Joshua Baer, Key Figure in Austin's Tech Boom, Dies in Texas Plane Crash

Joshua Baer, a 50-year-old entrepreneur who played a central role in establishing Austin as a major technology hub, died Tuesday when a small business jet crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas. The pilots had reported mechanical problems and requested an emergency landing at a nearby airport before the crash occurred. Baer's death prompted expressions of grief from local leaders and figures in the Austin business community.

Baer founded Capital Factory in 2009, which grew into a prominent Austin-based venture capital firm supporting technology startups ranging from robotics to autonomous vessels. Known as an "Austinpreneur," he was recognized for his dedication to helping entrepreneurs launch businesses and his philosophy of "Plant lots of seeds. Water everyone's. Repeat." His influence in the community earned him a key to the city from Austin's mayor in 2023. Capital Factory's downtown headquarters is located among offices of major tech companies including Google.

Before establishing Capital Factory, Baer graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he developed an email marketing business. He relocated to Austin in 1996 to work as a software developer at Trilogy Inc. Throughout his career, Baer served as an "entrepreneur in residence" at the University of Texas and frequently spoke to high school students about business and technology. He expressed his commitment to investing in Austin's tech companies, telling the Austin American-Statesman in 2012: "My hobby is startups. I don't watch sports or anything like that. So this is what I do. ... I want to be an investor in every great tech company that comes out of Austin."

Thom Singer, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, described the impact of Baer's death, saying "Whether you're in technology or not, there's a hole in the heart of Austin today." Bryan Chambers, co-founder and president of Capital Factory, called his business partner a "true super connector." Singer noted that Baer was passionate about how technology could improve people's lives while generating both profit and community benefit.

Texas U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn expressed their condolences. Cornyn described Baer on X as an "innovative & creative leader in Austin's entrepreneurial culture." According to his LinkedIn profile, Baer was married with three children, though it remained unclear whether three young people who survived the crash were family members.