Thanks for reading, I'm Christa Freeland and I mostly go by "CS" (like CS Lewis)! I'm a glass-eating, overachiever, obsessed with true leadership and exceptionalism in the Texas venture and startup world.
For nearly 15 years I've worked in multi-disciplinary and highly entrepreneurial roles, mostly in downtown Austin, Texas. For the majority of last decade I worked at what was Austin’s first venture studio, and have also spent time at an accelerator, angel network, and leading a local and then statewide venture capital association.
I am known for hosting 20+ venture-focused events, not including the most impactful one and largest in the country that had nearly 3,000 Texans, called the Texas Venture Fest (formerly, Texas Venture Crawl). It was an example of what Texans can do when we act together, co-hosting a Texas-sized networking and educational experience in 10 cities, 16 venues, 40+ venture panelists, all on a Friday evening... and on our first try in 2023!
The Texas Venture Fest is a signature event launched and led by the Texas Venture Alliance, a non-profit I cofounded promoting the statewide ecosystem of startup support. I’m also editor of the Texas Venture Newsletter where we curate a list of investor-related events and resources for a fast-growing 8,000 readership, published twice a month (sign up for the LinkedIn version on the Featured Section of my profile).
At the age of 32, I was the youngest Executive Director of a venture capital association in the US while cofounding and launching the Austin Venture Association. The next year, I accepted an “Organization of the Year” award from the Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce recognizing work in the local Asian community.
When I was a junior executive at Austin’s first venture studio, I helped launch several early stage companies, concepts, and special projects for a handful of successful tech leaders, corporate executives & lifetime entrepreneurs.
Outside of startups and venture, I’m a World Economic Forum Global Shaper who spoke at Davos, a political campaign advisor & creator of multi-award winning campaigns for a few different Texas mayors, and… an IBM baby who grew up at computer shows!
More information at www.csfreeland.com
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