Global innovation platform Plug and Play—which connects startups, investors, governments, corporations, and universities to drive innovation and foster collaboration—recently announced three different accelerators at its newly opened offices in Frisco and McKinney. On March 26, it’s going to launch them all with a splashy, day-long event at the McKinney Cotton Mill and at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco.
The dual-cohort Launch and Startup Selection Day will showcase Plug and Play Frisco’s SportsTech accelerator as well as Plug and Play McKinney’s Enterprise & AI and Fintech accelerators. Entrepreneurs, corporate execs, the cities’ mayors and EDC leaders, and venture capitalists from all three verticals will be at the two-city event to share in the “revolutionary technologies.”
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Ribbon cuttings, startup pitches, speakers, networking, and more
Starting at 9 a.m. in McKinney and ending after 5 p.m. in Frisco, the event will feature ribbon cuttings in both locations and startup pitches for all three verticals—along with speakers, panels, and networking opportunities.
“All interested parties who share a passion for innovation are invited to attend,” Plug and Play said, with free registration for the Frisco launch day available by this Friday here and for the McKinney event here.
A “Hall of Fame experience” from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Frisco SportsTech Launch and Startup Selection Day, revealing one more reason Frisco is becoming known as “Sports City, USA.” Frisco is the home of the Dallas Cowboys, PGA of America, FC Dallas, the Frisco RoughRiders, the Texas Legends, the Frisco Fighters, the Texas Tornado, and Complexity Gaming.
Collaborating with Plug and Play on SportsTech initiatives “is set to catapult Frisco into a new era of innovation, attracting global attention and significantly enhancing the local community,” Plug and Play said, adding that “the revolutionary technology that you see at our launch may very well be the next innovation you see while watching your favorite sports team.”
Plug and Play selection day [Video screenshot]
Aiming to establish the region as a ‘global innovation and technology leader’
By synergizing existing strengths with cutting-edge tech, Plug and Play says its initiatives “aim to elevate residents’ lives, bolster local economies, and firmly establish the region as a global innovation and technology leader.”
“It’s an honor to lock arms with our neighbors in Frisco in bringing the Fintech vertical of Plug and Play to Collin County and into our communities,” Michael Kowski, president and CEO of the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, said in a statement. “Our partnership will strengthen our region’s startup ecosystem, accelerating our growing position as an international hub for tech talent and innovation.”
Jason Ford, president of the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, said his organization’s collaboration with McKinney and Plug and Play “will complement Frisco’s position as a major asset to the region’s strong financial services industry, catalyzing our vibrant ecosystem of 165+ fintech companies and more than 133 fintech investors in Frisco.”
Pointing to its history of fostering success in companies like Dropbox, Plug and Play said it “anticipates a ripple effect of economic prosperity, technological breakthroughs, and an enhanced quality of life for communities across North Texas” as a result of what’s launching on March 26.
Per Plug and Play, here’s the agenda and speaker lineup for the two-city event:
AGENDA
ENTERPRISE & AI – MCKINNEY
09:00-10:00 AM: Check-in and Breakfast Networking
10:05-10:40 AM: Ribbon Cutting and Program Launch
10:45-11:15 AM: Startup Pitches
11:15-11:45 AM: Enterprise & AI Speaker(s)
11:45-11:50 AM: Closing Remarks
12:00-1:00 PM: Lunch Networking
FINTECH – MCKINNEY
01:10-01:15 PM: Opening Remarks
01:15-01:25 PM: Fintech Trends Presentation
01:25-01:55 PM: Fintech Speaker(s)
02:00-02:35 PM: Startup Pitches
02:35-02:40 PM: Closing Remarks
SPORTSTECH – FRISCO
02:00-03:00 PM: Check-in and Hall of Fame Experience
03:00-03:50 PM: Ribbon Cutting and Program Launch
03:55-04:25 PM: Startup Pitches
04:25-4:55 PM: Sportstech Panel
04:55-05:00 PM: Closing Remarks
05:00-05:25 PM: Networking
Dallas Innovates has been covering Plug and Play’s entry into North Texas for months. In February, we told you about Plug and Play’s Fintech accelerator. In December, we talked with Plug and Play VP of Partnerships Sherif Saadawi about why Dallas-Fort Worth is such a strong market for the platform and introduced the Enterprise & AI accelerator at the new McKinney office. In November, we told you about the SportsTech accelerator in Frisco, the first splash the platform made in the region.
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R E A D N E X T
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Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play will bring a series of startup business accelerator programs specific to Frisco's innovation ecosystem—starting with a Sportstech accelerator program focused on human potential and performance.
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The global innovation platform opened offices in the two North Texas cities late last year, announcing accelerators for Sportstech and Enterprise & AI. Now Plug and Play is banking on a new way to make Frisco and McKinney key players in another disruptive industry.
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In just five short months, the young CEO's company has sold over 177 STEM IT kits, designed to help kids code robotic projects and dive deeper into the world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
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Sherif Saadawi, VP of partnerships at Plug and Play, calls his platform "the most active VC in the world by volume of deals"—and that's just one of three pillars it's bringing to Frisco and McKinney, along with corporate-startup matchmaking and sector-focused accelerators. "In almost every metric that we look for that makes a good ecosystem, DFW really ticks all the boxes," he tells Dallas Innovates.
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Mobility startups from coast to coast—including those focused on innovative ideas to transport people or goods—are invited to apply. The unique accelerator program supports startups in the automotive ecosystem, ranging from AI-powered industry solutions and transportation infrastructure to dealer support and related services.
