Community Events During DFW Startup Week
SATURDAY – AUGUST 1
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- DFW Book Fair
- Location: 3560 W. Camp Wisdom Rd #200 Dallas, TX 75237
- Registration
SUNDAY – AUGUST 2
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
- Key Business Builder: Market Research with Reference Solutions
- Description: Learn how to use Reference Solutions to gather information about consumer needs and perform a competitive analysis to support your business. Locate business-to-business sales prospects and more with this powerful tool.
- Location: Davis Library 7501 Independence Parkway Plano, TX, 75025
- No registration required!
WEDNESDAY – AUGUST 5
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
- 2026 Multi-Industry Summit
- Speakers: Gina Ford, Valerie Freeman, Alex Klinedinst, Brittany Rosenberg
- Description:The Multi-Industry Summit is a dynamic event designed to bring small businesses face-to-face with opportunity. This experience brings together leaders, experts, and decision-makers across construction, manufacturing, healthcare, marketing, and technology for a day of connection, insight, and growth. Interactive roundtable procurement discussions offer a unique chance to hear directly from corporations about upcoming opportunities, expectations, and how to successfully navigate the procurement process. Throughout the event, vendor tables provide space for businesses to showcase their products and services, spark new partnerships, and expand their visibility across multiple industries.
- Location: Hurst Conference Center | 1601 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054
- Registration
THURSDAY – AUGUST 6
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- From Idea to App Store: Building Two Marketplaces as a Dallas Tech Founder
- Description: Ryan Lawrence — Co-Founder of Style.re and founder of Trainr — shares a candid, practical founder story about taking marketplace ideas from concept to live products. The session covers customer discovery, building two-sided marketplaces, launching in the App Store, integrating payments and delivery operations, using AI and automation as a small-team multiplier, and learning from launch failures without losing momentum.
- Format: a 35-minute founder talk followed by a 25-minute audience Q&A. Designed for early-stage founders, product builders, and community members deciding how to move from idea to execution.
- Registration
6:30 PM – ?
- Impact Ventures + The DEC Network Present Pitch Night
- Description: DFW Startup Week Pitch Night: We’re partnering with The DEC Network to close out DFW Startup Week the only way we know how…in community. Three founders will take the stage at the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff for the final round of live pitches, all for a chance to win $17,500 in grants. Come for the pitches, stay for the people. Expect: CPG and tech founders pitching live A room built for connection, where the week’s relationships turn into next steps Concessions available for purchase, grab a snack, settle in, and enjoy the show!
- Location: Texas Theatre: 231 Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208
- Registration
6:30 PM – ?
- Surrealty Founder Visibility Happy Hour | DFW Startup Week
- Description: Surrealty Founder Visibility Happy Hour is a casual networking event designed for founders, entrepreneurs, real estate professionals, creators, vendors, and local business owners across DFW.
- Location: Foster Coworking – Las Colinas 400 E Las Colinas Blvd, Suite 300 Irving, TX 75039. Final venue subject to confirmation. Event will remain within the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
