Austin Startup Mentors | Growth Advice From the Top 1%

Talk to mentors from these amazing companies

Claire Schmitt

Growth Manager

Currently residing in Austin, United States (-06:00 UTC)

Hi! I'm Claire. I'm a growth marketer with an extensive analytical background. I love A/B tests, and I have a broad range of experience, from Conversion Rate Optimization, to Email Automation, to Reporting, and lots in between.

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Blair Morrison

CEO & CFO

Currently residing in Austin, United States (-06:00 UTC)

CFO turned SAAS Entrepreneur. I built a company to automate an antiquated and time-intensive industry (fractional CFO services) and make those services accessible to all business owners. I am obsessed with automation and efficiency and love all things AI and cloud-based.

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Melissa Unsell-Smith

Founder at Rectify

Currently residing in Austin, United States (-06:00 UTC)

Over my entrepreneurial journey, I have started and led three companies. One retail business and two technology startups (both B2B SaaS). My first tech business was bootstrapped and my second one has seed funding.

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Unlimited startup mentorship for $120/mo

Justin Strackany

Chief Customer Officer

Currently residing in Austin, United States (-06:00 UTC)

Startup & scaling expert through two successful exits. Revenue-focused customer success executive. Executive coach.

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Chris Piper

I Help Founders Create Holistic Marketing Strategies | $150m+ Revenue Created | CMO at Scribe Media

Currently residing in Austin, TX, United States (-06:00 UTC)

I help founders and marketing leaders with category creation, positioning, messaging, brand building, and creating a holistic marketing strategy.

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Hudson Gaines-Ross

CEO | CPG, DTC & Wholesale Specialist

Currently residing in Austin, United States (-06:00 UTC)

Hudson is an expert in consumer product goods (CPG), food & beverage, ecommerce (DTC), wholesale, sales, branding, packaging, hiring, team-building, brand-building, supply chain, Shopify and everything related.

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How does it works?

Step 1. Browse mentors

Browse through our list of mentors using the filters. Make sure to read their profiles and reviews in depth, and make your choice.

Step 2. Send session request

Found the perfect mentor for you? Awesome, time to request a call. Tell them a bit about your situation, choose a time, and get it set on your calendar.

Step 3. Get on 1:1 call

Time for the call, yay! Make sure you show up on time and prepared to make the most out of it. Pro tip: Ask your mentor if it’s ok to record the screen so you can take notes later.

Austin Startup Ecosystem

Austin is one of the USA’s leading startup hubs, often listed as the best place to do business in the country. Not only do big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Adobe, and Tesla have bases in the city, but it’s also attractive to small and medium-sized businesses.

Startups in Austin attract more than the national average in funding, with a record number of deals in 2021. According to PitchBook, funding in the city grew by 211%, with $4.9 billion raised by brand new and established companies. Austin’s rapid growth is attracting more VCs to the city, as well as an increase in the number of exits. However, on a national level, Austin only counted for 2.5% of deals in 2021.

Other attractive elements drawing an increasing number of startups to the city include low taxation; Texas has zero corporate tax rate.

A lower cost of living than the Bay Area, Boston, and New York attracts talent to Austin. The city was one of the top beneficiaries of the redistribution of tech workers during the pandemic.

Successful Austin startups range from robotics to cybersecurity to health tech and clean tech. Top businesses to watch in 2022 include Season Health, Wander, and Diligent Robotics.

Austin is also renowned for the internationally recognized annual SXSW Conference and Festival. It brings together film, media, music, live panels, and conferences and is well attended by the global tech community.

Common Use Cases

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Frequently asked questions

Have a question you don't see here? Ask us on live chat!

GrowthMentor is an on-demand platform where ambitious startup teams, entrepreneurs, and marketers can filter and book 1:1 calls with vetted mentors to work through their current growth struggles.

With membership, you are able to book calls with all of the mentors using our built-in scheduling system. The majority of the mentors are free while some do charge a reasonable rate for their time.

Click here to find everything included with membership and pricing.

GrowthMentor was built upon the idea that every situation is unique, so generic courses and blog posts just don’t cut it sometimes.

To actually solve your issue you need to connect with someone who’s “been there done that” and have a back-and-forth conversation about the particular roadblock you are facing at this very moment.

Here are some tips.

Come into this with realistic expectations. They’re mentors, not magicians.
Ask your mentor if they’d be ok with you recording your screen with Loom
Give contextual information to help paint the picture of your current situation.
Growth mentors will be asking you lots of questions, answer them as openly as possible.
Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of question-asking.
Be inquisitive. Stories are gold.
Don’t feel pressure, just relax.
Try to form mental patterns, especially if you speak with multiple mentors.
Embrace alternative views. Ask the mentors to challenge your assumptions.
Be friendly. If you’re likable, the mentors will be your biggest supporters (even after the call is over).

Use dynamic filters to find the perfect mentor for you with the right expertise, language, time zone, and availability you need.

Overwhelmed by the awesomeness and need help choosing? Our team is always standing by to give you personalized suggestions.

Yes. If it’s not for you, simply cancel your membership within 14 days and contact support for a full refund. Note that refunds are not possible if you’ve scheduled any calls or have breached our terms of service.