Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
September 24, 2026
VentureFest Pflugerville Draws 500+ Entrepreneurs for Weeklong Event
TLDR
- VentureFest Pflugerville offers founders a pitch competition, mastermind classes, and networking to gain a competitive edge over 500 entrepreneurs.
- PCDC built VentureFest Pflugerville from a survey of over 3,000 people, creating a weeklong event with workshops, summits, and a pitch competition.
- VentureFest Pflugerville helps small businesses and entrepreneurs build skills and connections, strengthening the local economy and community for a better tomorrow.
- VentureFest Pflugerville grew from a 50-person coffee shop meetup to a weeklong festival with 500 registrants and sold-out mastermind classes.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because it highlights a growing movement to prioritize small business and entrepreneurial development within economic development strategies. By offering hands-on workshops, networking opportunities, and pitch competitions, VentureFest Pflugerville addresses the specific needs of local founders who often feel overlooked. The event's rapid growth—from 50 attendees to over 500—demonstrates a strong demand for practical, skill-based support that can help small businesses scale and put down roots. As communities across Texas adopt similar festivals, the model could reshape how cities foster innovation and retain homegrown talent, ultimately strengthening local economies and creating jobs. For entrepreneurs, this means greater access to resources and mentorship; for cities, it signals a shift toward inclusive growth that values existing businesses as much as new recruits.
Summary
More than 500 entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring founders have registered for VentureFest Pflugerville, a weeklong festival of hands-on workshops, summits, and a pitch competition hosted by the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC). Running from Saturday, Sept. 26, to Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Marriott Pflugerville, the event has grown dramatically from a 50-person coffee shop meetup two years ago to over 400 attendees last year. This year’s schedule was shaped by a survey of more than 3,000 people, who asked for deeper networking and practical skills over mere attendance. “People want to come to events, but they actually want to learn something before just coming to check the box and say I was in attendance,” said Jerry W. Jones Jr., executive director of PCDC. The festival opens with weekend mastermind classes that sold out their 80 seats within days, each with a 30-person waitlist, covering AI marketing, websites, side-hustle-to-brick-and-mortar transitions, and pitch prep. The Women's Summit follows on Tuesday at Cinemark Stone Hill, featuring keynote speaker Kathy Terry, a dozen additional speakers, and fireside chats, with about 130 registered. Wednesday’s session at Spare Time revives rotating round tables with seven to eight specialists, drawing roughly 100 sign-ups. The finale on Thursday includes 13 vendor booths, keynotes, a book signing, and a pitch competition with three winners. “Economic development is about attracting businesses to your city, but a lot of the time entrepreneurs and small businesses get overlooked,” said Adam Maxon, who leads VentureFest programming for PCDC. “When they start in a city, they usually end up building in that city.” The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation, celebrating its 25th anniversary, focuses on advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, life science, defense, and aerospace, while supporting local small businesses through initiatives like the award-winning PFORGE youth entrepreneurship program.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by Newsworthy.ai. Read the original source here, VentureFest Pflugerville Draws 500+ Entrepreneurs for Weeklong Event
