\u201cIt takes 15-20 years for those ecosystems to fully develop and flourish and get to see the results that they have now,\u201d Garzon said. \u201cWhat that tells me is we\u2019re still on that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cthere\u201d San Antonio is getting to has also shifted. Leaders like Woodin are playing to San Antonio\u2019s strengths. <\/p>\n
Geekdom has broadened its focus from tech startups to other new businesses, like store-bought packaged goods, to include more San Antonio entrepreneurs and industries.<\/p>\n
Business incubators, nonprofits that create workspace and learning resources for business owners, have sprung up for San Antonio-specific sectors, like VelocityTX in the bioscience and medical field. Even groups like TechBloc, which advocates for technology enterprises, are focused on established local industries, like cybersecurity and manufacturing.<\/p>\n
Those efforts are channeled toward a common goal, create businesses and jobs by supporting entrepreneurs. Geekdom was founded by local businessmen Graham Weston and Nick Longo in 2013. It\u2019s grown, Weston said, but that goal remains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scale\u2019s bigger, but the mission\u2019s the same \u2014 connecting people with the resources and inspiration to build their dreams,\u201d Weston said by email this week when reflecting on Geekdom\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
Building an ecosystem<\/p>\n
Luis Mart\u00ednez had been around Geekdom since 2013. A former director for Trinity University\u2019s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he\u2019s been a mentor at Geekdom and now works at Capital Factory, a venture capital firm.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s seen Geekdom grow and, at times, stumble. Between 2013 and 2019, he said, the organization founded startup week, other incubators started and investors began to take notice.<\/p>\n
In its first decade, Geekdom startups created more than 2,000 jobs and raised $422 million from investors, according to a 2022 report.<\/p>\n
Mart\u00ednez said the COVID-19 pandemic was a stumbling block. Geekdom lost members as the economy slowed down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[One] phase ended when COVID happened,\u201d Martine said. \u201cFrom 2022 onward, the last three years, it\u2019s really been about building.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, Geekdom said it was bouncing back<\/a> and it helped launch 160 new businesses that year. It entered into a $1.7 million contract to manage Launch SA<\/a>, the city\u2019s business resource center, in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess shows up in the numbers: companies launched, capital raised, jobs created & lasting impact,\u201d Weston said, citing local companies like Parlevel, Floatme, Big Sun Solar and Porchpass that have found sustainability in the housing, short-term loan and solar industries.<\/p>\n Where to next?<\/p>\n \u201cIn comparison to places like Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, we still have a long way to go,\u201d Mart\u00ednez said.<\/p>\n Woodin also sees room for growth. Success can mean a lot of things for new businesses, he said. Some want to stay small and local, he added, and that\u2019s fine. Small businesses create jobs and wealth and Geekdom values both.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is little difference [to us] between a mom-and-pop, brick-and-mortar location,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd a company that breaks through the national noise.\u201d<\/p>\n But Woodin also hopes to see more investment, acquisitions and larger public companies grow out of Geekdom. He hopes to see San Antonio companies get initial public offerings and sell stock, like Rackspace did for the first time in 2008.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is still a metric I\u2019d love to see. How many public companies can we launch?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Getting there isn\u2019t easy. There\u2019s a reason it takes time, Woodin said. A large part of Geekdom\u2019s work is connecting new business owners with investors, and there is always a need for more capital, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do need people that are a little more open to risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a challenge many cities in middle America face, he said. Investors tend to focus on coastal metropolises and not what\u2019s in between. Geekdom helps business owners get off the ground, but it\u2019s also trying to get San Antonio on the radar of the funds and firms that rove the world, looking for the ground-floor opportunities and the next big thing.<\/p>\n What do investors want?<\/p>\n San Antonio Startup Week is an opportunity for some of those investors to sit in the same room as small businesses.<\/p>\n Doug Parker works for a small company that makes investments for $100,000 to early stage businesses. He attended a Women\u2019s Founders Network pitch competition to look for opportunities. Parker isn\u2019t thinking about the companies, though, he\u2019s thinking about the people running them.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who are creative in solving a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Investors say they\u2019re looking at startups and investment opportunities under a microscope.<\/p>\n Cat Dizon is Geekdom\u2019s board chair and a co-founder of Active Capital. Active Capital makes investments between $100,000 and $1 million and encounters larger businesses than Parker does. The people still matter, Dizon said.<\/p>\n \u201cA huge portion of how successful the company is going to be is how well they work together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SanAntonio_SAStartupWeek_Geekdom_HessStreetFoods_MariaFlores_01_10.15.2025_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
Business owner Maria Flores speaks to judges about her company Hess Street Foods during the Women Founders Network pitch competition event at the Geekdom Event Center on Oct. 15, 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/StartupWeek_Geekdom_KINDBar_JaphetMedia_SharkTank_01_10.15.2025_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
KIND Snacks Founder and Shark Tank Shark Daniel Lubetzky, right, speaks with Japhet Media founder and moderator Mary Ullmann Japhet during a fireside keynote chat during San Antonio Startup Week on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n