Helped by some big-name companies, a technology industry policy advocacy group is launching a membership drive.
Austin Tech Alliance first took shape roughly a year ago in the form of a Facebook discussion group following the defeat of a voter referendum funded by Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. that would have rewritten the city’s ridesharing regulations. Since then, the group has tried to broaden its focus as it also formally registered as a 501(c)(6) member-funded nonprofit.
Now, according to ATA executive director David Edmonson, the group is focused on creating a civically engaged constituency of area tech employees.
“Long-term, the goal is not just to be talking to the C-suite, but instead, to be able to have an impact strategy that looks to every member of Austin tech,” he said. “I say that our goal would be to talk to all 100,000 people that work in Austin’s tech sector.”
In announcing its membership drive, the group also revealed five founding member companies: Google Inc., which has a significant local presence in Austin; WP Engine Inc., an Austin-based website hosting company; Capital Factory, a downtown startup incubator; Data.world, an Austin-based data-analytics platform company; and DivInc, an Austin-based startup accelerator focused on minority- and women-led companies.
Companies can purchase memberships that provide their employees with access to ATA policy alerts and the opportunity to influence the group’s advocacy direction.