Award-Winning Tech Entrepreneur To Address San Marcos Area Businesses And Prospective Startups During Free Event

Localeur Founder and CEO to be Featured Speaker for Greater San Marcos Partnership’s Speaker Series BIZtalks on July 19

San Marcos, TX – BIZtalks, Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) and San Marcos Chamber of Commerce’s free series for area businesses and prospective entrepreneurs, will feature award-winning innovator Joah Spearman, founder and CEO of global travel platform Localeur, on July 19^th at the LBJ Museum (131 N. Guadalupe St.) from 4 pm to 5 pm.

“My experience has entailed everything from ideation and fundraising to community building and business development, which are critical parts of launching a business,” said Spearman. “Years of hard work, grit, risk taking and dedication have allowed me to pursue an entrepreneurial path, and lead Localeur through many pivots, milestones and the early stages of growth. I’m excited to share my journey and connect with entrepreneurs in the Greater San Marcos area at BIZtalks.”

Localeur is a community of locals who share recommendations on their favorite local places to eat, drink and play to help travelers “#experiencelocal.” Localeur’s community spans 50 major cities in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, with over 10,000 authentic recommendations. To date, Localeur has served more than 1.5 million travelers and is a national partner for leading airline JetBlue Airways and Tablet Hotels, the world’s best curator of boutique hotels. Localeur’s free iOS and Android apps have been called one of the best new travel apps by The Today Show, Time, Forbes, and countless national and regional outlets, and Localeur was named the “Best New Startup in Austin” in 2013.

“Joah Spearman has an inspiring story that local entrepreneurs will benefit from hearing,” said GSMP’s Director of Existing Business, Talent & Entrepreneurship Victor Garza. “We encourage anyone considering venturing into their own business and active entrepreneurs to join us on July 19^th to hear this success story and the journey it took to get there.”

BIZtalks is a free event that is open to the public. The program will begin at 4 pm and will include a question and answer period with Spearman. Immediately following the program will be a networking reception sponsored by GSMP.

For planning purposes, attendees are asked to RSVP to http://conta.cc/2sWUZef.

Joah Spearman is founder and CEO of Localeur overseeing team building, partnership development, community management, marketing and fundraising. He has been called one of the top voices in tech by LinkedIn, and has been a frequent speaker at conferences and classrooms from the Wharton School of Business to South by Southwest (SXSW). Before Localeur, Spearman was the director of operations and strategic initiatives at Bazaarvoice in the lead up to their 2012 IPO.

Previously, Joah co-founded an experiential marketing agency, which worked closely with South By Southwest and ESPN X Games, and earlier served as a social media and communications adviser to companies ranging from FedEx to Volkswagen. Joah is the co-chair of the board of directors for AIDS Services of Austin and on the board of KLRU-TV (Austin’s PBS affiliate). He previously served as vice chair of the Austin Music Commission and a member of its Downtown Commission. Joah was named one of the Top 10 Black Innovators of 2014 by MVMT 50 (“Movement 50”), Emerging Business Leader of the Year by the Greater Austin Black Chamber in 2013, and is a four-time finalist for Austin’s Under 40 Awards. He is also the co-author of Real Role Models: Successful African Americans Beyond Pop Culture (Univ. of Texas Press).

Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) is the 501c6 regional economic development organization serving the city of San Marcos, and Hays and Caldwell Counties focused on positioning the region for a wider diversity of quality jobs for all with higher wages. The GSMP mission is to promote sustainable, responsible and comprehensive economic development in the greater San Marcos region by implementing a five-year economic development strategic plan. Visit greatersanmarcostx.com for more information.