MassChallenge is bringing its annual MC | Innovate event to Dallas’ Pegasus Park on September 24-25.

The free two-day gathering, returning for its second year in Dallas, marks a double celebration as MassChallenge commemorates its 15th anniversary. To honor the milestone, the global accelerator is running an “I am an innovator” campaign, with a related installation on site at Pegasus Park during the event.

Since expanding to Dallas in 2022, MassChallenge has had a mission to solidify North Texas as an innovation hub and boost local biotech, nonprofit, and corporate innovation. Calling innovation “the DNA of our global community,” the nonprofit brings startups, founders, and industry leaders from around the world to the region.

This year’s MC | Innovate flips the script on its predecessor. “We’ve moved Innovate to the end of our program,” said MC’s Bernadette Frazier. “It’s a chance for our startups to show what they’ve accomplished.” While last year’s event kicked off MassChallenge’s U.S. Early Stage Program in Dallas, this time it serves as the program’s culmination.

Building on last year’s success, which brought together over 200 startups, investors, and corporates, the 2024 MC | Innovate has new features to amplify the experience.

New this year: Live pitches, founder diaries, and more

This year’s event introduces several new elements, most notably a live pitching competition for MC’s Community Choice Award and its $25,000 prize, sponsored by NexPoint. “The Top 10 will pitch live on site, and voting will be on site,” Frazier said. The new real-time competition adds an element of excitement and immediacy to the event, allowing attendees to directly engage with and support promising startups, she says.

Another highlight is the debut of the Founder Diaries panel. “One of my team members has been working with founders who have really been recording real-time videos that they’re sharing with us,” Frazier noted. The innovative approach offers a behind-the-scenes look at the startup journey—and real insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors alike.

The event will also feature a showcase reception where participants will present their innovations to a curated audience of corporate partners, fellow entrepreneurs, and members of the Dallas community. 

Left to right, top row first: Bryetta Calloway, Hemant Madaan, Michelle Williams, Cait Brumme, Olivia Adams, Motti Sigel, Maïré Bavarday-Rosa, Albert Karam, and Craig J. Lewis

Speaker lineup: From data wizards to startup gurus
With global thought leaders and local innovators, the MC | Innovate 2024 speaker lineup pulls from various sectors of the innovation ecosystem and the organization.

Albert Karam, VP of data strategy and analytics at the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation, will talk data strategy. Karam, whose organization is based in Pegasus Park, will discuss how startups can leverage data strategy to predict market trends and enhance operations.

Dallas entrepreneur Craig J. Lewis is wearing two hats: CEO of GigWage and MassChallenge board member. Lewis, who has been in the trenches as a founder, now helps guide the accelerator. With Lewis, you can expect real talk on scaling your business and navigating the startup rollercoaster.

The lineup also includes startup founders like Hemant Madaan of JumpGrowth, Olivia Adams of CAMI Health, and Maïré Bavarday-Rosa of EcomSpaces, adding perspectives from the frontlines of entrepreneurship.

With MassChallenge’s own leadership team in the mix—including CEO Cait Brumme, MC Israel Managing Director Motti Sigel, Global Marketing VP Bryetta Calloway, and VP Head of Texas Strategy Michelle Williams—attendees are in for a well-rounded view of the innovation landscape.

 A growing presence in North Texas

Michelle Williams

MassChallenge’s roots in the Dallas-Fort Worth innovation ecosystem have grown deeper since the organization planted its flag here in 2022, Frazier says. The recent appointment of Michelle Williams as MC’s vice president and head of Texas strategy puts more boots on the ground for the accelerator’s Lone Star efforts.

Williams, who joined MC in June, was previously executive director for The Dallas Entrepreneur Center’s southern sector initiative, where she helped build and launch The DEC @ Redbird.

With more than 15 years of social impact and innovation experience, Williams has been busy building partnerships and cooking up new initiatives that play to the region’s strengths, Frazier said. A Human Performance program is in the works for early next year, tapping into the area’s wealth of sports science and health tech know-how, she says, hinting at potential new programs on the horizon.

“[Williams] has really hit the ground running,” Frazier said. The organization is excited about creating programs that support startups while addressing challenges and opportunities unique to Texas, she added, seeing it as just the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Dallas innovation community.

For more information

Go here to learn more or register for MC | Innovate.

Dallas Innovates is a media sponsor of MC | Innovate 2024.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.