Joshua Baer
Founder of Washington Office
Joshua Baer
Founder of Washington Office
Austin, Texas
Overview
Work Experience
Co-Founder
2024 - Current
Washington Office is a DC-based strategy firm that aims to redefine government relations by focusing on frontier tech that powers the national interest. Specifically, Washington Office (W.O.) serves as the DC team for startups and leading companies working to harness emerging technology – including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, energy, materials sciences, robotics, space systems, synthetic biology, quantum computing, and beyond – to advance U.S. security and prosperity.
Founder & CEO
2009
Capital Factory is the center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas, the number one startup state in the U.S. Thousands of entrepreneurs, programmers and designers gather day and night, in-person and online for meetups, classes and coworking. With boots on the ground in Austin, Dallas and Houston, we meet the best entrepreneurs in Texas and introduce them to their first investors, employees, mentors and customers. According to Pitchbook, Capital Factory has been the most active investor in Texas since 2010. http://www.capitalfactory.com
Eisenhower Fellow
2014
Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to foster international understanding and leadership through the exchange of information, ideas and perspectives among leaders throughout the world. Established in 1953 as a birthday tribute to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the organization has sponsored more than 2,000 Fellows from 108 countries. For more information, visit www.efworld.org
Henry Crown Fellow
2013
The Henry Crown Fellowship Program, established in 1997, seeks to develop the next generation of community-spirited leaders, providing them with the tools necessary to meet the challenges of business and civic leadership in the 21st century. The program is a unique mix of seminars designed to broaden the perspectives of the participants and hone their skills in values-centered leadership. It honors the memory of Chicago industrialist Henry Crown (1896-1990), whose legendary career was marked by a lifelong commitment to honor, integrity, industry and philanthropy. I'm in the 2013 (XVII) class.
Founder & Organizer
2011
Started in 2011, Austin Startup Week is five days of events celebrating Austin startups, the organizations and meetups that support them and all the awesome people that make them happen! Each year, organizations and startups open their doors, put on events and roll out the red carpet for both locals and visitors alike who are interested in learning more about the startup scene in Austin.
Entrepreneur in Residence, Computer Science Department
2011
I teach the Longhorn Startup Seminar and Lab along with Bob Metcalfe and Ben Dyer. Our students get credit for graduation for working on their own startups along with help from mentors in the Austin community. http://longhornstartup.com
Managing Partner
2004
Lean customer and product development for startups. We thrive on uncertainty. We excel at establishing product/market fit, and we find growing a seedling of an idea into a real company -- fun! At Capital Thought, your project is sponsored by a founder—Jason Cohen or Joshua Baer. Both have started three tech companies each—writing the software, devising the marketing, leading them to millions of dollars in annual revenue, and negotiating successful exits. We are not just consultants. We are partners. Read case studies about our work with Bazaarvoice, Rackspace Mosso, OtherInbox, Return Path Sender Score Reputation Network, and UnsubCentral at http://www.capitalthought.com/case-studies.html Right now Jason Cohen runs Capital Thought and I'm focused on OtherInbox full-time. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen
Young Leaders Forum
2014
The Young Leaders Forum (YLF), now in its second decade, provides opportunities that will enhance the dialogue between our countries and build lasting ties between our peoples. Each year, YLF holds a 3½-day retreat to which a select group of exceptional American and Chinese young professionals are invited. Together, participants explore substantive issues and develop enduring friendships in a casual, intimate environment.
Board of Directors
2013 - 2023
Pingboard is a modern, social company directory. We make heroes out of Office Managers and provide a simple, extendable API to your employees. I helped Bill Boebel found this company and spin it out of Capital Thought.
Board of Directors
2014 - 2020
Startup Games unites high-growth tech companies in friendly competition to build great cultures while giving back to their local communities. Our vision is to have the top 20 startup communities in the world compete in an Olympics-style event crowning an annual world champion, with the goal of raising $1,000,000 per year for charity. The Games: 16 tech startups compete in ten events for a day of networking, fun and philanthropy. Each company plays for the charity of their choice, and at the end of the event, every charity walks away with money for their organization, with the largest portion of the pot going to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams. Find out how to bring the Startup Games to your city at http://startupgames.com