October 2026 Across the South: 7 Events Valor Is Watching
October 2026 Across the South: 7 Events Valor Is Watching
October is front-loaded with the two biggest stages in the South back to back — Venture Atlanta's flagship conference, then Venture Dallas six days later. Add DC's ten-day tech week, a new North Texas regional pitch competition, and Maryland's entrepreneur expo, and the month gives founders and investors top access to opportunity across the South.
Here are the seven events on Valor's curated calendar this month, in date order.
October 14 — Kauffman Fellows Breakfast During Venture Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
Hosted by Valor Ventures
A Kauffman Fellows-only gathering timed to Venture Atlanta's opening morning — connect with the fellows and founders in Valor's orbit before the main conference floor opens. RSVP.
October 14–15 — Venture Atlanta 2026 Conference (Atlanta, GA)
Hosted by Venture Atlanta
Organizers bill it as the "Southeast's #1 venture capital conference" — 1,600+ alumni companies, $8.8B raised, $22.3B in exits. The 2026 edition adds dedicated Growth Stage and Deep Tech tracks, plus Startup Showcase Live on the exhibitor floor. Details
October 19 — DC Startup & Tech Week 2026 (Washington, DC)
Hosted by DC Startup & Tech Week
Organizers describe it as the region's largest entrepreneurial conference — roughly 7,000 attendees, 300+ speakers, and 150+ events across 10+ tracks over the week. Details
October 21 — North Texas Connected Innovation Pitch Competition (Frisco & McKinney, TX)
Hosted by Frisco EDC, McKinney EDC & North Texas Innovation Alliance
A new regional pitch competition pairing Frisco's and McKinney's economic development corporations with NTXIA — finalists pitch live across both cities. Details
October 22 — Venture Dallas 2026 (Dallas, TX)
Hosted by Venture Dallas
DFW's flagship venture conference — multiple stages, curated networking, and startup pitches. Details
October 23 — Courageous Capital: Coffee with Valor VC Founder Lisa Calhoun (Coral Gables, FL)
Hosted by Valor Ventures
Lisa's traveling coffee series lands in Coral Gables this month — an informal sit-down for South Florida founders and the people building around them. RSVP
October 27 — TEDCO 2026 Entrepreneur Expo (Baltimore, MD)
Hosted by TEDCO (Maryland Technology Development Corporation)
Maryland's flagship annual convening for its innovation economy, drawing founders and investors well beyond the state line. Details
Building something in B2B?
Valor leads first rounds in Southern B2B software companies. If you're building here and scaling globally, we'd like to see what you're working on — share your deck with us.
Organizing an event we should be tracking? Send it over and we'll add it to the Valor ecosystem calendar.