Deacon Spotlight: Austin Shrum

Austin Shrum (2011, BA Political Science, double minor Economics and Global Trade & Commerce Studies)

Co-Founder and Head of Growth at A2 Analytics in Charlotte, NC

Tell us about your current job role and employer. What are you currently working on?

I’m the co-founder and Head of Growth at A2 Analytics, a Charlotte-based startup in the AI and digital media space. We help national service brands in areas like home services, transportation, and franchising take the data they already have, such as customer reviews, service details, and pricing, and turn it into high-performing web content. The goal is to build trust with consumers and help our partners gain more customers by showing up where people are searching, whether that is on Google or new AI platforms like ChatGPT.

We started the company in early 2024, and I lead the growth side of the business. That means I handle sales and marketing, develop new partnerships, and manage the “front of house” parts of the company. Alongside our client work, we are also beginning to build our own websites using our technology, with the first project focused on helping parents find the best summer camps for their kids.

What key personal and/or career experiences led you to where you are today?

After graduating from Wake Forest, I spent a year as a Wake Forest Fellow before heading to graduate school at the University of Virginia. From there, I started at Red Ventures, where I was given a lot of responsibility early on and learned how to lead a digital business. That experience was formative in showing me how data, marketing, and partnerships can come together to build growth. I later worked at AvidXchange, which gave me a closer look at scaling technology in a different industry.

The motivation to start A2 came from a simple but big challenge: could we take everything we had learned about data, marketing, technology, and partnerships and build something ourselves? Ali and I saw how unique the moment was, with AI creating a whole new wave of opportunity, and decided to go for it. Both of us also have young families, and that shaped our vision. We wanted to build a company that could grow alongside our careers but also allow us to be present as husbands and dads.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? How do you navigate that challenge?

The biggest challenge is deciding how to use our time and energy. As a startup, we could try to be everything to everyone, but the reality is we are bootstrapped and small, so every hour and every decision has to count. The question we ask ourselves all the time is, “What is the highest and best use of our time and energy?”

That shows up in a lot of ways: choosing the right clients to partner with, structuring deals that benefit both sides for the long term, and leaning on AI and technology to automate work so our focus is spent on what really moves the business forward. It also means making sure that focus doesn’t come at the expense of family. Both Ali and I have young kids, and part of the challenge is building a business that can grow while also allowing us to be present husbands and fathers. In the end, it is a never-ending optimization problem, but that is also what makes it fun.

What advice would you give to Wake Forest graduates about developing their personal life habits after college (finances, health, values, work/life balance)?

Honestly, it’s hard — no way around that. But thinking back, the reason I chose Wake in the first place was because I wanted to push myself, I wanted to be around smart, driven, funny people from all over, and I wanted to learn as much as I could in a community of good people. That same mindset has guided me ever since.

After college I kept looking for environments that would stretch me and surround me with people who would make me better. I went to a tough grad program because I wanted to learn skills that were outside my comfort zone. I started my career at the most data-driven, creative company I could get into so I could push myself. I married the smartest, funniest person I know (who I met at Wake) because I knew life would always be an adventure with her. I started a company with the most talented colleague I had worked with because I knew we would push each other to grow.

My advice is that where you start and what you do matters less than who you choose to surround yourself with. Human capacity isn’t fixed — you can keep expanding and improving — but you need people who inspire you to keep reaching higher. The good news is that inspiration is renewable. If you find the right people, you’ll never run out of it.

We know that relationships are important for any kind of development. How do you build and maintain your network?

When I stepped into entrepreneurship, I realized I needed to put myself out there more. One way I’ve done that is by creating and sharing content about the ups and downs of starting a company. I try to publish at least once a week as a way of telling the A2 story — where we are as a company, what problems we’re working on, and even where we need help. What I’ve found is that when people feel connected to your story, they are incredibly generous with advice, introductions, and encouragement. It has been a good reminder that being a little more open and vulnerable can actually create stronger connections.

The other part is simply reaching out and showing up. I make a point to grab coffees and lunches with no agenda, follow up with old colleagues, and go to conferences or meetups. I also try to combine networking with things I already love to do, like golf, pickleball, or improv comedy. For me, networking doesn’t feel like “work.” It feels relational — about staying close to people you enjoy, helping where you can, and continuing to expand the circle

Tell us about your mentoring relationships. What impact have these relationships had on your career and life?

For me, mentoring and networking overlap a lot. At its core, I think mentoring is really about trust — and trust comes from building real relationships and doing life alongside people. Some people are very intentional about cultivating a “board of directors” for their life. For me, it has been less formal. Mentors are simply people who care about you, whose judgment you trust, and who are willing to share their experience when you are facing tough choices.

My mentors have come from all parts of my life: my parents, close friends from high school and Wake, former bosses, business owners and entrepreneurs, coaches, and counselors. At Wake, I had incredible mentors like Mark Peterson, who sponsored my Fellowship, and faculty members like Roz Tedford and Tom Brister. The impact of those relationships has been steady and long-lasting — they’ve been the people I can turn to for perspective when the stakes feel high, and whose advice I know is rooted in both experience and genuine care.

What advice would you give to current Wake Forest students and/or young alumni who are interested in working in your industry?

If you are interested in AI and digital media, my first piece of advice is this: treat AI like the next internet. It will be as, if not more, transformational in how people live, work, and build businesses. The best way to prepare is to get your hands dirty. Pick a real problem, use AI tools to try solving it, and see if you can create something someone would pay for. That experience will teach you more than any textbook.

Even if you start in a corporate role, find something you can build on the side. It might be a project, a website, or even just a small experiment. What matters is learning how to move from ideas to execution. Along the way, you’ll need to talk to customers, solve problems, figure out pricing, and build relationships — skills that will serve you no matter what path you take.

If you can do that once, you earn the right to keep going. And you’ll be ahead of the curve, because this industry rewards people who are curious, resourceful, and willing to learn by doing.

What’s next for your career? What future goals or plans are you pursuing?

For me, it’s about continuing to build A2 one day at a time. We recently hired our first full-time employee and are considering one more this year. In a startup, you can’t get too far ahead of yourself — the key is focusing on what’s right in front of you while keeping a sense of where you want to go.

Our current vision is to be a high-powered boutique growth shop, but the AI space is evolving so quickly that our strategy is to stay adaptable. We’ve already pivoted a few times to get to where we are today, and we’re open to opportunities as we build out both our client partnerships and our own technology and tools. At the core, our focus is simple: do the best work we can with the best partners we can find, and trust that will lead to both short-term wins and long-term opportunities.

It’s a crazy and fun life stage with young families, and I’ve been around long enough to know success is never a straight line. So my approach is: make a plan, and then be ready to improvise.

Story published in August 2025. For current updates about Austin, visit his LinkedIn profile.