Austin Networking Events That Don't Feel Like Networking

Why Most Networking Events Miss the Mark

You know the drill. Name tag. Elevator pitch. Awkward handshake. Repeat until you've collected enough business cards to justify leaving early. Austin has hundreds of networking events every month, and most of them follow this exact script.

But what if the networking happened naturally — because you were all laughing at the same ridiculous side hustle pitch? For everything you need to know about the show, see our complete guide to SideHustle® LIVE.

SideHustle LIVE: Where Connections Happen Without the Cringe

SideHustle LIVE is a comedy game show where founders pitch gloriously fake businesses to professional comedians. It attracts Austin's startup founders, tech workers, creatives, and business owners — the exact people you'd want in your network — and puts them all in a room where the primary activity is laughing together.

The networking happens before the show, during intermission, and especially after — when everyone's got a shared experience to talk about. "Did you think the goat yoga franchise deserved to win?" is a better conversation starter than "So what do you do?"

Who Shows Up to SideHustle LIVE

Our audience is a cross-section of Austin's entrepreneurial ecosystem:

• Startup founders and co-founders across every stage
• Tech workers with side projects they're itching to launch
• Creative professionals — designers, writers, marketers
• Investors and mentors who enjoy discovering new ideas in unexpected places
• Anyone who loves comedy and entrepreneurship equally

If your goal is to expand your Austin network with interesting people, skip the mixer and email team@playsidehustle.com.