Paul O'Brien

Board Member
2023
Founded as a GED and literacy program for incarcerated youth, American YouthWorks, today, houses two primary programs: YouthBuild, established in 1997, built upon the Conservation Corps, launched in 1993. These programs have been pivotal in empowering young people to complete their education and receive career training, all while serving the Greater community. Parc Smith, our CEO since 2010 and a long-time member of the organization, has been instrumental in driving our mission forward. His passion for community service, environmental preservation, and creating educational and career opportunities for young people has been the cornerstone of our success. Conservation Corps crew members conserve natural landscapes and recreation areas across the Central Southern United States. Our Disaster Response Teams are deployed to assist communities impacted by natural disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma. In our YouthBuild program, young people have the opportunity to complete their high school education while simultaneously serving the Greater Austin community being engaged in valuable vocational training in the growing Healthcare, Media, IT, and Construction industries.

MediaTech Ventures

2016

Chief Executive Officer
2016
The preeminent global venture development group for the media and technology industries, employing a proprietary framework of global partnerships, connecting capital and people advancing opportunities in modern media. Our economy has for the better part of recent decades seen an evolution of media like never before. Technology led to publishing with the printing press, photography and film thanks to the camera, and music flourished with the invention of new instruments and then the record player, radio, and compact disc. As the twentieth century wound to a close, we witnessed the impact of computer, software, internet, and smart phone; our experience with media is forever changed and we believe in that future seeing gaming, VR and immersive video, augmented reality, adtech, streaming, and more, changing not just entertainment but every facet of our lives. MediaTech Ventures works at the heart of the entire industry. We work in support of artists, developers, producers, entrepreneurs, and financiers.

SEO'Brien.com

2005

Economic Development Consultant: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital Funding, and Innovation
2005
Much of the technology upon which our future world will be built, has been built. Already engineered and developed, we're experiencing a transition of our tech economy from the infrastructure, platforms, and software on which we build, to the applications, experiences, and innovations the world wants. Our economy is evolving from coded and constructed technology to innovative and practical applications from the minds of designers, artists, business professionals, marketers, and economists. We're bridging the gap from engineered technology to our future in Energy, Entertainment, Transportation, and more. But our economy is struggling to make the transition. Too few experienced "nodes" in venture capital, incubation, executive participation, corporate partnership, and media/marketing exist through which professionals and the public can make the leap from traditional to new. I work with technology executives, entrepreneurs, politicians and planners, developers and economists, media professionals, and venture capitalists to meet our future with a passion for talent, markets, later-stage capital, and thriving economies connected throughout industries and geography. Working in marketing, product management, business development, and fund raising, I've been involved in MicroVentures, iControl, Dachis Group / Sprinklr, Yahoo, HP, Cospace, Zvents, Outright.com, IP Commerce, Gild, Fliptop, Rev.com, Fovnders, and Corvalent to name a few. I bring industries to market. I commercialize businesses, products, web services, and entrepreneurs. I'm a tech evangelist, media maven, data analyst, Texas enthusiast, and growth hacker: I get you funded.

Funded House

2018

Founder and Director
2018
Startups Struggle Beyond Seed Capital. On average, only 48% of startups make it to a second round of funding. The challenge for these startups is knowing how to allocate their funding properly. The deployment of capital into startups is all about education, and meaningful relationships. Startups that learn how to properly invest to scale, while being connected to investors and service providers create success. Funded House is the Solution We created a PLACE to talk about what it TAKES to get to the next round. Through an integrated series of meetups, lounges, panels, interviews, and parties focused on helping funded startup leaders navigate the difficult task of growing their business, Funded House, showcases businesses and tools that serve growing companies.

Collective | MediaTech Media Incubator

2017