Photo by Joe OlivieriFrom left: Andi Gillentine of Startup Grind, Jim Butler of the City of Austin, Susan Davenport of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Koym of Tech Ranch Austin and Bijoy Goswami of BootstrapU speak at "Startup Grind Austin Asks 'Why Austin?'" a panel during SXSW Interactive on March 9.
Two Austin startup veterans and representatives from the City of Austin and Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce explained why the city has a healthy environment that supports and encourages entrepreneurship.
"This is one of the best entrepreneurial hubs in the country," said Susan Davenport, the chamber's senior vice president for Global Technologies Strategy.
During a March 9 SXSW Interactive panel, Davenport said Austin added 5,500 new technology jobs in the first three quarters of 2012 and has more than 4,400 tech companies.
