Texas Capital Frontier: Our State’s Rising Power Players
Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2026’s Panel “Texas Capital Frontier: Our State’s Rising Power Players”, Moderated by HoneyHive Capital Founder and Managing Partner; ChristianAlts Podcast Host, and Best-Selling Author, Matt Johns
The panel featured Tiger21 Austin Chair; Pawsitive Holdings Founder; former Virgin Group (New Ventures) and Goldman Sachs executive, Gabriel Baldinucci; Ballistic Ventures Cofounder & General Partner, Roger Thornton; and The Founders Arena Founder & CEO, Pamela Cytron.
TIGER 21 is an exclusive peer-membership organization that serves as a confidential “personal board of directors” for ultra-high-net-worth entrepreneurs, investors, and wealth creators, with more than 1,900 members across 54 cities worldwide. Baldinucci also represented his firm Pawsitive Holdings, a venture studio and investment firm that builds and supports consumer businesses in the pet industry, emphasizing patient capital, innovation, and long-term value. His experience also includes Virgin Group, the global investment group founded by Sir Richard Branson, known for creating and backing businesses across travel, hospitality, telecommunications, media, health, and financial services.
The Founders Arena, which Cytron spoke about, is a North Texas-based nonprofit WealthTech accelerator that helps early- and growth-stage financial-technology companies commercialize their products, connect with institutional buyers and investors, and navigate the financial-services market.
Covering the emerging industry of cybersecurity in Texas, Ballistic’s Thornton talked about his venture-capital firm is dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating early-stage cybersecurity companies. His team has collectively founded, funded, or operated more than 90 companies and provides founders with specialized cybersecurity expertise, industry relationships, and hands-on operational support.
Panelists discussed how artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and evolving investment strategies are reshaping venture growth in Texas. Speakers emphasized that relationships, customer access, and distribution can be just as valuable as venture capital in helping startups succeed.
They highlighted how the post-pandemic startup landscape has created new opportunities for smaller companies using AI and other emerging technologies to move quickly while cautioning founders not to build businesses around AI alone, noting that “a feature does not make a company.”
The conversation also explored the rapid growth of AI infrastructure, the challenges surrounding data centers and energy demands, and how the launch of the Texas Stock Exchange positions Texas as an increasingly important place to connect, build businesses, and grow the venture ecosystem.
Read John’s recap here:“I had a great time at the Texas Venture Gala & Forum this week! This year's venue was, appropriately, the Texas Capitol. I mention this in the video, but, if you've heard me talk in any public forum about Purpose Driven Capital, you've heard me talk about outcomes. So my ears perked up when Pamela Cytron said that one of the main things she is looking for in startups is a greater focus on outcomes in our conference-opening panel.
That lead to a common theme throughout the rest of the conference for me. What does this mean? It means different things to different stakeholders. But here was my takeaway... Investors have been measurably more selective over the past few years in venture and a lot of that is defined by the outcomes they are already seeing. AI is allowing digital solutions to be built almost at will.
But how does the underlying business support that solution to lead to clearly defined outcomes? The outcomes emphasis is there from a legislative perspective too. In Texas, our legislators are always looking for ways to support businesses. We discussed a lot of differences between Austin and Silicon Valley. But in Texas, it is clear that the state is working toward becoming a global hub for innovation. I'm still processing all of it, so I'm sure there will be many more thoughts to come. Thank you CS Freeland, Sarah Romanko and your great team. Roger Thornton, Gabriel Baldinucci, and Pamela Cytron, thank you for creating so much value for our panel! David Lax, I appreciate your help on our way out of the Capitol and your cameo here!”
This Texas Venture Gala & Forum panel recap was made possible by our Editorial Partner, Texas State University. Their McCoy College of Business Center for Student Entrepreneurship program exists to prepare the next generation of founders to build ventures that matter. Learn more about their innovation and commercialization here. Check out the entire Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2026 recap here.
