Man who died in Texas plane crash was a key figure in seeding Austin's technology boom

Joshua Baer, 50, founder of Capital Factory and widely regarded as a “super connector,” was a central figure in Austin’s tech and startup boom.
He died when a small business jet crashed on a Texas highway near Laredo after pilots reported mechanical problems while trying to make an emergency landing.
Known as an “Austinpreneur” (famously wore a T‑shirt/email reading “I help people quit jobs”), he’d been given a key to the city and served as entrepreneur‑in‑residence at the University of Texas.