Joshua Baer
Founder and CEO of Capital Factory (2009-2026), an Austin, TX venture firm and startup accelerator; previously founded three email-technology companies - Skylist, UnsubCentral, and OtherInbox - before moving into startup-ecosystem building. Died June 17, 2026.
Joshua Baer founded Capital Factory in Austin, TX in 2009 and led it as Founder and CEO until his death in 2026, building it into the most active early-stage investor in Texas (per PitchBook, every year since 2010) and a DARPA-designated Regional Commercial Accelerator that backed 800+ companies, including Bazaarvoice, WP Engine, Voyager Space, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines. Before that, Baer was a serial email-technology entrepreneur: he founded Skylist in his Carnegie Mellon dorm room in 1996, bootstrapping it for roughly a decade before selling it for more than ten million dollars; founded UnsubCentral in 2004 in response to the CAN-SPAM Act; and founded OtherInbox, acquired by Return Path in 2011. He held a 2013 Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, taught entrepreneurship at UT Austin, and authored the Texas Startup Manifesto (2017 and 2021). He died June 17, 2026, in a plane crash near Laredo, TX, the sole fatality aboard; the FAA/NTSB opened an investigation.
Overview
- Role
- Founder & CEO (2009-2026)
- Based in
- Austin, TX
- Prior experience
- Skylist; IveBeenGood.com; UnsubCentral; OtherInbox
- www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabaer
- Website
- joshuabaer.com
Companies0
No linked records yet.
Affiliated funds1
Frequently asked
- Who is Joshua Baer?
- Joshua Baer founded Capital Factory in Austin, TX in 2009 and led it as Founder and CEO until his death in 2026, building it into the most active early-stage investor in Texas (per PitchBook, every year since 2010) and a DARPA-designated Regional Commercial Accelerator that backed 800+ companies, including Bazaarvoice, WP Engine, Voyager Space, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines. Before that, Baer was a serial email-technology entrepreneur: he founded Skylist in his Carnegie Mellon dorm room in 1996, bootstrapping it for roughly a decade before selling it for more than ten million dollars; founded UnsubCentral in 2004 in response to the CAN-SPAM Act; and founded OtherInbox, acquired by Return Path in 2011. He held a 2013 Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, taught entrepreneurship at UT Austin, and authored the Texas Startup Manifesto (2017 and 2021). He died June 17, 2026, in a plane crash near Laredo, TX, the sole fatality aboard; the FAA/NTSB opened an investigation.
- What is Joshua Baer's role?
- Joshua Baer is Founder & CEO (2009-2026), based in Austin, TX.
- Where did Joshua Baer work before?
- Joshua Baer's prior roles include Skylist; IveBeenGood.com; UnsubCentral; OtherInbox.
Tags
Sources & citations5
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Capital Factory Founder and CEO Joshua Baer died June 17, 2026 in a plane crash near Laredo, TX, the sole fatality aboard a NetJets Cessna 680A traveling from San Jose del Cabo, Mexico to Austin after the pilot reported mechanical issues; the FAA and NTSB are investigating
Dallas Innovates: Capital Factory Founder and CEO Joshua Baer Dies in Laredo Plane CrashVerified2026-06-17 - 2
Capital Factory CEO Joshua Baer was killed in a private plane crash in Texas
Bloomberg: Capital Factory CEO Baer Killed in Private Plane Crash in TexasVerified2026-06-17 - 3
Joshua Baer founded Capital Factory in Austin, TX in 2009; under his leadership it backed 800+ companies including Bazaarvoice, WP Engine, Voyager Space, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines, and became the most active early-stage investor in Texas every year since 2010 per PitchBook
Dallas Innovates: Capital Factory Founder and CEO Joshua Baer Dies in Laredo Plane CrashVerified2026-06-17 - 4
Joshua Baer founded Skylist in his Carnegie Mellon University dorm room in 1996 and bootstrapped it for about a decade before selling it for more than ten million dollars; he later founded UnsubCentral (2004) and OtherInbox, his third email company, which grew past a million active users before being acquired by Return Path in 2011
We Are Austin Tech: Joshua BaerReported2026-08-11 - 5
Joshua Baer attended Carnegie Mellon University (1994-1999), was a 2013 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and received 2023 recognition as Ecosystem Builder of the Year and a Key to the City of Austin
LinkedIn: Joshua BaerReported2026-08-11