The city’s spirit of innovation and supportive business infrastructure — with pillars in the McCombs School of Business and The University of Texas at large — make it an environment where new business ideas can thrive. A combination of economic metrics, government policies, cultural ideals, and supportive business infrastructure make Austin the top city to start a business, and many McCombs alumni entrepreneurs have experienced firsthand how the city supports business success. As you can guess, “business birth” refers to the creation of an entirely new business entity, as well as the reopening of closed businesses or the acquisition of one business by another.