As part of its Centennial Event Series, IEDC convened a flagship gathering at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2026 in Austin, Texas, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, ecosystem builders, and economic development leaders to explore the future of the field.
Designed as a curated, future-focused convening, the event created space for meaningful exchange between those building companies and ecosystems on the ground and those shaping policy, capital flows, and institutional strategy.
The programming centered on a critical question shaping the future of the field: how entrepreneurship is redefining economic development and what it takes for communities to build ecosystems that support founders, capital, and long-term regional growth.
The event generated strong visibility for IEDC within SXSW’s global platform, reaching more than 2,300 registrants across the broader network and drawing 300–500 in-person participants to core sessions. Attendees included founders, venture and impact investors, public sector leaders, and economic development organizations.
Programming throughout the day reinforced this convergence — from the opening panel, Startups Are the Economic Development Strategy, to interactive sessions like the investor reverse pitch and startup “3D Gauntlet,” which offered direct insight into how capital is deployed and how founders are evaluated in real time.
A centerpiece of the series was a fireside chat with Right to Start Founder and CEO Victor Hwang and IEDC Chief Innovation Officer Dell Gines. Their conversation traced the recent history of entrepreneurship in economic development and the rise of ecosystem building as a core field strategy. Drawing on their work at the Kauffman Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, respectively, they reflected on how national frameworks for entrepreneurship-led economic development were shaped through convenings, field-building resources, and advocacy — including early national conferences that helped accelerate adoption across the country.
Looking ahead, the discussion pointed to a critical next phase: strengthening the policy, professional standards, and institutional infrastructure needed to scale this work. Victor now partners with states to advance entrepreneurship policy, while IEDC continues to expand its Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP) Certification and deepen the field’s capacity to support founders and ecosystems.
The conversation reflected a view IEDC holds firmly: entrepreneurship is not a complement to economic development — it is a core part of it. As the field evolves, that will only become truer.
For IEDC, the SXSW convening reinforced its role as a field builder at a pivotal moment — connecting entrepreneurship, capital, and community-driven strategies to shape the next century of economic development practice.
To find ways to support entrepreneurship policy in your state, visit Right to Start.
To learn more about IEDC's entrepreneurship work, visit the links below or reach out to IEDC Director of Entrepreneurship Zach Barker at [email protected].