DFW Startup Week 2026 Schedule
MONDAY – AUGUST 3
Marketing and Branding Track sponsored by Southern Dallas Magazine (Classroom 100)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- In the Age of Video: What Actually Works
- Speakers: Benny Kounlavouth, Briana Wucinski, Grace Griffith, Jacob Steed
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Build Your Content Engine
- Speaker: Addie Hughen
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Inside the Creator Economy: AMA
- Speakers: Monique Segovia, Dev’n M. Goodman, TyDerrica Scott, Terika Dilworth
Founder Wellness Track sponsored by Southstate (Classroom 120)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- The Founder’s Brain: Why Founder Nervous Systems Determine Business Outcomes
- Speaker: Dr. Junene K.
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- The Founder’s Breath: Regulating Energy, Stress, and Focus Through Breath
- Speaker: Curtis Smith
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- The Founder’s Body: Musculoskeletal Health for Sustainable Capacity and Performance
- Speaker: Dr. Ravyn Cotton
Disrupt Dallas Summit sponsored by Charles Schwab Bank (Crum Auditorium)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Keynote — From Outside to Industry Leader
- Speaker: Megha Tolia
- Moderated by: Kyle Waldrep
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
- Beyond the Court: Building Community Through Business
- Speakers: Jasmine Ohen, Dondra Wilson, Tiffany Lewis, Paden Sickles
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- Capital, Coaching & Community for Justice – Impacted Entrepreneurs
- Speakers: Bryan Robert, Aaron Smith, Frances Smith-Dean, Varonika Wilson
- Moderated by: Charae Tucker
5:45 PM – 6:45 PM
- Special Session With Amazon
- Moderated by: Shaina Ross
EXPO
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Startup Alley and Happy Hour sponsored by TriNet
- Startup Alley is a one-stop resource hub where entrepreneurs can connect with business support organizations, lenders, accelerators, corporate partners, and service providers dedicated to helping startups launch, grow, and succeed.
TUESDAY – AUGUST 4
Loan Readiness Track sponsored by First Citizens Bank (Classroom 100)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Founder Foundations: Building Financial & Mindset Readiness
- Speakers: Caleb Ostrander, Christe Johnson, Ronnie Green
- Moderated by: C.J. Graves
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Pitch With Purpose: Communicating Your Business for Capital
- Speakers: Michael Chavez, Amanda Brawner, Larshá Thomas, Tassjania Lozano Grate
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Funding Forward: Navigating Your Capital Options
- Speakers: Erika Hersh, Tracy Irby, Melissa Keeling-Treppa, Jose Cuellar
SMU Entrepreneurship Track sponsored by SMU Cox Spears and Caruth Institutes (Classroom 120)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- SMU Cox Spears LAUNCH Accelerator Founder Session
- Speakers: Josh Taylor, Bhavna Kumar
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Social Impact at SMU
- Speakers: Trey Bowles, Jim Hart
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Entrepreneurship at SMU
- Speakers: Josh Taylor, Dr. Emily Choi, Bhavna Kumar, Dr. Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Dr. Jennifer Ebinger
Corporate Startup Innovation Summit sponsored by Capital One (Crum Auditorium)
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
- Introduction Keynote — The Future of Connected Cars
- Speaker: John Ellis
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- Capital One Mobility Accelerator Pitch Finals
- Speakers: Capital One Mobility Accelerator Finalists
4:35 PM – 5:15 PM
- The “Ultra-Lean” Era: How AI Introduction is Rewriting the Rules of Startup Capital
5:20 PM – 5:40 PM
- Capital One Mobility Accelerator Pitch Awards
EXPO
5:45 PM – 7:30 PM
- Corporate Startup Innovation Summit Happy Hour sponsored by Capital One
- Wrap up an inspiring day of conversations at the Corporate Startup Innovation Summit by networking with founders, corporate innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Enjoy refreshments while building meaningful connections that spark new partnerships and future opportunities.
WEDNESDAY – AUGUST 5
Venture Capital Track sponsored by McKinney Innovation Exchange (Classroom 100)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- From Pitch to Portfolio: How Angels Actually Make Decisions
- Speakers: Ichan Stall, Mike Wilkes, Trey Bowles
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Texas Venture Trends
- Speakers: Kevin Vela, Sammy Abdoulah
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- From Startup to Stock Exchange
- Speaker: Erik Andersen
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- McKinney Innovation Fund: Up to $500k in Non-dilutive Funding
- Speaker: Troy Billett
The Startup Go to Market Operating System Track sponsored by Glowbox by Contollo (Classroom 120)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- The 5 Pillars of a Successful GTM Strategy
- Speaker: Javiera Avilez
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- The Art of Relevance
- Speaker: Alexander Latino
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- From Segmentation to Revenue
- Speaker: Isaac Carter
CPG and Retail Summit sponsored by Target (Crum Auditorium)
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
- Session 1 — Building For Success In Retail: A Target Perspective
- Speaker: Shequeita Orr Frazier
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
- Session 2 — From Idea to Shelf: What “Retail-Ready” Actually Means
- Andrea Rideout, White Rock Granola
- Cecilia Murrieta, Jas Drinks
- Rikki Kelly, Ego Tequila
- Moderated by: Abby Richards, The CPG CFO
3:40 PM – 4:25 PM
- Session 3 — Getting In: How Brands Land Their First Retail Accounts
- Crystal Royal, H-E-B
- Amy Collins, RoRo’s Baking Company
- Jared Drinkwater, Low & Slow Snacks
- Moderated by: Jenica Oliver, blueprint marketing group, llc
4:35 PM – 5:20 PM
- Session 4 — Scaling Smart: Expanding Without Breaking the Business
- Jeff Richards, Mooala
- Elyse Dickerson, Eosera
- Moderated by: Angie Neas
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Closing Keynote — From OR to AND: Unlocking Enduring Innovation
- Speaker: Daniel Lubetzky
- Moderated by: Shequeita Orr Frazier
EXPO
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Founder’s Marketplace and Happy Hour sponsored by Ego Tequila
- A curated marketplace featuring consumer brands and local entrepreneurs selling products ranging from food and beverages to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle goods. Meet the founders, shop small, and support the businesses shaping the future of DFW.
THURSDAY – AUGUST 6
Legal & Accounting Track (Classroom 100)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Startup Legal in an AI World
- Speaker: Kevin Vela
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Startup Finance 101: Cash, Taxes, and Financial Decisions You Can’t Ignore
- Speaker: Keith Davidson
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Fundraising Fundamentals
- Speaker: Kevin Vela
Healthcare Track (Classroom 120)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- DFW Healthcare Ecosystem
- Speakers: Jovelyn Castellanos Dominguez, Kaitlynn Moser, Dr. David Snow
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- DFW Healthcare Investment Panel
- Speakers: Eric Bennett, John Diaz, Scott Wilson, Hubert Zajicek
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- Lessons Learned from Startup Founders
- Speakers: Paul Evans, Dr. Vivek Lal, Kris Klein
AI & Tech Summit sponsored by Justworks (Crum Auditorium)
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
- Practical AI: What Small Businesses Need to Know
- Speakers: Keith Davidson, Dan Sinawat, Vijay Ram
- Moderated by: Angie Neas
3:10 PM – 4:00 PM
- WeDallas: Women Shaping the Future of AI
- Karen Stroup, WEX
- Colby Jones, formerly with LTK
- Kelly Dowd, AT&T
- Melody Ayeli, Toyota
4:10 PM – 4:55 PM
- Beyond the Buzzwords: How Businesses Are Implementing AI
- Farhan Hussain, Leon Capital Group
- Kevin Scott, PGA
- Mike Yonker, AT&T
- Moderated by: Bruno Rodrigues
5:05 PM – 06:00 PM
- Keynote — Bringing Back the Mammoth: Innovation at the Intersection of AI and Synthetic Biology
- Speaker: Ben Lamm
- Moderator: Trey Bowles
Community Events
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.
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.