Local startup leaders optimistic about San Antonio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem are saying business is back.
With 2024 marking the relaunch of Launch SA, Geekdom’s inaugural Women Founders Network fast pitch competition, and the creation of a new fund to support startups across South Texas, San Antonio’s startup scene is firmly back on track, Geekdom CEO Charles Woodin said at the second annual State of Geekdom luncheon Thursday.
Founded in 2011 by Graham Weston and Nick Longo, Geekdom is one of San Antonio’s most established entrepreneurial incubators, helping local innovators turn their business ideas into thriving companies.
Like many organizations, Geekdom felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with membership dropping from around 1,800 to 1,500 in 2020. Nationwide, new business applications also declined, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
But since then, there’s been a clear rebound. The Treasury reports over 19 million new business applications have been filed since 2020, reflecting a broader trend in entrepreneurial activity.
Geekdom’s 2024 success mirrors this national uptick.
“In 2024, our flagship programming supported over 640 unique entrepreneurs, and those entrepreneurs launched 164 new startups in our city,” Woodin said. “Those startups from Geekdom raised over a staggering $30 million in capital just this last year.”
That growth also includes 109 new jobs in San Antonio, $155,000 invested directly into local startups through Geekdom programs and four patents filed by Geekdom companies, he added.
Last year also ushered in Geekdom’s official partnership with Launch SA. In September 2023, the City of San Antonio approved a $1.7 million, three-year agreement with Geekdom to manage the operations of Launch SA, the city’s incubator program started in 2014 to help connect small business owners and entrepreneurs to local programs and resources.
A year later, the partnership was celebrated with the “Relaunch of Launch SA,” in its newly redesigned space inside the San Antonio Central Library.
During Thursday’s luncheon event Matthew Espinoza, director of Launch SA, said the partnership has allowed Launch SA to make a bigger impact in the community.
“That included a lot of different things,” he said. “For one, continuing and relaunching the services Launch SA provided; new initiatives and new programming; bringing a whole new team; and also renovating our space.”
In 2025, Geekdom aims to continue growth in San Antonio by helping companies make it through the “growth gap,” Woodin said. Many startups struggle to secure enough funding to scale, which Geekdom is hoping to help with, he explained.
“We will continue to deliver the foundational programs that we can while adding new resources that help entrepreneurs bridge that growth gap and achieve long-term success,” Woodin said.
