Investing is alright

In his role as investor, Matthew McConaughey backs Austin startup

Matthew McConaughey University of Texas Austin longhorn hook em

Matthew McConaughey invests in startups, including one based in Austin.

Matthew McConaughey is far more than an Oscar-winning actor. He’s the “Minister of Culture” for the University of Texas. He’s a professor at UT and a best-selling author. And he’s co-owner of Austin FC, the Major League Soccer team.

But did you know the Austin celebrity also invests in startups?

McConaughey owns a stake in several businesses, and it turns out one of them is based in Austin. In an email interview with Fast Company magazine, McConaughey revealed he’s an investor in Workrise, an Austin company whose workforce management platform matches skilled workers with employers in the energy industry.

As an investor, McConaughey says he looks for companies “that have a purpose to uplift, empower, construct, redefine, and bring a new or renewed health to individuals, communities, and systems.”

Formerly known as RigUp, Workrise rebranded in early 2021. Since its founding eight years ago, the company has raised $752.5 million from major investors such as 137 Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Bedrock Capital, Brookfield Growth Partners, Founders Fund, Franklin Templeton, and Moore Strategic Ventures.

“We founded RigUp in 2014 on the premise that technology could be used to more efficiently and effectively source skilled labor across the oil and gas industry. In the years that ensued, we found that our approach could be taken further; we could help address a much larger socioeconomic shift across the infrastructure industry,” co-founder and CEO Xuan Yong said last year.

“Today, Workrise reflects our aim to bridge the skilled labor gap across industries, to leverage technology and data to empower skilled workers — and, in turn, the economy at large — so the U.S. can prepare for an infrastructure renaissance,” he added.

A little over a year after its rebranding, Workrise laid off an undisclosed number of employees and streamlined its business offerings. Before the layoffs, the company was valued at $2.9 billion.

“Filling the skilled labor gap will be essential to our continued economic growth and recovery, and Workrise is at the forefront of that effort,” Allen Narcisse, chief operating officer at Workrise, said last year. “Workrise has already proven that traditional ways of staffing large projects are ripe for disruption.”

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SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

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