Joshua Baer dies in Texas highway jet crash at 50
joshua baer, the founder of Capital Factory and a central figure in Austin’s technology scene, died Tuesday, June 16, 2026, when a small jet crashed on a Texas highway in Laredo. The pilots had reported mechanical problems and asked to make an emergency landing at an airport.
Three young people survived the crash. Baer was 50.
Capital Factory and Austin
Baer founded Capital Factory in 2009 after moving to Austin in 1996 to work as a software developer at Trilogy Inc. The firm grew into an Austin-based venture capital company that supported technology startup companies, including businesses working on robots and autonomous ships.
He described himself as an “Austinpreneur,” and his LinkedIn page showed a black T-shirt with the message, “I help people quit jobs.” His email used a similar handle. In 2023, the Austin mayor gave him a key to the city.
Baer’s daily work
Baer regularly held business chats at a coffee shop, often spoke to high school students and held the title of “entrepreneur in residence” at the University of Texas. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and created an email marketing business there.
In 2012, Baer told the Austin American-Statesman, “My hobby is startups.” He also said, “I don’t watch sports or anything like that,” and, “I want to be an investor in every great tech company that comes out of Austin.”
Reaction in Austin
Bryan Chambers, co-founder and president of Capital Factory, called Baer a “true super connector.” Thom Singer, chief executive of the Austin Technology Council, said “there’s a hole in the heart of Austin today” and said Baer believed technology could change the world and make people’s lives efficient and better.
Texas U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn said they were saddened by his death. Cornyn wrote on X that Baer was an “innovative & creative leader in Austin’s entrepreneurial culture.” Baer had a wife and three children, according to his LinkedIn profile.
