IF/THEN® Initiative Debuts Game Changers Exhibit
at 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival in Dallas
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During the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival™ at Fair Park in Dallas, Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ IF/THEN® Initiative will debut #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit: Game Changers, featuring 26 life size 3D printed statues celebrating leaders showing how STEM powers sports.
In partnership with the North Texas FIFA World Cup 26™ Organizing Committee, the exhibit will be open Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19 at Fair Park, 3809 Grand Avenue. The Fan Festival will feature free live match screenings, food, music, and entertainment. Entry is free.
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BioFORCE: Hands On Biotech and Biomanufacturing
for High School Students
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BioFORCE is a week long STEM summer program at the University of Texas at Arlington, offered in partnership with the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing, part of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Through lectures, hands on labs, and facility tours, high school students gain a foundation in biopharmaceutical development, biotechnology, and bioprocessing while exploring careers in the growing biomanufacturing industry.
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CrossBridge Bio Acquisition by Eli Lilly to
Advance Next Generation Cancer Therapies
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CrossBridge Bio, Inc., a Houston based preclinical biotechnology company developing next generation dual payload antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), has entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by Eli Lilly and Company. Founded in 2023, CrossBridge Bio is advancing a novel dual payload ADC platform developed by Kyoji Tsuchikama at UTHealth Houston, aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes and overcoming resistance mechanisms. Its lead candidate, CBB 120, is a TROP2 targeting dual payload ADC designed to enhance therapeutic response and durability compared to current therapies. An Investigational New Drug application to the FDA is anticipated in 2026.
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Inside Innovation: Why Insurance Is
Foundational to Life Sciences Innovation
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In this episode of BioNTX Presents: Inside Innovation, we explore a critical but often overlooked pillar of life science innovation: insurance as a strategic enabler of growth. Joined by Patriot Growth Insurance Services, we reframe how founders, executives, and investors think about risk, protection, and scale.
In a sector defined by uncertainty including clinical trials, regulatory pathways, intellectual property, and patient outcomes, insurance is more than a safeguard. It is a foundation for confidence, resilience, and acceleration.
We invite you to watch this timely and thought-provoking discussion.
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BIO BREAK: Connect, Collaborate, Innovate
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BIO BREAK offers the life sciences community a valuable opportunity to come together before summer officially begins. Attendees can connect with peers, exchange insights on emerging trends, and engage in meaningful conversations that spark collaboration and innovation across the ecosystem. This event is designed to foster professional relationships, inspire new ideas, and strengthen the network of life science professionals in the region.
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PCCP: Building Our Talent Network
May 13, 2026
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Presents
Peer Career Connect Program
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The Peer Career Connect Program (PCCP) is a platform for professionals navigating career transitions and for employers seeking talent in life sciences and related industries. PCCP facilitates meaningful connections, peer learning, and knowledge sharing to help jobseekers explore opportunities and employers connect with qualified candidates.
Open to professionals at all career stages and employers across sectors including biopharma, digital health, aerospace, research, engineering, logistics, and manufacturing, PCCP provides a space to exchange insights, explore career paths, and build valuable professional relationships in a collaborative and results focused environment.
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Thank you for your support
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Summer Sizzler Happy Hour with the
BioNTX Facilities Committee: Connect & Unwind
May 20, 2026
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Join the BioNTX Facilities Advisory Committee for an afternoon of networking and refreshments at McMillan James Equipment Company’s state-of-the-art facility.
Connect with fellow life science professionals, explore the facility, and enjoy the chance to unwind with the BioNTX community as we continue building momentum for Life Science in North Texas.
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Thank you for your support
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Join Us This September at the 2026 iC³ Summit
September 24 - 25, 2026
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The BioNTX iC³ Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit is North Texas’s premier convening for the region’s bioscience and healthcare community. Each year, we bring together industry leaders, pioneering researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators to share insights, explore emerging trends, and collaborate on the next breakthroughs in life sciences and healthcare.
At iC³ 2026, you will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, connect with peers, and participate in conversations that are shaping the future of healthcare innovation in North Texas and beyond. Whether you are looking to gain knowledge, showcase your work, or build meaningful partnerships, iC³ provides the platform to make an impact.
Thank you for your support
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iC³ Hotel Room Block
BioNTX has secured discounted room blocks at nearby hotels for the iC³ Summit,
please feel free to take advantage of these options during your stay.
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Drury Plaza Hotel Dallas Arlington
101 West Road to Six Flags Street
Arlington TX 76011
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Live! By Loews
1600 E Randol Mill Road
Arlington, TX 76011
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DWD Moving & Logistics: The Ecosystem in Motion
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As the North Texas life sciences ecosystem continues to grow, so does the need for specialized partners who can support that growth behind the scenes. DWD Moving & Logistics, a new BioNTX member, plays a critical role in ensuring that innovation doesn’t just happen, it moves.
From laboratory relocations to complex institutional transitions, DWD provides end-to-end solutions including packing, transportation, installation, and project management. In biotech and healthcare environments, where precision and continuity are essential, moving a lab is not just logistical, it is mission-critical.
DWD’s work reflects an important truth: a strong ecosystem depends not only on innovation, but on the infrastructure and partners that enable it to scale. This is the ecosystem in motion.
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Alloy Therapeutics Advances into Full-Stack Biotech Infrastructure
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Alloy Therapeutics, Inc. announced a $40 million Series E round, bringing its valuation to $1 billion and marking its shift to a full-stack biotech platform. Since 2017, Alloy has worked with 200+ partners across biologic modalities, generating 100+ programs, with 22 in clinical development and two in Phase 3. It now supports the full drug development lifecycle, from discovery through manufacturing.
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AmyGo Solutions: Turning Science Into
Early Detection for a Deadly Disease
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In this episode of the Acuity + Acumen Leadership Podcast, host Deanna Armstrong speaks with Dr. Rose Pedretti, molecular biologist, innovator, and co founder of AmyGo Solutions.
Dr. Pedretti shares her journey from New York to Texas and from academic research to launching a biotech startup focused on early detection of cardiac amyloidosis, a life threatening and often underdiagnosed disease.
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AstraZeneca Reports Third Positive
Phase III Trial for COPD Biologic
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AstraZeneca reported positive Phase III MIRANDA trial results for tozorakimab in COPD, showing a significant reduction in moderate-to-severe exacerbations in both former smokers and the overall population across all eosinophil levels and lung function stages. Patients received tozorakimab or placebo on top of standard of care every two weeks. The findings build on prior positive Phase III results from the OBERON and TITANIA trials, further supporting its potential in COPD treatment.
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Avantor Expands Integrated Quality Testing
Capabilities in North America
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Avantor, Inc. is expanding its North American quality control capabilities with advanced microbial and stability testing at its St. Louis manufacturing site, strengthening its global quality infrastructure and supporting U.S.-based biopharma production. The upgraded facility integrates GMP-aligned microbial testing and ICH-compliant stability services, consolidating work previously performed across third-party and global labs. The expansion supports over 2,000 microbial samples annually and improves turnaround times, data visibility, and supply chain efficiency by localizing critical testing closer to manufacturing operations.
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Lantern Pharma to Meet FDA on
HARMONIC Trial Design for LP-300
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Lantern Pharma Inc. announced it has scheduled a Type C meeting with the FDA for mid-May 2026 to discuss proposed protocol amendments to its ongoing Phase 2 HARMONIC™ trial of LP-300 in EGFR L858R-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. The discussion is based on emerging clinical data showing an 8.3-month progression-free survival signal in a post-TKI setting, without added toxicity. The company is seeking FDA feedback to refine the trial design and focus on patients most likely to benefit.
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EisnerAmper Strengthens Forensic and
Valuation Services with KLG Addition
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CleanSpace, a leader in modular cleanroom design and delivery, will debut what is believed to be the largest active cleanroom ever installed on a North American tradeshow floor at INTERPHEX.
Unlike traditional exhibits or conceptual builds, this installation is a fully operational pharmaceutical cleanroom environment. Designed, engineered, and constructed by CleanSpace using its vertically integrated delivery model and integrated with SKAN equipment, the space will operate live throughout the duration of the show.
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Patriot Growth Insurance Services Recognized Among
Fastest-Growing Northeast Companies
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Patriot Growth Insurance Services has been ranked No. 110 on the Inc. Regionals: Northeast list, recognizing it among the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region. The recognition highlights the firm’s continued expansion driven by a people-first approach and a network of more than 2,200 professionals. Patriot emphasizes strong client relationships and deep industry expertise as key drivers of its sustained growth across the Northeast and beyond.
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Polsinelli Strengthens Position in Am Law 100 Rankings
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Polsinelli advanced to No. 55 in the Am Law 100 rankings, reflecting continued growth and a steady rise over the past decade. The firm’s performance highlights sustained expansion across key practices including real estate, finance, health care, middle-market M&A, private equity, technology, and life sciences, supported by strategic lateral growth and national office expansion.
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Sheppard Continues Strong
Performance in Vault Law Rankings
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Sheppard ranked among the top 100 firms in Vault’s 2026–2027 rankings, reflecting strong performance across prestige, quality of life, inclusion, and summer associate programs. The firm earned top-tier associate ratings across multiple quality of life categories and was recognized as a Top 25 firm for summer associate programs. It also placed highly in key practice areas including Labor & Employment (#10), Health Care (#11), and Media, Entertainment & Sports (#13), and ranked in the top 10 for inclusion.
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TechFW Launches ThinkLab OnDemand
to Expand Startup Support
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TechFW has launched ThinkLab OnDemand, an online platform developed with support from Texas Woman’s University Center for Women Entrepreneurs, to expand access to its startup development framework. The platform offers a self-paced series of eight modules covering concept validation, customer discovery, market evaluation, and early-stage business strategy, helping entrepreneurs assess and refine ideas before pursuing investment or accelerator programs.
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Transcat Expands International Presence
with SCM Metrology Deal
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Transcat, Inc. has acquired SCM Metrology and Laboratories S.A., marking its first operational presence in Latin America and expanding its global calibration services footprint. SCM, based in Costa Rica, has more than 20 years of experience serving multinational medical device and life sciences customers. The acquisition strengthens Transcat’s support for global clients and enhances its ability to grow in high-regulation markets with expanded local service capabilities.
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Baylor Scott & White Health to Bring New Hospital
to North Tarrant County by 2027
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Baylor Scott & White Health plans to open a new Alliance Hospital in north Tarrant County in the first half of 2027, expanding access to emergency and inpatient care in a rapidly growing area. The 19,000-square-foot facility, located near Texas Motor Speedway, will include eight emergency room beds and eight inpatient beds. The project is part of the system’s broader effort to bring care closer to patients in communities with increasing demand and longer travel times to major hospitals.
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Baylor University Opens First-of-Its-Kind ARKTOS Research Center
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Baylor University opened the Arctic Acclimatization & Sleep Optimization (ARKTOS) Research Center at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), launching a new facility focused on studying how Arctic-like, multi-stressor environments impact sleep, cognition, and human performance.
The Phase I opening was marked with a tour attended by university representatives and Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17), with Phase II planned to further expand the center’s research capabilities and testing infrastructure.
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Texas Woman’s University Students Develop
Space Boot to Combat Muscle Loss
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A team of Texas Woman’s University kinesiology students won first place overall at a NASA-sponsored statewide design competition for developing a device aimed at addressing muscle loss in space. The team, known as Team Mercurian, designed a pneumatic boot to stimulate plantar mechanoreceptors in the feet, helping promote lower-limb muscle activation in microgravity. The project also earned second place in oral presentation and peer review, continuing TWU’s track record of success in the competition.
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UNT Health, Hill College, and Burleson ISD
Launch Biomedical Careers Initiative
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Hill College, Burleson Independent School District, and UT Health Fort Worth have launched the Accelerated Biomedical Careers Initiative, a dual-credit program for Burleson and Centennial high school students interested in health care and biomedical science. The program allows students to earn college credit while in high school, work toward an Associate of Science degree, and potentially gain guaranteed admission to a fully online biomedical sciences bachelor’s program. Courses will be offered on high school campuses, providing an early pathway into health-related careers such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and optometry.
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UT Arlington Researchers Awarded Grant to
Support Dementia Care Education
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The University of Texas at Arlington social work professors Noelle Fields and Ling Xu have received a five-year grant to support community engagement initiatives that educate dementia patients and care partners on best practices and evolving approaches to care.
The effort, part of the North Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center led by UT Southwestern and funded by the National Institute on Aging, aims to bridge the gap between research and real-world support for families affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
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(from left to right) Ling Xu and Noelle Fields
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UTD Researchers Use AI to Improve
Protein Engineering for Drug Development
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The University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed a machine-learning model, ProSSpeC, that predicts how proteases will interact with target proteins before lab testing, potentially accelerating drug development.
The model analyzes evolutionary patterns in proteases to forecast enzyme behavior and was shown to design synthetic proteases that outperform commonly used enzymes. The work, published in Nature Communications, combines bioengineering, evolutionary biology, and computational biology to support more targeted therapies for diseases such as cancer and viral infections.
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UT Southwestern Researcher Receives
2026 Japan Prize for cGAS Immune Discovery
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Zhijian "James" Chen, PhD
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Zhijian Chen, Professor of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the 2026 Japan Prize in Life Sciences for his groundbreaking discoveries in innate immunity, including the identification of cGAS, a key DNA-sensing enzyme that triggers the body’s immune defense.
He shares the honor with Shizuo Akira for contributions that have advanced understanding of immune responses and opened new pathways for vaccines and therapies targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases.
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UT Tyler School of Medicine Associate Dean
Named to National Respiratory Journal Board
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Torry Tucker, associate dean for research at University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, has been selected to the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Cellular Molecular Biology, a leading journal of the American Thoracic Society.
In this role, Tucker will help oversee peer review and support publication of high-impact respiratory research, reflecting his national leadership in pulmonary science and ongoing work in lung disease research.
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FUNDING & MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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Prototype Fund
The Prototype Fund at the Texas Tech Innovation Hub supports early-stage tech startups in developing prototypes or MVPs based on customer discovery insights.
Applications due May 1st
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2026 Capra Tank Application
This competition is a dynamic opportunity for local entrepreneurs and small business owners in Lubbock to present their innovative ideas or products to a panel of influential business leaders.
Applications due May 5th
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LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship Program
The LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship awards students in California and Texas pursuing degrees in architecture, engineering, and related design fields, with an emphasis on supporting underrepresented and marginalized communities.
Applications due May 7th
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TMC Innovation Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices
The Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices helps researchers, entrepreneurs, and clinicians develop cancer-focused medical devices through hands-on training, expert mentorship, and technical support.
Applications due May 8th
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SMART Antiviral Prize
The SMART Antiviral Prize competition seeks to identify safe, broad-spectrum small molecules with the potential to advance to clinical trials and U.S. regulatory approval, strengthening the antiviral pipeline and addressing preparedness gaps through innovative solutions.
Applications due May 11th
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2026 Eli Lilly and Company Grand Challenge
The 2026 Grand Challenge will bring selected participants together to network with Lilly executives and scientists, compete for $100,000 in non-dilutive funding, and gain access to Lilly’s scientific and business network to help advance their technologies.
Applications due May 15th
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Startup Prize: Health 2026
Startup Prize is a national, founder-first program designed to support early-stage companies preparing for commercialization. Startup Prize connects founders with experienced mentors, practical guidance, and investor and ecosystem connections.
Applications due May 15th
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2026 Health Wildcatters Accelerator Program
The Health Wildcatters Accelerator Program continues to be ranked among the greatest in the nation according the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project. If you are looking to take your startup to the next level, the Health Wildcatters Accelerator Program is your next step.
Applications due May 30th
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities
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Par for the Planet
Join I2SL Texas for a unique networking event focused on the future of sustainable laboratories. Enjoy an relaxing mini golf experience, light refreshments and drinks with colleagues and peers.
April 30th | Houston, TX
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WIB-North Texas: Fireside Chat & Networking
Join Women In Bio for a fireside chat with Kristen Doyle, CEO of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), offering a rare opportunity to hear from
one of Texas’s most influential leaders in cancer research and biomedical innovation.
May 4th | Dallas, TX
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BIO BREAK Fort Worth
Join BioNTX and RSM for BIO BREAK Fort Worth, an evening bringing together the North Texas life science community.
May 5th | Fort Worth, TX
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Velocity Bioworks Ribbon Cutting
Join Velocity Bioworks as they officially open their CDMO facility in San Antonio. This milestone reflects both their team's progress and the continued momentum of San Antonio's growing life sciences community.
May 6th | San Antonio, TX
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Rise FW Pitch Competition Powered by PNC
Join the DEC Network and gain the tools, guidance, and real-world insight to turn your idea into action.
May 6th | Fort Worth, TX
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Nucleate Dallas Semi-Final
Join Nucleate’s Activator Semifinal Pitches, where science and engineering ventures showcase their technologies and vision to judges from industry, academia, and venture capital, with top teams advancing to Demo Day.
May 11th | Dallas, TX
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Texas A&M New Ventures Competition
A statewide innovation and entrepreneurship competition hosted by Texas A&M Innovation that supports founders and early-stage startups in commercializing high-impact technologies and business ideas.
May 13th - 14th | College Station, TX
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Health Supernova
Health Supernova is the premier event for sparking connections and driving momentum within the health tech community in Texas and beyond.
May 13th - 14th | Austin, TX
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Thank you for your support!
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