Recap: Inaugural Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2024
Fairmont Hotel, Austin
The Texas Gold Rush:
A Convening of Texas Innovation

Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2024 presented a first experience of its kind for more than 300 Texan investors & innovators.

The Forum featured prominent Gala guests during programming in the day. The Gala recognized and celebrated Texas excellence in the evening.

The Venue

The Fairmont was the venue of the Texas Venture Gala & Forum, a towering icon in Austin’s Business District. This luxury high-rise hotel offered richly appointed suites with dramatic views for Texas Venture Gala & Forum guests, featuring Town Lake, the Texas State Capitol, and downtown skyline.

THE BREAKFAST KICKOFF
With great anticipation and selling out days in advance, the Texas Venture Gala & Forum’s Breakfast Keynote Kickoff featured the Office of the Texas Governor’s Executive Director, Adriana Cruz, with CEO’s of the Texas State Chamber of Commerce, (Texas Association of Business), Glenn Hamer, and the Texas Economic Development Corporation, Aaron Demerson focused on “Texas & Texas-Sized Innovation”.

TEXAS VENTURE FORUM
Following the kickoff, a full spectrum of more than 70 investors sat on 20 different panels, firesides, & keynotes filling 2 ballrooms including: venture capitalists, LPs, corporates, heads of angel networks, family offices, university innovators, emerging managers, incubators, accelerators, city chambers & local economic development corporation funds, and more. Presented topics were: Texan Dynamism, Corporates Trailblazing in Venture, Family Office Investment Trends, Cities as Investors & Accelerators, Success With the Successors, LP Landscape, Regulatory Overview, with more highlights here.

TEXAS VENTURE RECEPTIONS
Attendees enjoyed many opportunities to mingle with esteemed Gala guests during the Welcome Reception showcase of fine wines from the award-winning and one of the fastest-growing wine startups, In Good Taste, in addition to an exclusive pre-Gala VIP Reception with performances from classical violinist Ms. Katie Simone Williams.

TEXAS VENTURE GALA
For the evening grand culmination, and adorned in “Texas best,” more than 300 Texans came together to recognize Texan excellence during the Texas Venture Awards spotlighting: the San Antonio leader, Tech Bloc CEO Ileana Gonzales for Texas Venture Fest of the Year; the innovative Texas State Representative Giovanni Capriglione for Texas Legislator of the Year; Texas’ fastest growth unicorn startup Cart.com for Texas Innovator of the Year; and GOOSE Capital Chair David Gow, who shaped the Houston innovation ecosystem, for Texas Investor of the Year. The event ended with Texas Venture Gala Headline Keynote, the longest tenured NASA CEO, the Honorable Daniel S. Goldin, interviewed by America’s Frontier Fund Founder & COO, Jordan Blashek. View last year’s agenda here.

TEXAS VENTURE FORUM, April 13th

Hosted in two Fairmont ballrooms, the Texas Venture Forum featured more than 80 types of Texas investors on more than 20 panels, firesides, and keynotes, in 2 breakout rooms spanning topics such as: Texan Dynamism, LP Landscape, How To Spot Real Edge in VCs, Corporates Trailblazing in Venture, Family Office Investment Trends, Cities as Investors & Accelerators, Success With the Successors, Regulatory Overview, Mayor’s Task Force for Austin Women Entrepreneurs, and more. View full Agenda here.

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TEXAS VENTURE GALA, April 13th

Dressed in “Texan Best” we came together for a final dinner gathering for the Texas Venture Awards recognizing: Texas Venture Fest of the Year, Texas Legislator of the Year, Texas Innovator of the Year, and Texas Investor of the Year. The Texas Venture Gala Headline Keynote featured the longest tenured NASA CEO, The Honorable Daniel S. Goldin, interviewed by America’s Frontier Fund Cofounder & COO, Jordan Blashek. View full Agenda here.

“In this room are hundreds of Texan trailblazer investors and innovators— all here for a truly unique, inaugural experience. No other ecosystem of startup support acts like us. It’s impressive, the level of cohesion and care inside what is the biggest state in both size and stature of our country. We are all founders today. Thank you founding speakers, founding sponsors, founding guests, and founding volunteers. What a special, Texas-sized group of leaders coming together to imagine the future of Texas.”

CS Freeland
Texas Venture Alliance Executive Director
Texas Venture Newsletter Editor

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From the Press Release

Texas House of Representatives, Innovation & Technology Caucus Policy Committee Member, Representative Donna Howard

“I'm pleased to join this event with a focus on education and information to further technology industry innovation, growth, and competitiveness here in Texas. This sector has already strengthened our state’s economy, and I'm excited see how this industry will continue to play a significant role in the future of our state.”

Texas State Chamber of Commerce / Texas Association of Business, CEO, Glenn Hamer

“This is the most important event for venture capitalists in Texas in 2024 and maybe in the state’s history. At the Texas Association of Business (the state chamber) we’re committed to Texas being #1 in every area and we need strong cohesion across our expansive state to reach the top. I commend CS & team’s vision and leadership for organizing this Gala.”

Mayor’s Task Force for Austin Women Entrepreneurs Chair; and Dynabrand Ventures Founder & CEO, Carla McDonald

“Austin’s rise as an innovation hub has been meteoric, and we can go still higher if we unleash the full potential of our women entrepreneurs. Their empowerment will play a key role in elevating our city to unprecedented heights of economic prosperity and inclusive growth.”

RevereVC, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Chris Shen

“We are excited to partner for the Texas Venture Gala & Forum. As a native Houstonian and proud alumni of The University of Texas, I must say that the Revere team and I could not be more excited to participate and contribute to the upcoming events. Revere works with global allocators, investors and portfolio managers, many of whom have long known about the dynamism, pro-business and innovation environment of Texas. With the recent rapid growth of the State's tech ecosystem, we believe that Texas is a must-visit and CS's events are a must-attend for investors looking to diversify and expand their alternatives investment portfolio."

Texas Economic Development Corporation, President & CEO, Aaron Demerson

“Innovation is synonymous with transformation, and Texas is the epitome of a state that continually transforms itself to be a leading innovator. From advanced manufacturing and semiconductors to aerospace, biotech and energy, Texas leads the nation in industries that contribute to the daily lives of all Americans. Add in our business-friendly environment, it’s no secret this is why more CEOs are choosing Texas to relocate or expand their business.”

The Family Office Association, Chairman & Founder, Marc Sharpe

“I'm pleased to join this event with a focus on education and information to further technology industry innovation, growth, and competitiveness here in Texas. This sector has already strengthened our state’s economy, and I'm excited see how this industry will continue to play a significant role in the future of our state.”

Halliburton Labs, Executive Director, Scott Gale

“The skillsets and capital required to deliver the future of energy faster are right here in Texas. Halliburton Labs is based at Halliburton’s global headquarters in Texas, and we support more than 30 portfolio companies worldwide with several of them operating in Houston. Our start-ups are tackling the world’s most pressing energy challenges. We empower these new energy pioneers so they can scale more quickly to revolutionize the world.”

Texas Venture Gala & Forum, Organizer; & Texas Venture Newsletter Editor, CS Freeland

"After having the largest venture-focused event in the country, the Texas Venture Fest, simultaneously in 10 cities, 16 venues, 40+ venture panelists, and nearly 3,000 Texans—we’re excited to host a curated gathering at the Texas Venture Gala & Forum. This one big day shows off cohesion between investors, cities, universities, and the entire ecosystem of startup support. We are particularly excited about the stellar guest list for the Gala, while featuring noteworthy Texans earlier during the daytime programming at the Forum. It’s been an impressive community effort and a spectacular showcase of Texan leadership co-creating this first experience."