In many ways, WeWork's massive party at ACL Live on Tuesday night was a lesson in how to throw a big event honoring and funding a lot of cool people and companies. Yeah, WeWork is a giant now with a $20 billion valuation. It operates on a global scale while many of the startups it leases space to have only a few employees.
But there's hardly a reason to care about WeWork's global scale while walking through an outdoor mall of local purveyors of arts, crafts and plants during a party dedicated to local innovators. And it doesn't matter who's throwing the party at the job fair upstairs next to all those iconic photos of Willie, Kris and the boys. WeWork is indeed a giant, and it was generous with its Austin crews Tuesday night in ways that go beyond the free keg beer in the lobby.
Here's a look at the event before the winners were announced.
While the platters of taquitos and Pearl Snap beers passed by, the WeWork Creator Awards were really about dozens of emerging Austin startups. You probably haven't heard of many of the startups honored during the event. Hell, I write about startups everyday and learned about roughly 10 new companies that were either on stage or milling about in the lobbies.
Here are the winners WeWork celebrated and funded as part of its pledge to invest $20 million in startups around the world.
Scale Level
Robert Olivier, GrubTubs - $360K Samantha Snabes, re:3D Inc. - $180K Abianna Falla, Catspring Yaupon - $180K
Launch Level
Deven Hariyani, Kwaddle - $72K
Incubation Level
Murphy Anne Carter, Freehand Arts Project - $18K Piper LeMoine, Ranco Alegre Radio - $18K Roberto Rivera, Successful Smiles of Texas- $18K
And here's video of one of the presentations earlier in the evening by Sophia Bush and Ruthie Lindsey.
And, one more that covers several parts of the event.
