On October 1, the Buda Economic Development Corporation will host Texas Venture Fest: Buda 2026 at the Buda HIVE, 307 N. San Marcos St, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is part of a statewide, simultaneous celebration across more than 10 Texas cities, expected to draw over 3,500 attendees and serving as the anchor of Texas Startup & Tech Week. For Buda, this marks a significant step in positioning itself as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation just south of Austin.
The evening will spotlight the fifth cohort of the Buda HIVE Incubator Program, which began in August and completed an eight-week intensive with weekly guidance from strategists, one-on-one coaching, and a collaborative founder network. Attendees can visit the Small Business Expo featuring Cohort 5 graduates, watch a live pitch competition, hear investor insights, and network with founders, business owners, and community leaders. The event is free with registration at luma.com/texas-venture-fest-buda-2026.
According to Jacquie Martinez, Assistant Director of Small Business Initiatives at the Buda EDC, bringing the Texas Venture Fest momentum to Buda gives local entrepreneurs the community support and network opportunities they deserve. She noted that the event demonstrates that major innovation and talent thrive just south of Austin and invites the community to support local founders and witness Buda's economic drive firsthand.
The significance of Buda's participation extends beyond a single evening. Texas Venture Fest has grown from about 700 attendees in 2022 to 3,500 across 25 venues in 2025. This year's theme, "Innovation is Statecraft," frames innovation as a strategic capability that strengthens the Texas economy. By joining this statewide coalition, Buda's founders gain access to investors, accelerators, universities, chambers, and economic development organizations from El Paso to Dallas, expanding their potential for funding and partnerships.
For Buda, the event also aligns with broader economic development strategies. The Buda HIVE is the EDC's incubator and accelerator, created to provide mentorship, funding connections, training, and a peer network so entrepreneurs can launch, build, and scale locally. The program supports the EDC's Business Retention & Expansion strategy and complements The Depot on Main, a retail incubator and collective marketplace scheduled to open in downtown Buda in early 2027.
Local stakeholders see the event as a validation of Buda's approach. Justin McKenzie, host of The Building Texas Show, a YouTube podcast, said the Buda EDC has consistently backed its entrepreneurs, from small business support to the HIVE, and that Texas Venture Fest puts that work on display. He emphasized that collaboration and ambition are building the state, and Buda's story is part of that narrative.
As Buda celebrates at the HIVE, other Texas cities will host their own gatherings, from Austin's Venture Crawl to workshops in Georgetown and Round Rock, a Women's Summit in Pflugerville, and student pitches in Mason. The synchronized events underscore a collective effort to amplify entrepreneur support across the state. For more statewide information, visit https://www.texasventurefest.com.
Buda's involvement in Texas Venture Fest signals its commitment to fostering a resilient, innovative economy. By providing a platform for its newest graduates and connecting them to a statewide network, Buda is investing in the long-term success of its business community, ensuring that local talent can thrive and contribute to the region's economic vitality.
