5 Numbers Explaining Austin's Deep Tech Rise

Deep Tech Week arrives in Austin this week, bringing founders, researchers, and investors working across robotics, space, defense, energy, biotech, and advanced manufacturing to the city. So why Austin?

Five numbers help explain it:

• $6.5B in venture funding: Austin startups raised roughly $6.5 billion through the first half of 2026, more than double the same period last year and enough to rank Austin No. 5 among U.S. venture markets.

• No. 4 nationally for STEM talent: STEM occupations now make up 11.6% of Austin-area jobs, giving the region the fourth-highest concentration among the 50 largest U.S. metros.

• $1.37B in university research: UT Austin spent $1.37 billion on research in FY2025 and ranks No. 1 nationally for NSF-funded university research, No. 5 for Department of Defense research, and No. 6 for Department of Energy research.

• 32.2% of Texas patents: Austin produced nearly one-third of the state's patent activity through May despite accounting for only about 8% of Texas' population. Local patent applications were also up 21.7% year over year.

• 11 factories and labs opening their doors: Deep Tech Week's Austin Factory Crawl currently includes 11 hosts building everything from advanced housing and footwear to electronics, biotech, and emerging materials.

Austin is developing something deeper than a traditional startup ecosystem. The region increasingly has the full stack needed to build hard technology.