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venture dallas
Venture Dallas "Startup of the Year" winners pose on stage with White Unicorn Agency executives. Winners, starting second from left: CollateralEdge founders Joe Beard and Joel Radtke; Testfit founders Clifton Harness and Ryan Griege; and Firehawk Aerospace CEO and Co-Founder Will Edwards. [Photo: Dallas Innovates]
Venture Dallas Names Three Winners in Inaugural ‘Startup of the Year’ Awards
by Quincy Preston | 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.
by Quincy Preston |
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]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Clark-Hunt_Grant-Miller-360x203.jpg)
by Quincy Preston |
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.
Hunt kicked off the first installment of the Venture Dallas "Conversations with Champions" series.
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by Quincy Preston |
Oct 26, 2023
Dallas billionaire Clark Hunt, owner of the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, sat down with Anurag Jain at the Venture Dallas Summit on Wednesday. Hunt—the chairman and CEO of both the Chiefs and FC Dallas—was the headliner for the first event at the annual summit for innovators and investors at the Bush Center.
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Speakers and tracks are still being unveiled for the Venture Dallas 2023 Summit. Confirmed speakers include (clockwise from upper left): AT&T's Vikram Taneja, Beautybio Founder Jamie O'Banion, Bestow's Melbourne O'Banion, Dialexa/IBM's Scott Harper, investor and Nextdoor founder Nirav Tolia, Rosy Wellness' Lyndsey Harper, Topgolf's Artie Starrs, and PGA's Arjun Chowdri. [Courtesy photos]
‘Innovation Meets Investment’: Venture Dallas Sets Sights on National Stage with New Branding, Expanded 2023 Summit
by Quincy Preston | 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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by David Seeley |
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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by David Seeley |
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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‘It’s a Different World Out There’: Investors Share Their Insights on the Changing Funding Landscape
by Kevin Cummings |
Nov 14, 2022
At the recent Venture Dallas conference, a panel of leading investors talked market trends and shared insights to help those on both sides of the cap table. Here are key takeaways—from tips for fundraising founders to what startups need to offer to what makes Dallas an exciting place to invest.
“As an entrepreneur, just hustle. Don't take ‘No’ for an answer. You're going to get a lot of ‘No’s,’ so just keep at it," said Pialy Aditya, chief strategy officer at Republic.
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John Olajide [Photo: Michael Samples]
How Axxess’ John Olajide Built a Bootstrapped Unicorn in Dallas
by Kevin Cummings and Quincy Preston | Nov 9, 2022
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."
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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by Kevin Cummings |
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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by Kevin Cummings |
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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by Kevin Cummings |
Oct 12, 2022
Aaron Pierce, the co-founder and board chair of Venture Dallas, has a deep investment background and a history of supporting the local entrepreneurial community. As partner at Perot Jain, his role is "all encompassing." One item on his agenda is overseeing the firm's investments in Major League Cricket—along with managing the firm's investment portfolio of more than 60 companies.
“We have the ingredients required to be a major player in the national investment landscape," Pierce says, "especially as the family office and private investment focus grows from funds to direct investments in venture-backed companies.”
“We have the ingredients required to be a major player in the national investment landscape," Pierce says, "especially as the family office and private investment focus grows from funds to direct investments in venture-backed companies.”
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[Image: via Venture Dallas]
Venture Dallas’ Featured Pitch of the Day
by Venture Dallas | 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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sponsored by Venture Dallas
by Alex Edwards |
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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by Alex Edwards |
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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by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report |
Sep 13, 2019
Read about what you may have missed from panels and individual presentations.
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![Erica Kosemund, Chief Brand Officer, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Gillian Breidenbach, Chief Partnership Officer, North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; Chief Gary Batton, Chief of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Monica Paul, Executive Director of Dallas Sports Commission and President of North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; John Hobbs, Senior Executive Officer of Communications, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and Heidi Grant, Senior Executive Officer of Commerce Administration, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, celebrate Choctaw Casinos & Resorts becoming an Official Dallas World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter. [Photo: North Texas FWC Organizing Committee/Choctaw Casinos & Resorts]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FIFA-Choctaw-dec-2025.jpg)
