Howdy! Nicole here.
I started writing this newsletter just three short months ago with a simple idea: being ambitious doesn’t require you to be burnt out, and noticing nature is an antidote—a way to re-ground, re-fuel, and live more deeply while building.
And people are into it. It’s been an immediate magnet, drawing fascinating people into my life:
The VC who’s a master birder
The banker who leads 100-mile bike rides
The property-tech founder tending her second worm farm
The financial advisor who spends weekends at the community garden
And dozens more
Turns out bonding over a shared curiosity for the outside has been the best way to meet thoughtful, interesting founders, operators, and investors across Austin. Instead of spending 10 minutes trying to find common ground with a stranger, it takes 20 seconds to signal “I too wonder if I can just…look at a bird” and suddenly you’re in a meaningful conversation.
I want to help other people do that.
So I’m starting ATX Outsiders, a community for thoughtful tech people who are nature-curious.
This is NOT a networking group—you’ve got enough of those. We’re not repeating the name tag/coffee mixer format.
Instead, we’ll be doing the kinds of things that end with a pocket full of fossils from the Balcones Escarpment, a belly full of Yaupon tea, and swapping behavioral notes on the Texas thistles in the medians of Westlake.
Members get access to a private LinkedIn Group where you’ll:
Meet great people: Find fascinating folks who share your love for startups AND the outdoors
Hear about events: Did you know there’s a PE ruck that happens in Austin? Or a weekly kayak on Lady Bird Lake to pluck out trash? Hear about these things in the group, and find pals to check ‘em out with. As we grow, we’ll have custom events too.
Share your wins: Whether you’re developing your ear for your first dozen bird identifications, growing a new type of pepper, or plotting your own misogi, this is a place to nerd out over the journey
If you want to spend more time outside this year while building the kinds of connections and mental space that’ll elevate your work life, join us.
Founding members get lifetime access for a one-time payment of $42 (forty-two because…life, baby.)
When we hit twenty people, I’ll officially launch the group and bring everyone inside—so we can get outside.
-Nicole
