Post by Brett A. Hurt

I lost a brother today, and I'm in a state of shock. Josh Baer was much more than a friend to me. When Debra and I moved back to Austin 22 years ago after four years entrepreneuring in San Francisco, he became my first entrepreneurial friend here that was dedicated to making Austin great. Josh believed in me from the very beginning of Bazaarvoice, helping me get it off the ground as one of our first investors. He always publicly credited that move with helping fund the beginning of Capital Factory, including in this Austinpreneur podcast episode we did together at the end of 2024. It moves me to tears to listen to this again and it was a beautiful memory with him of so many that I have: https://lnkd.in/eVZxsNEk Josh and Amy traveled with us to Mallorca for our 50th birthdays. Josh and Noah were there with us for our son's Bar Mitzvah in Israel. Josh very selflessly nominated me for the Henry Crown Fellowship at The Aspen Institute. I thought he had nominated me for a non-profit Board about the protection of trees (in this case, Aspens). Wow, was I mistaken - he changed my life with that selflessness forever. Our memories together are countless, and my heart is broken. Josh was a giant for Austin and the world. What he did for The Aspen Institute and the Henry Crown Fellowship overall cannot be overstated. What he did for Austin startups and our evolution into deep tech cannot be overstated. What he did for his family, which he loved with all of his being, and all of his friends cannot be overstated. Austin would not be what it is today without Josh Baer's impact. He made the world a better place, and his memory will always be for a blessing. The world lost a giant today. What we can do best is to honor him forever, and I will most certainly do that.