Mark Cuban, left, and Trevor Rees-Jones are among the keynote speakers for Venture Dallas’ 2026 event Thursday, Oct. 22. [Photo: Venture Dallas, DI Studio]
Venture Dallas 2026 is preparing to take multiple stages in a reimagined format on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Old Parkland in Dallas. The sixth annual conference, created to build the region’s innovation ecosystem and connect dealmakers and tech entrepreneurs, will offer programming in three locations at Old Parkland instead of a single track.
Just announced featured speakers include entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban; Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies and now founder and managing partner of 8VC; Trevor Rees-Jones, founder and CEO of Chief Oil & Gas; and Harlan Crow, chairman of Crow Holdings.
“The best founders and investors in the country are paying attention to North Texas, and this lineup proves it,” Bryan Chambers, co-founder of Venture Dallas, said in a statement. “Venture Dallas exists to turn that attention into capital, companies and jobs that stay here.”
Speaker lineup takes shape
The conference will offer conversations on venture capital, emerging technology, mission-driven investment and North Texas’ growing innovation economy.
Venture Dallas said it expects about 400 entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders to attend the full-day event at Old Parkland. The event took place at the George W. Bush Presidential Center the past few years.
“We believe this will be our strongest conference yet,” said Louisa McCarty Miller, a Venture Dallas board member. “Moving to Old Parkland gives us a new setting to bring investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders together, with more opportunities for focused conversations and networking across the innovation ecosystem.”
Other speakers include:
Stephen Gillett, chairman and CEO of Verily;
Jackson Moses, founder and managing partner of Silent Ventures;
Lane Kasselman, co-CEO of Blockchain.com;
Bill Armstrong, founder of Armstrong Oil & Gas;
Kyle Bass, co-CEO and founder of Rochefort Asset Management;
Alex Davis, founder and CEO of Disruptive;
Rhett Lashlee, head football coach at Southern Methodist University;
Justin Lonon, chancellor of Dallas College;
John Redgrave, co-founder and general partner of DTX Ventures; and
Nicole Small, CEO of Lyda Hill Capital and Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
The event also will feature naming winners in Venture Dallas’ Best Startups award program. The organization will announce winners in the early-stage and growth-stage categories, and winners will give four-minute pitches on stage.
R E A D N E X T
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