Austin Symposium on Economic Dynamism

Join us for the third annual Austin Symposium, America’s premier university-based ideas festival focused on restoring economic dynamism, entrepreneurship, inventiveness, & creativity The United States likes to think of itself as an entrepreneurial nation, but the share of startups in our economy declined steadily from the 1980s through 2020. Then, suddenly, the trend reversed during the Covid pandemic. Startups boomed. Analysts first thought it was a blip, but the trend has continued. Startup rates have stayed elevated since the pandemic. What is going on? Has policy changed? The economy? Culture? Demographics? AI? Join us as we feature four of the most-cited scholars on this issue at our Austin Symposium, “The Surprising Startup Surge since the Pandemic.” 2:00 – 2:30 PM | Recent Trends in Startup Growth in the U.S.Ryan Decker 2:30 – 3:00 PM | The Changing State of American EntrepreneurshipScott Stern 3:00 – 3:15 PM | Break 3:15 – 3:45 PM| The Black Neighborhood Startup Deficit: Insights for Urban DynamismCathy Fazio 3:45 – 4:15 PM | AI and EntrepreneurshipNathan Goldschlag 4:15 – 4:45 PM | Panel Q&A 4:45- 5:15 PM | Closing Keynote 5:15 – 6:30 PM | Cocktail reception Complimentary underground parking for this event is available in the visitor parking garage of Innovation Tower located off Red River between 15th and 12th. Please note there are multiple parking entrances, so look carefully for the visitor parking entrance.