The Three River Walks
Part 1 of a four-part Urban Nerd series exploring the three distinct personalities of the San Antonio River Walk. When I was a kid, I went on a school field trip to see the Alamo. Like most San Antonio students, that was my first real trip downtown. But what actually stuck with me wasn’t the […]
Maximum Fiesta, Minimum Spend
Fiesta has always been about showing up, not spending big. And this year, as prices climb and budgets tighten, that spirit matters more than ever. Across San Antonio, there are still plenty of ways to take part in the color, music, and energy of Fiesta without stretching your wallet. We pulled together a list of […]
We Need to Incentivize Civic Wealth
All great places have civic wealth: shared elements that elevate everyday human life—walkable streets, beautiful buildings, shade trees, plazas, local businesses, and access to nature. These communal resources make the simple joys of life easily available. Great places aren’t purely economic machines built for efficiency. They are human places; places for work, creativity, rest, connection, […]
The Quiet Giant: The Unlikely Path to Venture Capital
Part One of a four-part Urban Nerd series exploring how an unlikely path, an overlooked city, and long-term conviction gave rise to Active Capital — one of Texas’s quiet venture successes. I’ve known Pat for a long time. Truth be told, when I worked at Rackspace, and I spent close to a decade there, I […]
The Logos Matter: What’s Next For San Antonio’s Tech Talent
Article 5 of a 5-part series on UT San Antonio’s hidden talent pipeline When I was CEO of Geekdom, San Antonio’s largest co-working space at the time, our mission was simple: help build the city’s tech scene one company at a time. I remember one meeting that taught me more about recruiting than any other. […]
I Could Live Anywhere: Daniela Oliver de Portillo, Multidisciplinary Artist
I never planned to root my artistic life in San Antonio. What began as circumstance has grown into a deep appreciation for the creative life this city makes possible. Since moving here in 2002 from Mexico City, I have lived and worked in San Antonio continuously, while traveling frequently to Mexico. Over the years I […]
When Yahoo Came Looking for Talent at UT San Antonio
Article 4 of a 5-part series on UT San Antonio’s hidden talent pipeline Yahoo was one of our earliest industry partners to come looking for talent at UT San Antonio. After Meta and Netflix, they reached out to see what was happening here. They were looking for talent across computer science, computer engineering, business analytics, […]
When Netflix Discovered UT San Antonio
Article 3 of a 5-part series on UT San Antonio’s hidden talent pipeline Once you spend a day recruiting our students, you stop thinking about what San Antonio doesn’t have, and you start seeing everything it does. That’s exactly what happened when I reached out to Netflix. I knew our students had the talent to […]
I Could Live Anywhere: Inside Kelly O’Connor’s San Antonio Home Studio
San Antonio has given me something rare as an artist: the space to grow. Space to carve out a studio, space to raise a family, and space to experiment without fear. My practice is about piecing fragments together—collage, found images, bits of history and memory—and this city has allowed me to weave those fragments into […]
Why Walkable Streets Matter for San Antonio’s Future
Imagine waking up, putting on some comfortable clothes, and heading outside. You can feel your neighborhood waking up with you: families out walking, chairs being set out in cafés, the smell of a nearby bakery rising in the air. You take a leisurely fifteen-minute stroll down a few tree-lined blocks, running into people you know […]