Fireside Chat with Shanaz Hemmati: Startup Scaling, Tech Leadership & Entrepreneurship
Join the Texas Innovation Center for an intimate fireside chat with Shanaz Hemmati, Co-Founder and Executive Advisor at ZenBusiness and proud UT Austin alumna (B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering).
Shanaz will share hard-earned insights from her entrepreneurship journey—from breaking barriers as a woman and cultural minority in tech to helping scale marketplace giants like HomeAway (acquired by Expedia for $3.9B) and co-founding ZenBusiness, a VC-backed platform empowering millions of micro-businesses.
Whether you are a student exploring your first venture, a faculty researcher considering commercialization, or an aspiring startup operator, this conversation will offer practical guidance on navigating early-stage growth, building ethical high-performance teams, and overcoming startup hurdles.
Complimentary lunch will be served for registered attendees.
Schedule
11:30 AM: Check-in, doors open & complimentary lunch
12:00 – 12:30 PM: Fireside chat with Shanaz Hemmati
12:30 – 1:00 PM: Audience Q&A & networking
About Shanaz Hemmati
Co-Founder & Executive Advisor, ZenBusiness
As a woman in the traditionally male-dominated technology industry, a non-native English speaker, and a cultural minority, Shanaz learned early on the power of using her voice to lead and build. After immigrating to the U.S. and graduating from UT Austin with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, she transitioned from enterprise technology to early-stage venture building.
Her executive track record includes key leadership roles scaling high-growth marketplace leaders such as HomeAway (acquired by Expedia for $3.9B) and co-founding ZenBusiness as Chief Operating Officer, where she led the orchestration of systems, data, and tools while championing diversity, empathy, and customer advocacy. Today, Shanaz serves as an advisor and board member counsel to early-stage founders on strategy, fundraising, finance, and operational scale.
"Whatever your dream is, find people who know things you don't who complement each other, and follow the mantra—be fearless, be ethical, be passionate—and I promise, your journey will be incredible."
Getting here
In person only. Texas Innovation Center, EER 2.518 — Engineering Education and Research Center, 2501 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712.
Enter the EER building on the second floor and turn left; TXIC is on your right, directly across from O's Campus Cafe.
Parking: Speedway Garage (SWG) or San Jacinto Garage (SJG)
Rideshare drop-off: Speedway and Dean Keeton St.