Hello and welcome from Austin, Texas. I’m James Lee Wen, CEO of UnPress, a Texas-based media platform with global each, and the newly appointed Managing Director for FON in Austin. It’s official, the Family Office Network is now operating in the Lone Star State! For those who missed the opening, we had a reception downtown on a beautiful cool evening, close to the Colorado river that winds through the city, surrounded by skyscrapers that didn’t exist 10years earlier.
But why Austin for FON, and why now?
Texas has always been a dynamic market first defined by Agriculture, Oil and Cattle, later Defense, Aerospace and Integrated circuits, and now a leader in Quantum Computing, AI, Robotics and Media. The remarkable thing about the development of Texas is that all these industries and many more are still alive and thriving— contributing to a remarkable 2.4 Trillion
dollar economy, the 8th largest GDP in the world if Texas were a nation. Texas is also one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, which has resulted in many new and established companies calling Texas home (AT&T, American Airlines, Exxon, McKesson, Dell, Tesla, SpaceX, X), and major branches for others (Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Samsung). It’s a state with a highly diverse, educated, and capable workforce that spawns and incubates successful businesses with the support of local and outside capital.
And in all of Texas, Central Texas, or as we refer to it, “The Hill Country”, is the most beautiful. Austin sits in the rolling hills of Texas, the home of the State Government, and the University of Texas, the wealthiest university on earth. The waterfront estates on our hills and lakes are full of Tech Leaders, Hollywood elites, and old Texas money. It’s also well-located on the “Third Coast” of the US, with short flights to Miami, Denver, and Chicago, and a little longer to East or
West Coast. We’re also a gateway to the Global South and all of the exciting opportunities there.
Needless to say, Austin is a hub for wealth and power, both economically and politically. It has only become more consequential as of late. FON sees Austin, and Texas, as ideally positioned to shape culture, technology, and politics for decades to come.
So to all Family Offices across our great nation – we welcome you to come visit, enjoy some Texas Hospitality, and invest in a state that delivers high returns, regardless of industry.
