Fresh off a trip to California, I was back in the mundane of work, playing back the highlights from a party I attended in Oakland. I had been to many parties before, but I had never experienced one like this. The venue was raw, an alley, with street art and graffiti-filled walls. The audience, diverse, from various walks of life. The music, everything from Hip-Hop and R&B to Afrobeats and Reggaeton. Dozens of people dancing and socializing. The energy was infectious and vibrant, nothing I could imagine experiencing in Austin. Most of these people were professionals from all disciplines, creative and corporate, coming together to share and exchange culture. I was inspired. As I sat at my desk, it hit me that Austin needed a platform like this.

From this experience, Third Coast Collective was born.

With Austin’s steady growth attracting young professionals to Central Texas, there isn’t a unified community for minority professionals. Third Coast Collective wants to be a homebase that our underrepresented group can rely on to produce inclusive spaces and cultivate a vibe that isn’t currently present in Austin.