Why Can't Austin Attract International Students?

Today marks the kickoff of Austin Startup Week, a dawn-to-dusk boot camp for local tech entrepreneurs. And there's plenty of varied programming to choose from. Seats for “What Willie Nelson Can Teach You About User Experience” were sold out nearly a week before the event’s scheduled date (maybe some think Willie will make a cameo). Thursday’s discussion “I’ve Got 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One” will showcase entrepreneurial lessons gleaned from hip-hop. Given the city’s exploding startup scene, it’s easy to see why unorthodox innovation events are popular. To stand out in this market, entrepreneurs need an edge.

The Texas state capital has nearly doubled its population in the past 20 years, aided by a steady stream of cash from venture capitalists. A March report by the Martin Prosperity Institute found Austin’s $555 million in capital investment to be the eighth highest in the U.S. during 2013—more than Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Austin also placed in the top 10 for its total number of venture capital deals. Austin is undeniably one America's newest “nerdistans,” as CityLab's Richard Florida likes to call them—urban centers that strongly support high-tech industries.