From Engineering Dreams to Austin’s Greenest Brewery: The Bold Journey of Sara & Kevin Brand

How Two Mechanical Engineers Turned Campus Chemistry, Love, and Shared Values into Austin’s Leading Eco-Conscious Brewery and a Women-Focused VC Powerhouse.

A Spark in Thermodynamics

It all began in a thermodynamics study session at the University of Texas at Austin. A mutual friend introduced Sara and Kevin, two mechanical engineering students cramming for exams. Late-night coffee, problem sets, and a shared curiosity turned into a friendship—and soon after, love. What started as collaboration in class grew into a partnership that would span marriage, family, and groundbreaking businesses.

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Diverging Paths, Shared Purpose

After graduation, life carried them across the country:

• Kevin applied his engineering mind in San Francisco’s medical device startups, mastering design and manufacturing.

• Sara pursued her master’s and Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, diving deep into green design and materials science before building a high-powered career at McKinsey, Intel, AMD, and later venture capital.

But destiny had Austin in its plans. Returning home in 2005, they noticed something missing: a city that once brimmed with breweries now had hardly any. Why shouldn’t they create one themselves?

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Brewing a Legacy: (512) Brewing Company

Sara T Brand - On Founders Couple