Texas Venture Fest Returns to North Texas for Third Year at Kiln Dallas

The Founders Arena will host Texas Venture Fest: North Texas 2026 on Thursday, October 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. CDT at Kiln Dallas. The gathering is the North Texas stop of Texas Venture Fest, a statewide innovation series that brings more than 3,500 people together across more than 15 cities.

Now in its third year, the North Texas event is built around connection rather than a pitch stage. Founders, investors, business and civic leaders, universities, and ecosystem builders will meet at Kiln’s new Preston Hollow coworking space at The Hill, 9850 N. Central Expressway, Suite 230. The evening includes light refreshments, time to meet, and remarks from a special guest. There is no pitching and no pitch competition.

Michael Phillips, chief operating officer of T.D. Jakes Enterprises will join the program. T.D. Jakes Enterprises is a social impact holding company working across content, cultural change, community development, and capital investment. Phillips’ work with the Good Soil Movement focuses on access to capital, technology, and growth for entrepreneurs.

The Founders Arena is marking three years of building in Texas. It has worked with 36 companies across six cohorts, with companies headquartered across 11 U.S. states and 10 countries represented in its broader founder network. Hundreds of financial services visitors have come to North Texas to meet founders. That work has led to five exits and four companies that have relocated or are relocating to Texas.

One of those relocations will be visible in the room. Finliti, a Founders Arena cohort company, is moving from Toronto to North Texas. Founder Jennifer Schell will attend as she begins that move, giving guests a chance to hear her share with our ecosystem why she chose Texas and North Texas, framed around the strength of the community.

The event falls during Texas Startup & Tech Week, September 28 through October 2. The sister signature gathering is the Texas Venture Gala & Forum at the Texas State Capitol, with an awards dinner in downtown Austin.

Pamela Cytron, chief executive officer of The Founders Arena, said: "Over the last three years, we’ve connected founders from across states and countries with people and opportunities here in Texas, and welcomed hundreds of financial services visitors to North Texas. We’ve seen five exits, and Finliti’s move from Toronto will be the fourth company relocation. I’m excited that people at Venture Fest can meet its founder and see one of those connections becoming real. The next chapter is about abundance. Ecosystem builders can work together to get a founder to the right customer, capital, expertise and resources at the right time. That’s how we build sustainable companies and lasting economic opportunity in Texas."

Justin McKenzie, host of the Building Texas Show, said: "With 28% of Texans living in the North Texas region, I am excited to see the impact that VentureFest will have in the DFW/North Texas area."

The Founders Arena is also introducing the TFA Innovation Chamber, a separate commercial company connected to its ecosystem, designed to help founders, capital, cities, and partners find one another and turn those introductions into commercial outcomes.

Registration is open at luma.com/texas-venture-fest-north-texas-2026. Hosts and partners include The Founders Arena, Kiln Dallas, Texas Venture Alliance / Texas Venture Fest, and Myngly.

The innovation story of the Texas Venture Fest has rapidly evolved every year, outgrowing its name since inception. Texas Venture Fest began in 2022 as the Austin Venture Crawl, bringing together more than 700 attendees across downtown Austin venues with support from several Texas venture capital firms and the Austin Chamber. In 2023 CS Freeland the organizer, drove across Texas and personally invited a variety of leaders across Texas to join the effort, expanding to 10 cities with more than 40 panelists and approximately 2,000 participants. In 2024, participation surpassed 3,000, and the Fest introduced the Texan’s Choice Awards. By 2025 it convened 3,500 Texans across 25 venues, featured nearly 100 panelists, and recognized the Awards at the Fest’s sister signature event, the Texas Venture Gala & Forum occurring six months later. This year in addition to creating the statewide innovation store, the Fest became part of a statewide innovation week, the Texas Startup & Tech Week.

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