venture dallas

Defense Tech Experts: The ‘Military-Industrial Complex’ is Ripe for Disruption

by | Nov 7, 2023
At Venture Dallas 2023, venture capitalists and defense department minds said evolving technologies are creating new opportunities in the defense tech sector for well-financed startups.
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Venture Dallas Names Three Winners in Inaugural ‘Startup of the Year’ Awards
by | Nov 6, 2023
The winning companies were selected from 100+ nominees and eight semifinalists. They reflect "strong themes" in the Dallas-Fort Worth ecosystem: FinTech, DefenseTech, and PropTech, says steering committee member David Evans.
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Dirk Nowitzki Reflects On His Drive for Greatness, Post‑Mavericks Future, and Enduring Bond With Dallas
by | Oct 31, 2023
To cap off the recent Venture Dallas summit—just like he closed out so many Dallas Mavericks games with a buzzer-beating one-legged fadeaway—Dirk Nowitzki shared stories of his journey from Germany to the NBA, his 21 seasons with the Mavericks, his post-Mavs moves as a business investor, and his enduring bond with the Dallas community.
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Anurag Jain and Clark Hunt on stage at Venture Dallas in October 2023. [Image: Grant Miller Photograph/Venture Dallas]
Billionaire Blueprint: Chiefs and FC Dallas Owner Clark Hunt on Winning, Leadership, and Taylor Swift
by | Oct 27, 2023
NFL and MLS titan Clark Hunt shares the playbook for transforming the KC Chiefs into reigning champions. In a wide-ranging conversation, the lifelong Dallasite talks with Anurag Jain about attracting young female "Swifties" to the NFL, his family's 90-year sports and business roots — and how his dad named the Super Bowl and the Lombardi trophy.

Hunt kicked off the first installment of the Venture Dallas "Conversations with Champions" series.
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‘Conversations With Champions’: Sports Titans Hunt, Nowitzki to Headline Venture Dallas Summit

by | Oct 16, 2023
The NFL and NBA icons—Clark Hunt and Dirk Nowitzki—will kick off and wrap up discussions on innovation and investment. They add to an "impressive speaker lineup" including Nextdoor Co-Founder Nirav Tolia and other trailblazing speakers. Here's the full roster.
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‘Innovation Meets Investment’: Venture Dallas Sets Sights on National Stage with New Branding, Expanded 2023 Summit
by | Sep 27, 2023
The rebrand "marks the start of our next chapter of growth," says Venture Dallas Chair Aaron Pierce. The nonprofit's 2023 summit, backed by JPMorgan Chase and Perot Jain, is set for October 25.
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The Last Word: LCM Group’s David Luttrell on Why Family Offices Should Look at Startups
by | Mar 16, 2023
In our recent 2023 issue of Dallas Innovates magazine, we reported on a panel discussion about family investment offices that was held late last year at the annual Venture Dallas conference. During the panel session, Luttrell spoke about the single-family-office LCM Group, and how it views startups as driving innovation.
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Troy Aikman on Launching EIGHT Beer, How Meditation Changed Him, and Why the Right People Matter More Than a Great Idea
by | Nov 17, 2022
Troy Aikman spoke in a fireside chat at the Venture Dallas conference last week with Ameeth Sankaran, CEO of Religion of Sports. Here's what he shared on his businesses past and present; how Roger Staubach inspired his post-NFL life; his advice on choosing your team; and the importance of wellness for both life and work. "If you don't feel good, it's hard to do good," Aikman said. "I feel the best I've ever felt, and I'm probably doing the best good that I've ever done."
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Arlan Hamilton talks with Mark Cuban at the 2022 Venture Dallas conference.

Mark Cuban Talks About Pickleball, Pharmaceuticals, and His ‘Addiction to Helping Entrepreneurs’

by | Nov 10, 2022
Whether he's buying a pro pickleball team or disrupting big pharma with his cost-plus drug company, Mark Cuban says he's a "ready, fire, aim" businessman. So he surrounds himself with "ready, aim, fire" perfectionists to keep him from "screwing everything up." That's just one insight the billionaire shared in a fireside chat with Backstage Capital founder Arlan Hamilton at the Venture Dallas conference last week. “There's always going to be somebody smarter, there's always going to be somebody faster, better," Cuban added. "I just try to work a little harder.”
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How Axxess’ John Olajide Built a Bootstrapped Unicorn in Dallas
Axxess founder John Olajide built his Dallas-based healthcare tech company from a fledgling startup in 2007 to a global company with 1,000 employees serving 3 million-plus patients. But the journey getting there wasn’t a straightforward path. 

He tells his own story to inspire others and strengthen the ecosystem. And he's confident that "we'll be celebrating several more unicorns going forward."
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Anurag Jain Shares the Seven Trends Shaping Innovation and His Investment Strategy
by | Nov 8, 2022
Anurag Jain and longtime business partner Ross Perot Jr. talked about the region's high growth with a roundup of innovators and investors at Circle T Ranch in Fort Worth's AllianceTexas development. The VIP reception was the prelude to the 2022 Venture Dallas conference—and one of the most coveted invitations in town.
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Tech Talk and ‘Meaningful Connections’: 10 Takeaways From Venture Dallas 2022
by | Nov 7, 2022
At last week's Venture Dallas conference, more than 400 VCs, angel investors, startups, and business leaders gathered for a showcase of North Texas' entrepreneurial and venture ecosystem. Here's a look at the highlights—from Troy Aikman saying "There are no shortcuts" to Alto Founder Will Coleman on the power of doing "the opposite" to Mark Cuban's "ready, fire, aim" approach. “Regions like Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth, we’re the model for the rest of the nation on how to get things done," Ross Perot Jr. said at the conference kickoff.
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Venture Dallas Brings ‘the Premier Venture Capital Conference in North Texas’ to George W. Bush Presidential Center this November

by | Oct 4, 2022
Venture Dallas 2022—a full-day conference to be held Nov. 3 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center—will connect investors from all over the U.S with the “best founders in our region” with the goal of sparking “collisions” and “meaningful connections," co-founder Aaron Pierce says. He adds that those could potentially lead to fundings—and successful exits. Here's a look at why the North Texas startup and VC scene is hopping, and what Venture Dallas 2022 could mean for you.
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Venture Dallas’ Featured Pitch of the Day
by | Sep 15, 2020
The 34-day event is an experience.  One that is connecting startups and investors through a new curated networking platform. Check out Venture Dallas' featured startup pitch of the day.
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Venture Dallas’ Event Sponsors Prepare for 34-Day Virtual Pitch Conference
by | Sep 9, 2020
Meet the supporters of Venture Dallas' upcoming month-long virtual experience that connects Texas founders with active investors. They say now is an ideal time to build the startup ecosystem, investment opportunities, and new relationships.
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Venture Dallas Announces Month-Long Virtual Experience to Connect Texas Startups and Investors Across the Country
by | Aug 5, 2020
Venture Dallas 2020 is "not your typical virtual conference." The 34-day event is an experience—one that will connect companies and investors with a curated networking platform. Applications are now open to participate.
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