Startup Texas Expands with the Launch of Startup DFW

Today, Dallas/Fort Worth area entrepreneurs and the Dallas Regional Chamber announced the launch of Startup DFW, a regional initiative of the Startup Texas chapter working with the Startup America Partnership, the national organization dedicated to helping young companies grow in order to spur job creation across the country.

The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex launch of Startup Texas is the first step in helping create a collaborative ecosystem for the entrepreneurial community in North Texas. Along with partnerships with key organizations such as The Dallas Regional Chamber and the North Texas RCIC, Startup DFW will focus on uniting entrepreneurial leaders across the entire DFW Metroplex, encouraging the use of shared resources and creating a community of innovation and cooperation. Texas is one of the initial eight states that have launched Startup America regions across the country, and will be joined by nine additional regions today on Startup America's one-year anniversary.

“The DFW area is a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, from new technology startups to Fortune 500 corporations encouraging innovation in their current businesses. We believe now is the perfect time to inject the resources, relationships, and capital that Startup DFW can provide,” said Jason Illian, CEO of Rethink Books and Co-Chair of Startup DFW. Leveraging the national resources of Startup America, the goal of Startup DFW and Startup Texas is to create jobs and spur entrepreneurial activity across the state.

There will be a local event held in February for companies in the DFW area that would like to participate or support Startup DFW. More details on this will follow as the event nears.

“We are excited that Startup DFW has launched as a part of the Startup Texas Region,” said Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership. “We are encouraged to see the collaborative spirit that the DFW Metroplex is demonstrating as an example of how the entire state of Texas will work together to facilitate resources, relationships, and benefits to its thriving entrepreneurial community.”

By combining the power of the Startup America Partnership's national network along with the local resources and capital opportunities across Texas, entrepreneurs will be able to access key tools which will provide business with a high potential for growth, creating more jobs and a boom to the local economy.

Startup Texas will work to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in the following areas:

• Expertise: Connect entrepreneurs with training, mentors, advisors and accelerators
• Services: Provide entrepreneurs access to critical services at reduced costs
• Talent: Assist entrepreneurs in recruiting and training the people that can help them grow
• Customers: Help to scale startups through new and existing markets
• Capital: Highlight sources of capital available to entrepreneurs in various regions and sectors

“I am confident that by fostering a collaborative ecosystem through a solid network of resources, availability of capital and a strong community of entrepreneurial leaders that Startup DFW will propel the growing entrepreneurial community in DFW to a global stage,” said Trey Bowles, serial entrepreneur and Co-Chair of Startup Texas.

To get involved with Startup Texas and Startup DFW communities throughout North Texas, young companies, entrepreneurial leaders and potential partners should visit www.startuptx.us and http://www.startupdfw.org.

About The Dallas Regional Chamber

The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) is the area's leading membership-driven business organization committed to promoting economic prosperity by leading economic development, driving improvements in public education, influencing public policy, and catalyzing and advocating for regional partnerships. The DRC works to ensure the Dallas region will become the most economically prosperous region - and the most desirable place to live and work - in the United States. The DRC recognizes that an innovative economy is at the core of our region's vitality and quality of life and is committed to developing, promoting and sustaining the Dallas region as a global leader in technology and innovation. Its activities bring together business leaders, universities, entrepreneurial organizations, accelerators and incubators, policymakers, and capital providers to engage in a dialogue on how best to build on regional industry cluster strengths while fostering new innovation and ideas. These initiatives, if successful, can attract capital investment into the Dallas region, create new companies or expand existing ones, and create substantial new job growth while increasing the region's competitiveness and productivity. For more information, please contact the Dallas Regional Chamber at (214) 746-6600 or visit www.dallaschamber.org.

About the Startup America Partnership

The Startup America Partnership was launched at the White House in response to President Obama's call to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. The Partnership is bringing together an alliance of major corporations, funders, service providers, mentors and advisors working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of high-growth enterprises in the U.S. AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Partnership and the Kauffman and Case Foundations are founding partners. American Express OPEN, Dell Inc., Intuit Inc., and Microsoft are sponsors. The Partnership will identify, measure and report on the effectiveness of cross-sector collaboration in support of entrepreneurial ventures and its effect on job creation and growth. For more information on the Partnership, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org.