I’ve yet to find a physical workspace in Austin that’s not all work (unlike WeWork and Capital Factory). Nor have I found an after-work bar like Cheers (tv fame) where everyone knows your name.

The Pershing and Soho House offer something different. They are relatively small and expensive compared to the membership-based clubs found in larger metros. There are tennis and golf clubs throughout Austin, but those are not intended for networking.

I liked The Collective in Seattle and The Battery in SF. There are plenty of go-getters in Austin who converge in networking communities like the Astrononomic Network. Austin needs more curated spaces for talented people to meet. There are too many coffee shops, dive bars, and live-music clubs, while few sophisticated lounges exist to draw an older, executive cohort.

There are professional meetups that have not scaled like equivalents on the west coast or east coast. The average worker in Austin is quite young. Austin lacks a strong cadre of mid to late-career professionals who mentor the next generation while keeping their sights on C-level challenges. Smart people live here. They are just less connected to each other through networking organizations.

Here’s what The Collective looked like. Austin would benefit from something like this which was surprisingly affordable in Seattle.