improve economic prosperity in our region, but to help lift people and families out of poverty as well,” Lauren Postler, the founder and managing partner of Solutions Focused, said at a March 27 City Council meeting.
The results
The company reported that Round Rock ranks second in the Austin “cluster” for startup ecosystem health. This cluster includes cities that are known internationally for having a startup presence, including Austin, Leander, San Marcos, Cedar Park and Round Rock.
Economy research platform StartupBlink compiled this ranking data.
“We’re happy to work with the other communities in Williamson County to expand the ecosystem,” Postler said. “But I think we have something to be proud of when we look at these numbers here.”
Round Rock’s strengths in supporting entrepreneurship include the lower cost of living than Austin, a strong community and a growing support system. Though, it faces challenges like resources gaps, limited mentorship availability, less niche events and missing infrastructure, as well as difficulty attracting seed funding because of poor promotion.
Solutions Focused’s key recommendations include partnering with accelerators, increasing co-working facilities and enhancing community engagement by offering space for meetups and industry specific events.
Round Rock reportedly has startups mostly in the software and data industry, with hardware and IoT being the second largest sector. This is most likely influenced by Dell’s headquarters presence, Postler said.
Going forward
An opportunity to apply these finings lies in the Griffith Building, Postler said. The building, currently undergoing renovations, has space for programming and co-working.
