In 1984, a freshman at the University of Texas named Michael Dell started a computer company from his dorm room. He didn’t wait for permission. He didn’t need a pitch deck, a warm intro, or a curated LinkedIn network. He just saw a problem, believed in his solution, and got to work.
The rest, as they say, is tech history. The company went public in 1988, and it happened because Mr. Dell was not alone. PC’s Limited (as the company was originally known) was in the right place at the right time (geographically and in history)…. and part of the reason the company grew was Dell himself, but also the business mentors in Austin who helped guide him to the fast rise of the company.
But here’s the question I can’t stop thinking about: Could that happen in 2025?
If Michael Dell were an 18-year-old walking across the UT campus today, would he be able to break through the noise? Could he find the right people to encourage him? Would Austin’s tech ecosystem embrace him, or ignore him?
The Power of Mentorship
Michael Dell didn’t build his company in isolation. As he gained traction in his early twenties, he attracted the attention of some of Austin’s (and others in Texas) most influential minds. George Kozmetsky, the legendary co-founder of Teledyne and longtime dean at the UT business school, became one of his mentors. Admiral Bobby Inman, former director of the NSA and CIA deputy director, also provided counsel. Other early advisors and board members included Lee Walker, who served as Dell’s first president, and investors like Morton Meyerson, who helped steer the company’s growth.
These were people who didn’t just invest money or ideas. They invested belief.
They saw a young man with potential and decided to help build the runway. They made introductions, offered guidance, and, most importantly, showed up.
Could that same kind of support system emerge around someone new in 2025? Or have the rules changed?
Would We Notice The Next Michael Dell Today?
Michael Dell’s rise wasn’t just about hardware. It was about hustle, timing, and a city that hadn’t yet outgrown its scrappy roots. There were fewer barriers to entry and fewer gatekeepers. If you had an idea and the guts to chase it, people noticed.
Fast forward to today. Austin is a global tech hub. We’ve got unicorns, corporate campuses, co-working spaces, accelerators, and VC firms. On the surface, it seems like now would be the perfect time for a 2025 version of Michael Dell to start something big.
But today’s young innovators are surrounded by noise. Everyone’s building something. Everyone’s “raising.” Everyone has a website, a deck, a vision. But who is really listening?
You need more than a good idea. You need the right introductions. The right pedigree. The right network. You need access. And access, frankly, is unevenly distributed.
I talk to young entrepreneurs all the time. And the story I hear over and over is this: “I have something real, but I can’t get anyone to care.” They keep hearing that in Austin the successful will take your call and offer mentorship… but they are not finding access.
This Isn’t a Critique, It’s a Challenge
I’m not pointing fingers. I love Austin. I’ve lived here for over 30 years and I’ve watched the city rise, evolve, and attract some of the smartest people in the world. But I also believe we’re at a turning point. We cannot point to our successes of the past four decades as an example of who we are today.
We talk a lot about innovation, but innovation isn’t just software and AI. It’s also about people. It’s about who gets supported, who gets seen, and whether today’s business leaders are truly mentoring the next generation. There was a time in Austin where those leaders showed up at all types of events, or were having drinks in the bar at the Four Seasons and were approachable.
When’s the last time someone who “made it” took a cold call from a college student? (I am sure it is happening, but it is more behind the scene). When’s the last time a founder introduced a young builder to their investor or advisor circle, not for credit, but because it felt right? When is the last time the most successful just showed up?
If 2025 Michael Dell was looking for business advice, would you stop and listen? Or would you scroll past? Can we even notice the next Michael Dell in a sea of young entrepreneurs?
The Big City Risk
Austin is now a big city. That brings opportunity, but it also brings risk. Big cities can overlook their own greatness if they get too focused on the already-established. We can become a place where you need to already be someone to become someone. Big cities get bifurcated along all types of dividing lines. Someone once told me “The Silicon Valley doesn’t have a “tech council” or a thread that connects the different cliques”. That is true, but people leave place like San Francisco for places like Austin so they can find that feeling of a united community. We cannot lose that or we seed our positions to up and coming tech centers like Phoenix, Columbus, Pittsburg, Nashville, etc.. (If you are unaware of what is happening in those cities, and a dozen more, then that is part of the problem).
The Austin I want to live in is a place that is scrappy and excited about growing into tomorrow’s best innovation center. While I realize we cannot go back to the 1990s when there was a pure excitement about the growth of technology in general, we can hold onto the vibe that Austin is special because of the way people connect and serve the good of the community.
We need more than buzz and buildings. We need builders and believers. We need people who look around and say, “Who else should I be helping today?” We need civic-minded leaders who want to be in the middle of the community and who lead by example.
Because the next Michael Dell is already here. She’s sketching ideas in a dorm room. He’s coding something interesting between classes. They’re out there, working quietly, waiting for someone to notice.
The only question is, will we see them?
And more importantly, will we help them rise? I believe Austin has that something special that can keep the excitement of a growing tech hub… but it will not happen by accident.
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This post was written by Thom Singer, CEO at the Austin Technology Council. This is a personal observation, not the view of ATC as an organization. But he invites anyone and everyone who reads this blog post to join the conversation about what is Austin about now and into the future. The Austin Technology Council is a grassroots organization and we invite the support of everyone who wants to be heard and desires the help build the Austin of tomorrow.
As we look to retool the Austin Technology Council for the future, we seek civic minded leaders who want to keep that growth oriented view of Austin as city of the future. Real leaders show up, and we are seeking our next generation of board members, advisors, and others who know that the best days of our community are in the future.
In 2024 the Austin Technology Council inducted Michael Dell, George Kozmetsky, and Bobby Inman into the Austin Tech Hall of Fame. All three are mention in this blog post.