Shawn is an innovation nerd. After fourteen years as a producer and strategist for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival, he moved overseas to head up the first hardware accelerator in New Zealand, Lightning Lab Manufacturing. After three years of working on startup acceleration and innovation programs in the Hardware, GovTech and FoodTech sectors, he recently returned to Texas and is diving headfirst into his new role heading up the Food+City Startup Challenge. When not working, he likes to launch rockets with his two children and race his bicycle around the block.