Tech Bloc Bi-Weekly Newsletter🚀
October 1st, 2024
📰 In this Issue:
1️⃣ Tech Bloc Announcements
2️⃣ San Antonio Tech News
3️⃣ DevSA Corner
4️⃣ Events
5️⃣ Stay Engaged
Announcing the Tech Fuel 2024 Semi-Finalists
We are excited to announce that the semi-finalists for the 2024 Tech Fuel Startup Pitch Competition have been selected! After a competitive application process, these top startups will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative solutions to a panel of judges this week on October 3rd and 4th. Stay tuned as these talented founders showcase their ideas and compete for a chance to win $100,000 in funding to fuel their growth and impact the San Antonio tech ecosystem.
Congratulations to:
Ascender Systems
Go4Rent
Just-In Traps
BobiHealth
Nufi
Balam
Visual Cloud FX Limited Company
Binoloop
Cortal Insight
New Dominion Enterprises
KOLONUS
ChainCraft
Axicle
CML Insight
Biotascape LLC (Doing business as Wild Forge)
Creative 3D Technologies, Inc.
LegalMente AI
Bytewhisper Security
SuperProp.ai
Maverick MRI
Code Flight | Suitcase Coder
Skills.tech
Earnest Agriculture
Tabi
SAFEtech
We’re going to Texas Venture Crawl🤠 Thursday!
We’re thrilled to announce the official launch of the Founder Institute’s San Antonio Chapter this Thursday, October 3rd, at Texas Venture Fest 2024! San Antonio is proud to join 13 other Texas cities in hosting this premier event. With the launch of the Founder Institute, our local founders will gain access to a global accelerator network, opening doors to top-tier mentors, investors, and resources that will help elevate their startups to new heights.
Held at the brand-new 300 Main terrace in downtown San Antonio, the Texas Venture Fest 2024 will gather entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, and investors to celebrate San Antonio’s role in the I-35 Corridor’s booming tech landscape. We’ll welcome speakers Martin Martinez of Founder Institute Texas and Paul O’Brien of MediaTech Ventures where they will share their insights on the power of local support and the strategic value of connecting San Antonio’s growing tech community to Austin and beyond.
We hope you join us! (With Paul O’Brien on the panel, you know it’s going to be a mic-drop kind of night! 😉🎤)
San Antonio Tech and Business News
From groundbreaking innovations to exciting developments, stay tuned for a tech-filled journey that promises to shape the future.
Low boom, high pollution? NASA readies for supersonic test flight.
But commercial supersonic aviation’s 27-year run sputtered to a stop in the 21st century as fuel, safety and maintenance costs soared at the same time passenger interest waned amid the economic and political turmoil of a post-9/11 world.
By then, a slew of environmental hazards — the outsized carbon emissions from the fuel-thirsty aircraft and damage to the ozone layer as well as window-rattling noise pollution on the ground — made the Concorde seem like a dinosaur of the skies.
Source: SA Express News
Boca Chica booms: A chronology of SpaceX explosions in — and over — South Texas
SpaceX’s operation near Boca Chica Beach has had highs, lows and more than a few explosions as it develops the world’s largest and most powerful rocket.
Since the commercial space firm began operations at Starbase in 2019, it has launched prototypes eight times and the full Starship vehicle four times. Only four of the 12 test flights that traveled 500 feet or higher have gone as planned. The rest ended in explosions at Starbase, over the Gulf of Mexico or above the Indian Ocean.
Source: SA Express News
Texas man sues USAA over April data breach that affected 32,276 members' personal information
In a complaint filed Thursday in federal court in San Antonio, USAA member Maurice Fitzpatrick of Belton said there are at least 100 class members whose claims exceed $5 million as a result of the breach that affected the personal information of 32,275 USAA customers. Nearly 4,200 of those members are Texans.
Source: San Antonio Express News
Texas Space Commission offering $150M in its first-ever grants for space-related projects
The newly created Texas Space Commission is looking for applicants for its first-ever grants from the $150 million Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund.
The call for applications is one of the first tangible actions of the agency created for the purpose of expanding the state’s space business.
Source: San Antonio Express News
Southwest Airlines vows to get to the bottom of San Antonio airport snub
A federal judge rejected Southwest Airlines’ request to pause the reassignment of gates at San Antonio International Airport on Monday — an early piece of larger legal action the company has undertaken after it was shut out of the airport’s new terminal.
Lawyers for the airline alleged that in the past year of discussions with the city, Director of Airports Jesus Saenz had promised Southwest Airlines space in the new terminal.
When Southwest found out three months ago that it was instead being relegated to the old terminal, the company’s lawyers said it had missed out on valuable negotiation opportunities — such as securing more city resources to renovate their existing space.
Source: San Antonio Report
Southwest Research Institute scientist weighs in on SpaceX Starship punching a hole in atmosphere
After a SpaceX Starship flight ended in a pair of explosions over the Gulf of Mexico in November, it set off alarms about damage to Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Roughly 56 miles above the Gulf of Mexico that morning, the mega-rocket’s first-stage booster exploded. A few minutes later, the upper-stage Starship blew up at an altitude of about 93 miles.
According to a paper published last month, the explosions created a hole in the ionosphere — the outer layer of the atmosphere containing electrically charged particles — that lasted between 30 and 40 minutes before closing. The commercial space company’s rocket also made shock waves that traveled in a different direction than scientists were expecting.
Source: San Antonio Express News
DEVSA Corner
A heartfelt THANK YOU!
Since our last newsletter, we had the pleasure of working with our awesome community partners, Project Quest, UTSA UC, and had a chance to hangout with the Runway ML Community. These collaborations have been instrumental in helping DEVSA become the platform for learning, networking, and connecting with like-minded techies. We're particularly excited about our relationships with Runway and Adobe, and we're looking forward to using our platform to spotlight the tech and art community.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Build, Ship, and Network: Introducing Indie Hacker Nights
Join the DEVSA community on Friday October 4th at Zelifcam from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM for our first indie hacker night!
What is an Indie Hacker? An indie hacker is an independent entrepreneur who builds and launches their own online business or project without relying on outside funding. They often focus on software or websites and prioritize control and sustainability over rapid growth or investor involvement.
Connect with like-minded techies: Network with other entrepreneurs and developers who are building their own projects.
Collaborate and brainstorm: Work together on your ideas and get feedback from your peers.
Learn and grow: Discover new tools and techniques and gain valuable insights from other indie hackers
Introducing Echo 210: San Antonio's Print-Only Tech Zine
Get ready to dive deep into the world of technology with Echo 210, a brand new free, print-only zine launching on October 1st.
This exciting publication will explore everything tech, from software development to hardware hacking, all with a focus on San Antonio's vibrant tech scene.
Experience the joy of print media and discover insightful articles, interviews, and more.
Want to contribute? Learn how-to be part of the print-only experience
BitCoin Diplomas
Attend BitCoin Diplomas event on October 1st, and every Tuesday until October 29th, 2024. Discussing just Bitcoin and the Lightning Network to build, grow, create, and learn.
📍 Location: 110 E Houston St, Floor 78205, San Antonio, TX | 7:00PM-9:00PM
Geeks and Drinks Monthly Meetup
To all you Geeks! This is a monthly opportunity for programmers, developers and web techies in the San Antonio area to get out and socialize! No formal agenda, let’s talk about your current projects, coding issues, wins and anything else!
Co-Founders Monty Morgan and Sharon Gutierrez started Geeks & Drinks in 2021 when they moved to San Antonio and wanted to connect with like minded people. Our mission is to have a safe and inclusive space for everyone to hang out and talk about the geeky stuff.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
📍 Location: 107 W Houston St, San Antonio, TX| 6:00PM-8:00PM
Texas Venture Fest: San Antonio Edition
Attend the Texas Venture Fest on Thursday, October 3rd. The Texas Venture Fest is the only truly “Texas-sized” day highlighting the ecosystem of startup support. Co-hosts include Tech Bloc and Founder Institute. This year’s event registration event asks for you favorite investor, startup, and Community leader for the Texan’s Choice Awards.
📍 Location: 300 N Main Ave, San Antonio, TX 78205 | 6:30PM-9:30PM
Demo Day
Attend a first-ever Community Health Accelerator and hear from five innovative companies that are working to promote health equity with technologies that address the social determinants of health.
Enjoy casual networking with leaders from across San Antonio’s bioscience community and experience the thrill of the pitch as our cohort companies compete for a chance to deploy their innovations within the Methodist Healthcare Ministries network of services.
Food and drinks will be provided. Event is free, but space is limited -- register soon!
📍 Location: 226 North Hackberry Street San Antonio, TX 78202 | 4:30PM-7:30PM
Secure Together Summit
Join Tech Bloc and CyManII in the heart of scenic downtown San Antonio on October 16-17, 2024, at The University of Texas at San Antonio San Pedro 1 campus!
The Secure Together Summit, CyManII’s 2024 Annual Meeting, is a must-attend event that will bring together CyManII members, non-members, key partners, thought leaders, and industry stakeholders. We will discuss our strategic vision, offer collaborative opportunities, present the State of the Institute, and outline a vision for the path forward as we transition into CyManII 2.0.
📍 Location: San Pedro 1, 506 Dolorosa Street, San Antonio, TX, 78204
Day 1️⃣ – Wednesday, October 16
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Networking reception to follow
Day 2️⃣ – Thursday, October 17
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tour of Cybersecurity 4 Manufacturing (C4M) to follow
CyManII will provide a shuttle service on Day Two from San Pedro 1 to C4M
Become a Tech Bloc Member
Become a part of San Antonio’s thriving tech community with a Tech Bloc membership! Join us to access exclusive events, resources, and networking opportunities that will help you grow and succeed.
Individual Membership
Access to the Community Platform
Dedicated Tech Newsletter
Networking Events
Curated Members-only Workshops
Exclusive Content
Tech Bloc T-Shirt
Curated Resources
Access to the Tech Conclaves
Be a part of the Community Pulse
First Drink for Free at Events
Startup Membership
All of the benefits above PLUS:
Over $350K in credits across essential platforms including AWS and Google Cloud Credits
CEO to CEO Peer Groups
CTO to CTO Peer Groups
All About Fundraising Resources
Investor Lists
Access to Investors
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