Venture Dallas is steering into its next chapter where “Innovation Meets Investment.” With the tagline marking its mission, the nonprofit announced new leadership ahead of its flagship venture summit on October 25.

While its 2023 Board of Directors remains the same, the steering committee welcomes new faces.

Board Chair Aaron Pierce says the nonprofit has doubled down on leading innovation, breaking new ground, and championing entrepreneurial growth in Dallas-Fort Worth. The new steering committee was hand-picked to achieve those goals and expands the board’s “diversity of perspective, industry focus, and expertise,” he says.

The nonprofit, which launched to “fill a void” in 2019, spurs investment in—and attention on—Dallas-Fort Worth startups, according to Co-Founder and Board Member Bryan Chambers. Now it’s set to accelerate the region’s growth as a startup power hub and a nationwide venture destination.

The organization’s leadership announcement builds momentum in the run-up to the group’s 2023 Venture Dallas Summit later this month, adds Co-founder and Board Member Vic Thapar. 

Thapar says the group’s recent strategic work including a rebrand and new website has already guided decisions around 2023 programming and investments, putting Venture Dallas on “strong footing” as it continues to expand.

Here’s the 2023 lineup.

Board of Directors 

• Aaron Pierce, Venture Dallas Co-Founder and Chair of the Board, Perot Jain Partner
• Vik Thapar, Venture Dallas Co-Founder, Cypress Growth Capital Managing Director
• Bryan Chambers, Venture Dallas Co-Founder, Capital Factory President and Co-Founder

2023 Steering Committee

The new steering committee includes board members Pierce, Thapar, and Chambers (pictured above), along with:

• Pialy Aditya, Republic Chief Strategy Officer
• Ansley Carlisle, Mark Cuban Companies Associate
• Lili Clark, Lyda Hill Philanthropies Associate
• Samantha Colletti, Venture Dallas Co-Founder, Silicon Valley Bank Managing Director
• Duane Dankesreiter, Venture Dallas Co-Founder, Dallas Regional Chamber Senior Vice President
• David Evans, Sentiero Ventures Managing Partner
• Chris Gannett, Gannett Partners Founder and President
• JR Garcia, Green Park & Golf Ventures Principal
• Kevin Lavelle, Mizzen+Main Founder and Chairman of the Board
• Louisa McCarty, Venture Dallas Chief of Staff
• Chase Murphy, Baker Tilly Partner
• Annabel Reeves, 2022 Venture Dallas Chief of Staff, Goldman Sachs Associate

Past steering committee members instrumental in building Venture Dallas include Joe Beard of CollateralEdge, Cindy Revol of Trilliant Health and a former Perot Jain partner, Weston Betts of Silicon Valley Bank, Marisa Bertha of Liquid Death, Inobat Karras of Mack & Co. and a former principal at Interlock Partners, John Simon of Mark Cuban Companies, Benjamin Vann of Impact Ventures, Shale Gulbas of Guidebook Capital Partners, Blake Wiley of Access Capital, and Jonathan Crowder of Intelis Capital.

Co-Founder Chambers says the nonprofit has always nominated steering committee members who came “highly recommended from the broader market.” Current and past committee members were selected based on their “impressive body of work and set of experiences that enrich our goals of best representing the true opportunity of our region,” he says.

The group’s Venture Dallas 2023 Summit will be held October 25 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. With presenting sponsors JPMorgan Chase and Perot Jain, the summit connects entrepreneurs and investors while elevating Dallas as a premier innovation hub.

Registration here for the 2023 summit featuring visionary speakers, panel talks, and networking.

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