Each week we curate a list of events where North Texas’ innovators, founders, funders and makers are showing up. Details shift, so confirm on the official website or registration page before you go. To see our recurring events, click here.
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Featured Event
Tech & Infrastructure
· Times vary — see organizer
North American Blockchain Summit 2026
Hosted by Digital Infrastructure Network (formerly Texas Blockchain Council) | National Medal of Honor Museum, 1861 AT&T Way, Arlington
The Digital Infrastructure Network, renamed in August from the Texas Blockchain Council to reflect a wider remit across AI, data centres, energy, quantum computing, fintech and digital assets, brings its summit to the National Medal of Honor Museum. This year's theme, Blueprints, turns to the practical work of building North American digital infrastructure: energy supply, data-centre development, quantum readiness and regulatory frameworks. Medal of Honor recipient Maj. Gen. Patrick Henry Brady, who flew more than 2,500 combat missions in Vietnam, will speak. Tickets cover both days plus an evening reception on Nov. 18.
Next 30 Days in North Texas
Arts & Culture
· Times vary — see organizer
AURORA Biennial 2026: States of Becoming (Citywide Program)
Hosted by AURORA | Multiple venues across Dallas and Fort Worth, Dallas
Two and a half weeks of talks, performances, workshops, tours and open studios leading up to the seventh AURORA Biennial, the Dallas art-and-technology exhibition. Highlights include an artist talk on AI and creative practice, The Artist and the Machine, at the Nasher Sculpture Center on Nov. 11; a 3D-mapping and projection workshop with Lightware Labs at the Cedars Union; Eva Papamargariti's audiovisual performance Disappear Here at Dallas Contemporary; and a sunrise viewing of James Turrell's Skyspace at Keith House in Fort Worth. Most events need separate registration.
Startup & Venture
· Times vary — see organizer
CodeLaunch World Championship 2026
Hosted by CodeLaunch | Gilley's Dallas, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd, Dallas
CodeLaunch's championship pitch event, pairing early-stage startups with development teams to build and present a prototype.
Tech & Infrastructure
· 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Mind & Machine at SMU: The Economics of AI
Hosted by Mind & Machine DFW | EY Gallery, SMU Cox School of Business, 6214 Bishop Blvd, Dallas
A special edition built around what enterprise AI actually costs: FinOps, token and model consumption, infrastructure economics, governance and ROI. The keynote comes from Amy Chaney, SVP and technology COO for global technology, cybersecurity, risk and control at Citi. A panel moderated by Single Fin CEO Zack Tembi brings together Palo Alto Networks, TAHO Labs and Slalom on agentic workloads, compute utilisation and scaling AI without scaling waste. Capacity is capped at 200.
Arts & Culture
· 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Artist and the Machine: AURORA Biennial Talk
Hosted by AURORA | Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St, Dallas
Artists Nick Bontrager and Diana Rojas take on the rise of artificial intelligence and its growing influence on contemporary artistic practice, in the second panel of the AURORA Biennial Talk Series. Part of the citywide program building to the AURORA Biennial 2026 exhibition on Nov. 21.
Startup & Venture
· Times vary — see organizer
Global Entrepreneurship Week North Texas 2026
Hosted by GEW North Texas | Multiple venues across North Texas
North Texas' arm of Global Entrepreneurship Week, a week of founder-led programming staged across the region under the banner 'For Entrepreneurs By Entrepreneurs'. The 2026 schedule had not been published as of early October; the organisers were still at save-the-date stage.
Health & Life Sciences
· Times vary — see organizer
SMU Cox Healthcare Conference: Technology-Driven Healthcare
Hosted by SMU Cox School of Business | James M. Collins Executive Education Center, SMU Cox, 3150 Binkley Ave, Dallas
SMU Cox convenes healthcare and technology leaders on how technology is reshaping care delivery.
Startup & Venture
· 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
INNOVATE 2026
Hosted by MassChallenge | Pegasus Park, 3000 Pegasus Park Dr, Dallas
MassChallenge's flagship Dallas convening, subtitled Beyond Venture Capital, builds a day around the capital stack that carries research from lab to market when venture money alone will not do it. Sessions pair Island CEO Mike Fey with D CEO's Maria Lawson, Pharos Capital's Kneeland Youngblood with Lyda Hill Philanthropies CEO Nicole Small, and former White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha with Dallas County health leaders on a first-of-its-kind biological threat detection pilot. Ken Hersh closes with lessons from The Fastest Tortoise.
Startup & Venture
· Times vary — see organizer
SMU Dallas 100 Entrepreneur Awards
Hosted by Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, SMU Cox | SMU Cox School of Business, Dallas
The Caruth Institute's annual ranking and awards night for the fastest-growing privately held companies in Dallas.
Tech & Infrastructure
· 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tech Industry Luncheon: How DFW Airport and Michaels Run AI at Scale When Everyone Shows Up
Hosted by Tech Titans | DoubleTree by Hilton Richardson, 1981 N Central Expy, Richardson | From $65
A holiday-season fireside chat on running AI under peak load, with Paul Puopolo, EVP and chief innovation officer at DFW International Airport, and Wei Dong, VP and CISO at Michaels, moderated by Andrew Hopkins of The Privacy Chain. Topics run from escaping pilot purgatory and moving fast without breaking trust to DFW's biometric boarding and AI wayfinding, Michaels' Ask Mike conversational shopping, and how each decides whether to build, buy or partner. Attendees are invited to bring professional clothing for the UT Dallas Jonsson School Career Closet.
Arts & Culture
· 7 p.m.
AURORA Biennial 2026 Exhibition
Hosted by AURORA | Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St, Dallas
The seventh AURORA Biennial, States of Becoming, takes over Dallas City Hall, the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library and the AT&T Discovery District for one night of large-scale contemporary art, light and moving-image work in public space. It is the biennial's biggest footprint yet and the culmination of a citywide program that starts Nov. 4.
Save the Date
Startup & Venture
· Times vary — see organizer
Holiday Hustle Market and Pitch
Hosted by The DEC Network | Fort Worth
The DEC Network pairs a holiday makers' market with a startup pitch event, aimed at founders and the wider community.
Research & Higher Ed
· 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
State of Public Education
Hosted by Dallas Regional Chamber | The Astoria, 3216 Royalty Row, Irving
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath delivers a keynote on statewide student achievement, campus and district performance, and the rollout of a historic state investment in public education. A panel of local experts then examines how AI is affecting classroom instruction, student learning, and academic outcomes.
Tech & Infrastructure
· 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Chief Innovation Officer Summit: Innovation Strategy and Leadership During Exponential Change
Hosted by SMU Lyle School of Engineering | SMU Lyle School of Engineering, Dallas
A full-day summit on how innovation leadership is changing as AI, quantum, and digital twins reshape what organizations can build. Speakers include CTOs and innovation chiefs from Texas Instruments, AT&T, NVIDIA, Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Ericsson, Samsung, Toyota North America, IBM, Ford Pro, Humana, Jacobs, Gartner, NASA, and DFW International Airport, alongside founders from Worlds, Matic, ByteTrail, and SMU Impact Lab. The format mixes keynote panels with closed-door boardrooms, brainstorm sessions, and a Birds of a Feather luncheon, closing with a reception showcasing SMU faculty and student research.
Dallas Innovates is an official media partner of this event.
Research & Higher Ed
· Times vary — see organizer
Texas Innovation Conference and Awards 2027
Hosted by TCU | Brown-Lupton University Union, 3rd Floor Ballroom, TCU, 2901 Stadium Dr, Fort Worth
TCU's statewide innovation conference and awards, gathering university, industry, and startup participants.
Tech & Infrastructure
· Times vary — see organizer
Convergence AI 2027
Hosted by Convergence AI | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, 500 W Las Colinas Blvd, Irving
A Dallas AI conference bringing together practitioners, researchers, and enterprise adopters.
Recurring in DFW
Startup & Venture
Every Wednesday, 9 to 10 a.m.
1 Million Cups Fort Worth
Hosted by 1 Million Cups / Sparkyard / The DEC Network | Create FW, 400 Bryan Ave, Fort Worth | Free
A weekly morning session where two early-stage founders present to the Fort Worth entrepreneurial community and take questions from the room.
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R E A D N E X T
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The hybrid event in August will take place in person at SMU and virtually. The seventh annual Dallas Startup Week powered by Capital One is Dallas-Fort Worth's largest event focused on driving entrepreneurial success, economic impact, and innovation in the region.
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You'll find deadlines coming up for a new accelerator program; and many more opportunities.
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You’ve found Dallas Innovates’ archive of news briefs from July to September 2021.
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Nonprofit BUiLT is hosting the event to highlight the success and possibilities of Black tech talent in the region. “There is no talent pipeline problem,” says Peter Beasley, co-founder of the Blacks United in Leading Technology International. “Black tech talent is widely available, especially in North Texas.”
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With Dallas ranked as one of the top cities in America for tech pros, UT Dallas and Fullstack have launched four skills training bootcamps focused on coding, cybersecurity, data analytics, and DevOps. The online bootcamps begin in November with tuition at $11,995 each.
