Edgar Barguiarena - The Austinot

Favor Founders Focus on Next Big Idea: Easing Rental Woes in Austin

April 3, 2019 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Zac Maurais Ben Doherty Sunroom Rental App — Zac Maurais and Ben Doherty shortly after launching Favor, then six years later launching Sunroom (Credit: Sunroom)

Six years ago, two recent college grads moved to Austin to launch a company out of a decaying office. Their wild idea: build a mobile-first app that can get virtually anything delivered to you with just a few taps.

Five years and $38 million dollars in funding later, the founding duo of Zac Maurais and Ben Doherty have built Favor to nearly 100 employees (in addition to thousands of contract runners). In addition, they transitioned the company to an executive team, which ultimately led to an acquisition by grocery giant HEB. An exit that exceeded their wildest dreams.

Much of the service-based app economy based out of Silicon Valley can be distilled to an Uber-for-x service, a variation of the now ubiquitous ride-hailing app that fuels our on-demand culture. Favor took the on-demand food delivery idea that was dominated by desktop-based interfaces, and moved it forward by focusing on a mobile experience and directly engaging with local businesses to get them signed up.

Maurais and Doherty are poised to do the same thing for real estate as they did for local restaurants by creating Sunroom, an app-based rental experience focused on getting ever-increasing numbers of Austinites to their next home faster and easier than ever before.

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Austin Sunshine Camps: 88 Years of Empowering Local Kids

January 25, 2016 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Do you know a kid who could use a little sunshine? (Photo: Austin Sunshine Camps)

Eighty-eight years ago, the crown jewel of downtown Austin, Zilker Park, opened to the public. That same year, Austin Sunshine Camps was founded, and the two have been inextricably linked ever since. Serving our community’s youth through after school programs and summer camps, Austin Sunshine Camps is one of the oldest continuously-operating non-profits in Austin.
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Revisiting the Lost Pines: Bastrop and Buescher State Parks

January 11, 2016 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

In 1933 on a commission from President Roosevelt, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began work on a donated stretch of land in Central Texas that needed a purpose. Through the hard work of Company 1811 and 1805, with 200 enrollees each, a state park and national historic landmark emerged. Today, Bastrop State Park and neighboring Buescher State Park(pronounced “bisher”) encompass almost 8,000 acres of loblolly pines and hardwoods, collectively known as the Lost Pines of Central Texas.

Bastrop State Park gained some notoriety in 2011 as 96% of the park was burned in the Bastrop County Complex fire. I was curious to see how our beloved state park, only 30 miles southeast of Austin, has recovered since the wildfires. How are the recovery efforts going and is the park still worth visiting after so much devastation? [Read more…]

5-Star Dining Four Stories Above Rainey Street at Geraldine’s

December 30, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Geraldine's Elegant Dining Room in Austin

Old world elegance meets Austin chic at Geraldine’s (Credit: Aubrie Pick)

Tucked away one street over and four stories up from Rainey Street is an oasis amidst the chaos. Geraldine’s is the newest restaurant and cocktail bar to open in this popular Austin neighborhood. After a banner year for restaurant openings in Austin, Geraldine’s closes out 2015 with a bang and gives us plenty to look forward to in 2016.

Named after the infamous guinea fowl adopted as an unofficial mascot by the Rainey Street neighborhood, Geraldine’s is acutely aware of its place. The restaurant simply couldn’t exist anywhere else. Following the theme of its host, Hotel Van Zandt, Geraldine’s effortlessly blends into the musically-inclined and rustic Rainey Street area.

Walking through Hotel Van Zandt and into Geraldine’s, you get the distinct impression that you’re exactly where you’re intended to be. The hip atmosphere joined with Texas old-world elegance just feels like Austin. Combine this with a sublime patio/pool overlooking Lady Bird Lake and live music every day of the week, and you have yourself a winner. [Read more…]

Austin Startup Everfest Becomes Ultimate Festival Authority

December 14, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

In a hyper-connected age when billions of people are coming together online, a small startup based out of Austin is creating a platform to bring people together offline. Everfest is a startup created by two former executives of uShip and the founder of Ticketbud.

Their goal? To catalog and index festivals around the world. How many festivals, you ask? All of them.

Such lofty ambitions come wrapped around an altruistic banner. Within their mission to organize the world’s festivals, the Everfest team is working to create a killer mobile festival app, and they plan on giving it away. To understand how this can be a viable business model, we have to take a step back and define what exactly a festival is. [Read more…]

Keeping Austin Real, 6th Street Cowboy Rides On

November 2, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

One of Sam Olivo’s favorite stops is the Capitol, where he can always find a few folks to serenade.

To know Sam is to love Sam. You know that guy who rides his horse in downtown Austin? That’s Sam Olivo, the 6th Street Cowboy.

If you saw Olivo riding on a horse alongside someone else at the recent Texas Book Festival, that someone else was me. He was kind enough to let me tag along on a peaceful jaunt down Congress Avenue, as he told me his story and sang a few songs.

Our journey had us trotting through downtown Austin, and culminated with an intensely personal Native American ceremony at a sweat lodge. Along the way, Olivo told me about his second shot at life, why he rides his animals downtown and what his mission in life is now.

Olivo’s story is an important one. It’s the story of a man with an old world mentality, living in a city growing at a breakneck pace and struggling to maintain its identity. Olivo refuses to change, in a city that’s constantly changing. [Read more…]

How to Keep It Local During Weekend Two of ACL Fest

October 6, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

The Samsung stage features so many quality artists that folks pick a spot to camp out there all day
(Credit: John Cabuena)

Weekend One of the 14th Austin City Limits Music Festival wrapped up Sunday evening after three days of near-perfect weather. The 75,000 attendees at Austin’s annual Autumn bash were serenaded by national acts like the Foo Fighters and Drake, and nostalgia rock from Billy Idol, not to mention a growing number of local Austin bands that are starting to make a name for themselves on a national scale.

Join us as we take a quick look back at Weekend One and get you ready for Weekend Two. We’re sharing the best food to eat on site, local acts you don’t want to miss, and even ways to catch ACL musicians on the cheap outside the festival. Don’t forget to check out our list of 16 ACL pro tips that we published last week. [Read more…]

Austin Wins Big at Great American Beer Festival 2015

October 1, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Credit: Brewers Association

Every year just after Autumn makes its debut and white becomes taboo, a bearded band of Austin brewers makes its way to Denver, Colorado. Their mission? To serve beer at the Great American Beer Festival to an audience of over 60,000 craft beer aficionados from around the world, and compete against over 1,500 breweries from around the country. The Austin contingent of brewers totaled 15 this year, a full third of all breweries that hailed from the state of Texas.

If you tried three different beers a day at Great American Beer Festival, it would still take you almost three and a half years to get through every beer within the festival hall. I had three days. It was a daunting task, to be sure, but one accepted without hesitation. Somebody has to do it, right? [Read more…]

Hill Country Day Trip Guide to Johnson City Area

September 17, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena 2 Comments

As much as we love the city of Austin, one of our favorite things to do here at the Austinot is discover quick weekend getaways that allow us to explore city’s backyard. When you get tired of the hustle and bustle of one of the fastest growing cities in America, you have a treasure trove of options within an hour’s drive of downtown. [Read more…]

Tradition Revisited During Sunday Cena at La Condesa

August 17, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena Leave a Comment

Sunday meals in Austin are evolving. Whether its mid-day brunch to kick off Sunday Funday, or the “Sunday Supper” meals that seem to be popping up at our favorite restaurants around town, food on Sunday tends to take on a special significance.

At La Condesa, you get the best of both worlds with the Sunday Cena family-style seasonal menu from 5-10 PM, to complement their already stellar Sunday brunch. [Read more…]