Draft:Julia B. Austin
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Julia B. Austin | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of Massachusetts (BA) Boston University (MS) |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, investor, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, former VP Engineering at Akamai, former VP Innovation at VMware, former CTO of DigitalOcean |
| Website | juliaaustin.com |
Julia B. Austin is an American technology executive, educator, coach and investor. She is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School (HBS), where she teaches Startup Operations and co-leads the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Austin is the founder of Good For Her, a nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs, and has held senior leadership roles at DigitalOcean, VMware, and Akamai Technologies.
Early life and education
[edit]Austin earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Boston University.[1]
Career
[edit]Technology leadership
[edit]Austin began her career in technical management and consulting roles. She was an early employee at Akamai Technologies, eventually serving as Vice President of Engineering.[2]
She later joined VMware as Vice President of Innovation and Site Director for the company’s Cambridge office, overseeing product R&D initiatives.[3]
In July 2016, Austin was appointed Chief Technology Officer at DigitalOcean, where she was responsible for leading the company’s engineering and product teams.[4][5] [6]
Academic work
[edit]Austin joined Harvard Business School in 2016 as a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, where she teaches Startup Operations.[1]
She is a faculty co-chair of the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and has led multiple student-facing initiatives including Startup Bootcamp and the Rock Accelerator.[7]
In 2023, she co-led HBS’s first school-wide Demo Day for early-stage investors and student founders.[8]
Austin also contributes to Harvard Working Knowledge with thought pieces on entrepreneurship and leadership.[9][10]
Recognition and Media
[edit]While CTO at Digital Ocean, Austin was awarded the Top Woman in Cloud award by CloudNOW.[11] In 2017, Austin was named one of the "Women to Watch" in Science and Technology by the Boston Business Journal, acknowledging her leadership at DigitalOcean and her contributions to scaling technology enterprises.[12]
Austin has been an advocate for increased visibility and support for women and BIPOC entrepreneurs in Boston's startup scene, as highlighted in a 2021 Boston Globe article.[13]
Her mentorship program, Good For Her, was featured in the Boston Globe, showcasing her efforts to support women founders through structured cohorts.[14]
In a Harvard Business Review articles, Austin shared insights on fostering innovation within large companies, emphasizing the need for dedicated creative spaces.[15] and authored a piece on finding and aligning with cofounders [16]
She also provided commentary on tech investments, advising caution and consideration of broader impacts, in a 2013 Boston.com article discussing Twitter's IPO.[17]
Publications
[edit]While at Harvard Business School, Austin has written on software startups, team-building, and product management. Her work frequently draws from her experience as an operator and educator, offering insights for both early-stage founders and corporate leaders.[18][19] [20] [21]
She has also authored several Harvard Business School case studies[22][23] and Harvard Business Review[24] articles on startups.
In 2025, Austin authored the book After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup, published by PublicAffairs and distributed by Hachette Book Group. The book offers strategies for startup founders, employees, and investors to navigate the operational challenges of running and scaling a venture.[25]
Good For Her and advising
[edit]In 2015, Austin founded Good For Her, a nonprofit organization that supports women founders with community and coaching.[2]
She serves on the board of Hiro Systems and advises startups as an angel investor and Techstars mentor.[26]
Personal life
[edit]Austin is a certified executive coach and has been involved with nonprofit organizations such as BUILD and Year Up. She also served on the board of trustees at Becket Chimney Corners YMCA.[27]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Julia B. Austin Faculty Profile". Harvard Business School. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Julia Austin – Mass Innovation Nights".
- ^ "Former VMware VP Julia Austin Joins DigitalOcean as CTO". Data Center Knowledge. August 17, 2016.
- ^ "DigitalOcean Hires Julia Austin as CTO". DigitalOcean. July 12, 2016.
- ^ "Interview with Ben Uretsky and Julia Austin". Increment.
- ^ "With Almost A Million Registered Users, DigitalOcean Is Ready To Ride The Cloud Wave". Forbes.
- ^ "Female Professors at HBS Series: Julia Austin". The Harbus. November 29, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Harvard Business School Rock Center for Entrepreneurship hosts first Demo Day". Harvard Gazette. March 18, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Julia Austin (January 10, 2023). "Time to Move On? Career Advice for Entrepreneurs". HBS Working Knowledge.
- ^ "Cofounder Courtship: How to Find the Right Mate for Your Startup". HBS Working Knowledge. October 19, 2022.
- ^ "CloudNOW Announces Top Woman in Cloud Award Winners 2016". December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Women to Watch: Julia Austin — Chief technology officer at DigitalOcean Inc". Boston Business Journal. February 16, 2017.
- ^ "Women are leading Boston area startups. But still not nearly enough". The Boston Globe. March 24, 2021.
- ^ "One way to boost job growth: with more businesses started by women". The Boston Globe. November 11, 2020.
- ^ "11 Ways Big Companies Undermine Innovation". Harvard Business Review. October 2013.
- ^ "11 How To Identify The Perfect Cofounder". Harvard Business Review. July 2025.
- ^ "Innovators and investors talk about investing in Twitter's IPO". Boston.com. November 7, 2013.
- ^ "What It Takes to Become a Great Product Manager". Harvard Business Review. December 2017.
- ^ "Making the Right Technical Hire". HBS Working Knowledge. September 5, 2019.
- ^ "How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities". HBS Working Knowledge. August 12, 2019.
- ^ "Beyond Their Funds: How Can Your Investors Be Helpful?". BeingFA. May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Help Scout". Harvard Business School.
- ^ "Wymsee". Harvard Business School.
- ^ "How to Identify the Perfect Cofounder". Harvard Business Review. July 1, 2025. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Austin, Julia (2025). After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-5417-0529-6. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Hiro Welcomes Julia Austin to Board of Directors". Hiro Systems. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Author: Julia Austin". Founders' Journey. Retrieved May 21, 2024.