The 2025 Greater Mason County Venture Fest has been named Texas Venture Fest of the Year by the Texas Venture Alliance, marking a significant acknowledgement of rural economic development efforts in the state. The honor was announced at the alliance's 3rd Annual Meeting, hosted at the Texas State Capitol and the Headliners Club in Austin, which brought together investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and economic development organizers from more than 20 Texas cities.
The award recognizes the 2025 Venture Fest, hosted in Mason County, as a model for rural economic development – connecting student entrepreneurs, local business owners, and Main Street investment through a grassroots festival format. Katie Milton Jordan, who has organized the event since it began as a single-campus pitch event in Kerrville in 2023, accepted the recognition on behalf of the Greater Mason County community. The Townie reported on the event.
“When this started, it was a handful of folding tables on one campus in Kerrville,” Milton Jordan said. “What's grown out of that – students pitching real ideas, towns saying yes to something new, neighbors backing each other's businesses – that's what this award is really about.”
The festival was honored alongside distinguished recipients at this year's gathering, including the Texas Investor of the Year and Texas Innovator of the Year, in an evening that spotlighted Texas's broader innovation ecosystem. The Texas Venture Alliance's recognition underscores the importance of inclusive economic growth that reaches beyond major metropolitan areas.
“Being recognized in that room, alongside people doing serious work across the state, was a reminder that what happens in small towns counts,” Milton Jordan said. “Rural communities can lead, not just keep up.”
Milton Jordan is the publisher of thetownie.ai, a rural media and economic development platform covering local journalism, Main Street business, and civic storytelling across the Texas Hill Country. She is also the founder and CEO of SimpleEDO.ai and a former Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director in regional economic development.
This award highlights the potential for rural areas to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, challenging the perception that such activities are confined to urban centers. By leveraging local assets and community support, the Greater Mason County Venture Fest serves as a replicable model for other small towns seeking to stimulate economic growth and retain talent.
More information on the Greater Mason County Venture Fest, including details on future events, will be shared in the coming weeks through thetownie.ai.
