Founders Zac and Ben, respectively.

It’s the next great American dream: build an app, drop it on iTunes or Google Play, and watch your bank account grow exponentially. Ideas for the next great app are plentiful, but it takes a special brand of person to actually run with it and build a company.

Favor was one such app born out of an idea from two recent college grads, co-founders Ben Doherty and Zac Maurais. They wanted to create a service that made it easier to ask and fulfill favors for people in your neighborhood.

“Initially, we envisioned a user going to a grocery store and logging in to the service to see if anyone else in your area needed something,” said Zac, CMO of Favor. Now the service has morphed into a full-blown in-app experience that allows you to get virtually anything in Central Austin delivered to you, with just a few taps on your smartphone.

When the neighborhood version of Favor didn’t exactly pan out the way they intended, Ben and Zac recreated the service as a beer and burrito delivery service and focused more on a mobile interface. The service was launched in early 2013 in San Luis Obispo, California and quickly became a hit with students in the area. The success plateaued after a few months, however. Growth was limited to people who only wanted beer and burritos, and the guys were ready for something bigger and better. [Read more…]

Kathryn Gonzales, founder of Live Oak Legacies

This guest blog article is by Daja Gegen.

Kathryn Gonzales has always had a fondness for stories, particularly those of the elderly. She is founder and owner of local business Live Oak Legacies, a family history service committed to capturing a family’s most important stories.

Through Live Oak Legacies, Kathryn provides clients with audio and visual media that document the stories of their loved ones, giving back to the age group she is so fond of. [Read more…]

Bronson Willard and his painter, Kurt Mitchell, work their magic for Austin’s motorcycle scene

The Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally is six months away. How embarrassing would it be if you pulled that bike out a week before the rally to find it doesn’t start?  What if your kid, who’s horrible at baseball, threw a fastball and your gas tank caught it? What if your cat had a litter of kittens in the saddle bag? You better get that thing to Southern Metal Choppers, and you better do it now.

From Humble Beginnings

I had a Harley Sportster in the spring of 2003. I was blissfully jamming around town when I got the bright idea to replace the rear shocks with a pair of solid struts. That would lower the rear suspension and give it a cool hot rod look. It would also be a spine-rattling experience.

I inquired about the modification at Central Texas Harley Davidson and the dude who sold me the bike told me about a pair of cousins who just opened a shop in an industrial park near Golfsmith. I cruised over and found Bronson and Jason Willard in a mostly empty shop. They were hurriedly trying to finish the wiring on a stripped down Buell Cyclone. We quickly became friendly and, while I never got those struts made, we had a blast at [Read more…]

Burpy’s five founders, all students at The University of Texas

“September was a real month,” 21 year old Aseem Ali announced with a sparkle in his eye. The young startup founder was basking in the recent success of his brainchild, a grocery-delivery program called Burpy.

Grocery shopping is one of the time-consuming necessities in our lives. Aseem and Burpy’s other four co-founders – all University of Texas students ranging in age from 19-22 – started their service for UT students who didn’t have transportation to get to and from the grocery store. The customer base of the young company has evolved, and Burpy now serves many Austin residential families as well. For busy moms, grocery shopping isn’t as much of a transportation issue as it is a time issue. [Read more…]