The Greater Mason County Venture Fest has been named the 2025 Texas Venture Fest of the Year by the Texas Venture Alliance, a recognition announced at the alliance's 3rd Annual Meeting held at the Texas State Capitol and the Headliners Club in Austin. The award, presented on May 26, honors the festival as a model for rural economic development that connects student entrepreneurs, local business owners, and Main Street investment through a grassroots festival format.
Katie Milton Jordan, organizer of the event since its inception as a single-campus pitch event in Kerrville in 2023, accepted the recognition on behalf of the Greater Mason County community. Reflecting on the festival's evolution, Milton Jordan noted, "When this started, it was a handful of folding tables on one campus in Kerrville. What's grown out of that - students pitching real ideas, towns saying yes to something new, neighbors backing each other's businesses - that's what this award is really about."
The Greater Mason County Venture Fest was honored alongside other distinguished recipients, including the Texas Investor of the Year and Texas Innovator of the Year, in an evening that celebrated Texas's broader innovation ecosystem. Milton Jordan emphasized the significance of the recognition for rural communities: "Being recognized in that room, alongside people doing serious work across the state, was a reminder that what happens in small towns counts. Rural communities can lead, not just keep up."
Milton Jordan is the publisher of thetownie.ai, a rural media and economic development platform covering local journalism, Main Street business, and civic storytelling across the Texas Hill Country. She is also the founder and CEO of SimpleEDO.ai and has served as Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director in regional economic development.
The recognition by the Texas Venture Alliance underscores the impact of the Venture Fest in fostering entrepreneurship and investment in Mason County. More information on the Greater Mason County Venture Fest, including details on future events, will be shared in the coming weeks through thetownie.ai.
