The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) has expanded its annual entrepreneurship event, VentureFest Pflugerville, from a single day to a full week, with more than 500 entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring founders already registered. The festival runs from Saturday, Sept. 26, to Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Marriott Pflugerville, and represents a significant evolution from its origins as a meetup of about 50 people in a coffee shop two years ago. The move signals a broader recognition that economic development must include cultivating homegrown businesses, not just attracting outside companies.
The weeklong format was shaped by direct feedback from more than 3,000 individuals surveyed by PCDC. Respondents said they wanted to network beyond familiar circles and leave with practical skills rather than just business cards. "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." That responsiveness is why the event matters: it demonstrates how economic development can be tailored to actual entrepreneur needs, potentially boosting local business formation and retention.
The schedule opens with mastermind classes on Saturday and Sunday, which sold out their 80 seats within days and each carry a 30-person waiting list. Sessions cover AI marketing, websites, moving from a side hustle to brick and mortar, and pitch competition preparation, with business coaches available. The weekend timing was a deliberate change after participants said weekday sessions conflicted with their jobs. PCDC is in talks with Pflugerville ISD to secure a larger space, indicating the demand may outstrip current capacity.
The Women's Summit follows on Tuesday at the Cinemark theater at Stone Hill, featuring keynote speaker Kathy Terry, a dozen additional speakers, and fireside chats. About 130 people have registered. Wednesday's session at Spare Time revives rotating round tables, with seven to eight specialists anchoring tables and participants rotating every seven to 10 minutes; roughly 100 are signed up. The finale on Thursday, Oct. 1, runs from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Marriott, opening with 13 vendor booths, including the City of Pflugerville, the tourism office, and the public library. Keynotes, a book signing, and a pitch competition naming three winners close the festival.
The growth has been steep: last year's expanded format drew more than 400 participants, and this year's registration already exceeds 500. "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. Pflugerville is one of roughly 25 Texas communities staging a VentureFest this fall and one of a handful stretching it across a week. The PCDC, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, recruits in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, life science, defense, and aerospace while supporting local small businesses. Its PFORGE youth entrepreneurship program was recognized by the International Economic Development Council. This weeklong investment in entrepreneurs could serve as a model for other cities aiming to foster organic economic growth.
