See You at the Austin Community Meet Up with SXSW EDU and Future of Higher Ed

Join SXSW EDU in partnership with Future of Higher Ed (FOHE) as we unite our communities for a fun and casual evening of good conversation and connection at the SXSW Center on Wednesday, February 19.

Future of Higher Ed (FOHE) is the largest global community for entrepreneurs, executives, and practitioners focused on the future of postsecondary education and training.

RSVP here to catch an exciting discussion on AI in higher ed featuring local Austin startup founders. Moderated by Kelvin Bentley, Ph.D. of The University of Texas System, hear from Alec Nguyen of Afforai, Bethanie Drake-Maples of Atypical, and Paul Truax of Cognify as they share their projects and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the age of AI.

Here’s what you can expect:

Arrive & Check In | 5:30pm
Check in, enjoy some light bites, network, and get settled before the programming begins.

Roundtable Discussion | 5:45pm - 6:30pm
Enjoy an enlightening conversation with inspiring speakers exploring challenges and opportunities in the age of AI.

Networking | 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Continue to mix and mingle with your community and connect with SXSW EDU, FOHE, and the speakers.

Don’t miss out — meet other educators, makers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and community leaders within the Austin education community who are passionate about advancing teaching and learning. Connect with the SXSW EDU team who will be available to answer any questions you have and share more about what you can look forward to at this year's SXSW EDU event.

Not registered for SXSW EDU 2025 yet? Meet up attendees will be entered for a chance to win a badge to SXSW EDU this March 3-6, 2025.

RSVP for Free

Session

AI for EDU in the ATX: A Conversation with Local AI Startup Founders

This roundtable session will feature local Austin startups focused on applications of AI in higher ed. The companies selected cover a range of use cases within post-secondary education from course-specific chatbots to AI-powered reference managers. The discussion will be moderated by Kelvin Bentley, Ph.D. of The University of Texas System. Company founders will share their projects and discuss the challenges and opportunities for colleges and universities in the age of AI.

Alec Nguyen, Co-Founder & CEO, Afforai
Alec founded Afforai, the all-in-one workspace for writing and researching. He grew Afforai to $1.5M revenue in the first year of business, serving over 100,000 users. He also raised over $1M in investments from Sputnik ATX, Plug and Play Ventures, and angel investors. Alec earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 2025 list for his achievements.

Bethanie Drake-Maples, Founder and CEO, Atypical AI, Researcher, Stanford HAI
Bethanie Drake-Maples, Founder and CEO of Atypical AI, is a leader in the field of artificial intelligence for education, conceptualizing and developing AI technologies for learning in some of the preeminent companies and labs around the world. She managed technical teams at Google AI and Google X, is a former NLP startup co-founder, and has scaled companies from new to IPO in senior executive positions. Bethanie has conducted research as part of the Stanford Autonomous Agents, AI+Ed, Human-Computer Interface, and Generative AI+Education Labs, and is a Graduate Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. She is a published expert and distinguished speaker on AI, education, and Intelligent Social Agents. Advisor to international humanitarian and economic organizations, Bethanie has taught in low-income communities around the world from Uganda to India to Mexico. She is a New Zealander, and when not thinking about technology and learning, she loves to sail or read science fiction.

Kelvin Bentley, Ph.D., Program Manager, Texas Credentials for the Future, The University of Texas System
Kelvin has over 25 years of experience serving in various roles as a faculty member, administrator, and consultant within the field of higher education, supporting online learning and other types of academic innovation initiatives. Kelvin currently serves as The University of Texas System's first project manager for Texas Credentials for the Future. He engages in strategic planning and collaboration with project leads across the UT System to further their micro-credentialing efforts. In addition, Kelvin manages several vendor partnerships, gathers and summarizes project-related data, and manages a $1.5 million Beyond Completion Challenge grant from the Strada Education Foundation that supports the UT System's micro-credentialing efforts.

Paul Truax, Co-founder and CEO, Cognify
Paul Truax is a passionate entrepreneur in education technology, dedicated to enhancing experiences for higher education students and professors. As the co-founder and CEO of Cognify Learning Company, Paul leads the development of cutting-edge, course-specific AI models that empower students and professors alike. With a drive for solving complex challenges and a commitment to personalization in education, Paul is helping to shape the future of AI-driven learning solutions.

Thank you to our meet up partner

Photo by Tico Mendoza. Speaker photos courtesy of speakers.