More than 500 entrepreneurs, small business owners and aspiring founders have registered for VentureFest Pflugerville, a weeklong series of workshops, summits and a pitch competition hosted by the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation. The festival runs from Saturday, Sept. 26, through Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Marriott Pflugerville, marking a significant expansion from its origins as a small meetup.
Pflugerville is one of roughly 25 Texas communities staging a VentureFest this fall, and one of only a handful extending the event across an entire week. The schedule was shaped by a survey PCDC sent to more than 3,000 people, whose responses emphasized a desire for meaningful networking and practical skills over mere attendance. “People want to come to events, but they actually want to learn something before just coming to check the box and say I was in attendance,” said Jerry W. Jones Jr., executive director of PCDC. “We asked what it is that you need help with as a business, and then we went out and found the most skilled individuals to bring that information back to them.”
The week opens with mastermind classes on Saturday and Sunday, moved to the weekend after participants said weekday sessions conflicted with their jobs and businesses. Both days sold out their 80 seats within days and each has a 30-person waiting list, limited only by venue capacity. PCDC is in talks with Pflugerville ISD about a larger space. Sessions cover AI marketing, websites, moving from a side hustle to brick and mortar, and pitch competition preparation, with business coaches available. Last year’s three-hour event ran closer to eight hours as attendees called friends to join.
The Women’s Summit follows on Tuesday at the Cinemark theater at Stone Hill, running 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with keynote speaker Kathy Terry, a dozen additional speakers and fireside chats. About 130 people have registered. Wednesday’s session at Spare Time revives the rotating round tables that drew strong requests for a return. Seven to eight specialists each anchor a table, and participants rotate every seven to 10 minutes to ask questions and exchange ideas. Roughly 100 people are signed up.
The finale on Thursday, Oct. 1, runs 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Marriott Pflugerville and features 13 vendor booths, including the City of Pflugerville, the tourism office and the public library. Keynotes and a book signing fill the midday hours, and a pitch competition naming three winners closes the festival.
The growth has been steep: two years ago, VentureFest Pflugerville was a meetup that drew about 50 people to a coffee shop, and last year’s expanded format attracted more than 400 participants. “Economic development is about attracting businesses to your city, but a lot of the time entrepreneurs and small businesses get overlooked,” said Adam Maxon, who leads VentureFest programming for PCDC. “When they start in a city, they usually end up building in that city.” Jones also credited C.S. Freeland for building the statewide VentureFest momentum that Pflugerville and other Texas communities are now part of.
The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation is celebrating its 25th anniversary, recruiting in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, life science, defense and aerospace while supporting local small businesses. Its PFORGE youth entrepreneurship program was recognized with an award from the International Economic Development Council. Registration and the full lineup are available through PCDC.
