CS Freeland

CS Freeland joins us in studio from the Texas Venture Alliance. We talk about the Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem and how Rural Texas is being impacted. Amy Story joins the conversation, connecting the statewide perspective to the local economic development.

CS Freeland is cofounder of the Texas Venture Alliance, the state's leading non-profit organizing and promoting the Texas startup ecosystem of support by providing resources, events, and membership. Additionally, they partner with a number of chambers on economic development efforts that attract startups and venture capital. CS also created the Texas Venture Crawl occurring simultaneously in 10+ cities this year on October 6, as the largest gathering featuring venture capitalists in Texas history. 

At the age of 32, CS was the youngest Executive Director of a venture association in the United States while co-founding and launching a hyperlocal Austin startup investors club. The next year, she accepted an “Organization of the Year'' award for her work there from the Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce. 

For the majority of the last decade, CS worked at Austin’s first venture studio launching several early stage technology companies. Outside of startups and ventures, she is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper who spoke in Davos, a multi-award winning political campaigns advisor for three successful Texas mayoral races, and nearly 15 year Austinite.