Jul 9, 2026
In this episode of Austin Tech Connect, Thom Singer sits down with Brett Hurt, one of Austin’s most recognized entrepreneurs, investors, and technology leaders... and a recent inductee into the Austin Tech Hall of Fame.
Brett has founded and led companies, had major exits, invested in more than 150 startups, and helped shape the Austin tech ecosystem for decades. But this conversation is not just about startups, venture capital, or the next wave of technology. It is about what happens when a successful entrepreneur begins asking bigger questions about meaning, purpose, consciousness, leadership, and the future of humanity.
Brett shares the story behind his new book, Love Conquers Fear, and talks openly about the spiritual awakening and divine calling that changed the direction of his life. He discusses the role psychedelics played in that journey, while also making it clear that this is not about promoting one path for everyone. For Brett, psychedelics were a technology, a tool that helped him go deeper into questions about God, consciousness, love, fear, and the responsibility leaders have in a rapidly changing world.
The conversation moves across a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, conscious capitalism, religion, meditation, prayer, psychedelics, leadership, abundance, and the dangers of worshiping money as the ultimate scorecard.
Thom and Brett also talk about Austin, the importance of community, and the loss of Josh Baer, whose impact on the Austin tech scene continues to ripple through the lives of thousands of people. Brett reflects on what really matters in the end, not the exits, the houses, the cars, or the yachts, but how we show up for others.
This is a different kind of Austin Tech Connect episode. It is a conversation about technology, but also about humanity. It asks whether the future we are building will be driven by fear, comparison, and profit at all costs, or by love, service, and a deeper sense of responsibility.
Brett Hurt has been on Austin Tech Connect before, but this conversation captures a very different chapter of his life and work. It is honest, personal, wide-ranging, and at times challenging.
If you care about Austin tech, AI, entrepreneurship, spirituality, psychedelics, conscious capitalism, or the question of what kind of future we are actually trying to build, this episode is worth your time.