Bud a will join more than 10 Texas cities on Thursday, October 1, for the 4th Annual Texas Venture Fest, a simultaneous statewide celebration of entrepreneurship that is expected to convene over 3,500 Texans. The Buda Economic Development Corporation will host the local event from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Buda HIVE, 307 N. San Marcos St. The evening will spotlight the newest graduates of the Buda HIVE Incubator Program, Cohort 5, marking their public debut after an eight-week program of mentorship, coaching, and collaborative networking that began in August.
Attendees can visit a Small Business Expo featuring Cohort 5 graduates at their booths, watch a live pitch competition, and hear investor insights from professionals who fund early-stage companies. The event also offers networking with founders, business owners, investors, and community leaders, along with drinks from Proof, music by DJ Steve, and coffee from Travelin’ Tom’s. The event is free with registration, available at Texas Venture Fest: Buda 2026.
Texas Venture Fest began in 2022 as the Austin Venture Crawl with about 700 attendees. It grew to roughly 2,000 participants across 10 cities in 2023, passed 3,000 in 2024, and reached 3,500 Texans across 25 venues in 2025. This year’s theme, “Innovation is Statecraft,” frames innovation as a strategic capability that strengthens the Texas economy. The statewide event is the anchor of Texas Startup & Tech Week, September 28 through October 2, and is powered by more than 20 co-host organizations.
“Bringing the Texas Venture Fest momentum to Buda allows us to give our local entrepreneurs the community support and network opportunities they deserve,” said Jacquie Martinez, Assistant Director of Small Business Initiatives at the Buda EDC. “This year, we are proud to highlight the graduates of our Buda HIVE (Home for Innovators, Visionaries, and Entrepreneurs) Cohort 5. With investor insights, a pitch competition, and a dynamic small business expo, ‘Buda-ful Fest 2026’ demonstrates that major innovation and talent thrive just south of Austin.”
The Buda HIVE is the Buda EDC’s incubator and accelerator, created to give entrepreneurs mentorship, funding connections, training, and a peer network so they can launch, build, and scale in Buda. The program aligns with the EDC’s Business Retention & Expansion strategy and complements The Depot on Main, a retail incubator and collective marketplace in a revitalized historic train depot scheduled to open in downtown Buda in early 2027. Taking part in Texas Venture Fest puts Buda’s founders on the same day and in the same statewide network as investors, accelerators, universities, chambers, and economic development organizations from El Paso to Dallas.
Meanwhile, other Texas cities will host their own gatherings on October 1. In Austin, the Austin Venture Crawl runs across downtown venues, with events like Founders’ Bags & Brews hosted by Silverton Partners and the Founders’ Outpost at Star Bar. Georgetown will offer a “Thinking Like an Angel” pitch-preparation workshop with Gary Forni of Central Texas Angel Network. Round Rock will host a fireside chat on building a company, while Pflugerville’s Venture Pfest connects kitchen-table founders with tools and features a Women’s Summit. San Antonio, North Texas, the Hill Country, and El Paso will also host events, showcasing the breadth of the statewide initiative.
For more information on the statewide event, visit https://www.texasventurefest.com. Registration for the Buda event is available at luma.com/texas-venture-fest-buda-2026.
