Shaq Attack

Shaquille O'Neal picks the winners of his Pitch Shaq mobile startup contest

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal announced the winners of his 15-second “Pitch Shaq” contest in a chummy gathering at the Long Center as a part of SXSW Interactive.

The winners, which Shaq will be providing capital contributions to, are Beam, a smartphone to desktop (and vice-versa) communication app, and Speakerfy, an app that allows multiple devices to play music in sync. Both apps are in early building stages, and the idea is that Shaq’s support will be what they both need to take on the stiff mobile application market competition.

“The way I use [Twitter] is to 60 percent to make you laugh, 30 percent to inspire you and 10 percent endorse products,” Shaq said. “I do a lot of ‘yo mamma’ jokes.”

App companies competed by sending in 15-second video pitches to Shaq through Tout, the same video app that the celebrity used to announce his retirement from professional play.

Beyond his prolific basketball career, the San Antonio native has also become a bit of a technology and social media savant — he was an early, pre-IPO investor in Google.

He also has business interests in Five Guys burgers, Vitamin Water and Muscle Milk.

“I’ve always wanted to be at the forefront of technology,” he said. “I’m one of the world’s tallest geeks.”

His expertise, though, lies in Twitter, where he commands nearly seven million followers. The panel’s moderator, author Brian Solis, relayed that Twitter creator CEO Jack Dorsey himself says Shaq is the “ideal” Twitter user.

“The way I use it is to 60 percent to make you laugh, 30 percent to inspire you and 10 percent endorse products,” Shaq said. “I do a lot of ‘yo mamma’ jokes.”

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silicon hills strikes again

Austin nearly tops list of best tech hubs in the South

Photo by Ross Bonander on Unsplash

Austin loves its thriving tech sector.

A new study analyzing top U.S. locales for the tech industry has ranked Austin the No. 2 best tech hub in the South.

The report by commercial real estate platform CommercialCafe examined the top 20 Southern metros across nine metrics, such as the growth rates of tech establishments and employment, median tech earnings, a quality of life index, and more.

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown ranked second only to Washington, D.C., and was the highest ranked Texas metro.

The study attributes Austin's tech powerhouse status to its growing presence of major tech companies like Tesla, Google, Apple, Dell, and more. The city saw a 25 percent increase in tech company density from 2019 to 2023, the report found, which is the third-highest growth rate out of all 20 metros.

"Moreover, the metro’s tech scene thrives on a diverse range of segments, including AI and green energy (bolstered by the University of Texas), as well as globally recognized events like [South by Southwest]," the report says. "Thus, with tech companies accounting for more than half of all office leasing activity in 2024, Austin remains a magnet for innovation, talent and investment."

Financial security is another influential factor for tech workers in the South, and the Austin metro offers the fourth highest median salaries nationwide, totaling $111,374 each year. That's a fairly competitive income compared to Washington, D.C., which ranked No. 1 in this metric with tech workers earning a median annual salary of $122,070.

Austin's tech earnings has grown by nearly 30 percent over the last five years, yet it still fell behind in comparison to other U.S. metros to rank No. 6 overall. Fayetteville, Arkansas had the highest five-year growth rate in tech earnings, with a 45 percent increase from 2019 to 2023.

"In particular, Austin remains a standout for its vibrant tech community and appeal to companies seeking top talent without the highest costs," the report says. " In total, 12 metros in the South saw median tech earnings surpass $100,000, up from just seven in last year’s study."

Here's how Austin stacked up across the remaining five rankings:

No. 2 – Tech establishment density
No. 2 – Five-year rate of tech patents granted (from 2020 to 2024)
No. 2 – Tech job density
No. 5 – Quality of life index
No. 11 – Tech job growth

In a separate 2024 report, Austin was the No. 7 best tech city nationwide.

Other top Texas tech hubs in the South
The only other Texas metros to earn spots in the report were Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 4) and Houston (No. 9). Most notably, CommercialCafe says Dallas has a far greater diversity when it comes to its tech sector and its thriving economic opportunities.

"Not to be outdone, Dallas-Fort Worth moved up from sixth to fourth in this year’s rankings, driven by a 25.9 percent growth in tech company presence — the second-highest increase among the top 20 metros," the report said. "For instance, companies like iRely (which relocated to Irving, Texas) and Diversified (now in Plano, Texas) have joined homegrown successes, such as StackPath and Bestow."

Houston, on the other hand, led the nation with the highest number of tech patents granted from 2020 to 2024.

"Once synonymous with oil, Houston is increasingly making its mark as a cleantech hub — and patents reflect this shift," the report said. "Yet, even as Houston remains the five-year leader, its 2023 patent output declined slightly, ceding the top spot that year to Austin."

The top 10 best tech metros in the South are:

No. 1 – Washington, D.C.
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 4 – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
No. 5 – Huntsville, Alabama
No. 6 – Baltimore, Maryland
No. 7 – Durham, North Carolina
No. 8 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – Charlotte, North Carolina

austin reports innovation tech hubs