We're pleased to welcome Austin entrepreneur and author, Joah Spearman, to Startup Grind Austin! All ticket sales will directly benefit two important local Austin groups, the AJC and ZACH Theater.

Joah Spearman founded Localeur in 2013. Joah is one of the only Black founders in history to raise $5 million for a startup without institutional VC. Joah founded Localeur after serving as the director of operations and strategic initiatives for Bazaarvoice in the lead up to their 2012 IPO. Since its founding, Joah has led Localeur's expansion to more than 180 cities worldwide serving 5 million travelers, along with partnerships with leading brands such as Nike, Match.com, Lyft, JetBlue Airways, HotelTonight and Bonobos. He has secured investments from Backstage Capital, Hong Kong-based Red Sails Investments, Central Texas Angel Network, Houston Angel Network, Cowtown Angels, Alamo Angels, and Capital Factory along with noted angel investors such as data.world founder Brett Hurt, WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner, and Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle. Joah has been named one of LinkedIn's top influencers for entrepreneurship for three years, a Top 10 Black Innovators of 2014 by Movement 50, Emerging Business Leader of the Year by the Greater Austin Black Chamber, and is a five-time finalist for the Austin Under 40 Awards. A graduate of UT-Austin, Joah serves on the board of directors for Austin's PBS (KLRU) and ZACH Theatre, and is the past board chair of AIDS Services of Austin, and co-authored "Real Role Models" (UT Press).