2026 Ready, Set, Startup!

VentureLab |

April 23, 2026

RSS-2026-party

VentureLab’s 2026 Ready Set Startup! Gala & After-Party

Presented by West Chelsea Contemporary

Saturday, November 7, 2026
The Mansion

Ready, Set, Startup! is evolving into an intimate Cocktail Pitch Party that puts VentureLab’s work, and our students, center stage.

Join Austin’s entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, and community champions as three VentureLab IGNITE finalist teams pitch their ideas live. Meet the students behind the ideas, see entrepreneurial learning in action, and invest directly in the next generation of innovators.

Presented by West Chelsea Contemporary, this year’s Ready, Set, Startup! is all about connection, mentorship, and investing in what’s next.

5:00 PM Cocktail Reception
6:30 PM Pitch Party + Paddle Raise
8:30 PM After-Party

Come ready to connect, collaborate, celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit, and invest in what’s next.

Dress for the Future
Cocktail attire with a futuristic twist.
Think metallics, bold silhouettes, unexpected textures, sleek details, or your own vision of what the future looks like. Go subtle or go all in.

What is VentureLab IGNITE?

IGNITE is VentureLab’s hands-on, immersive innovation experience where students become entrepreneurs in a single day.

Working alongside mentors from the business community, students identify real-world problems, use AI and design thinking to build solutions, create prototypes and professional pitch decks, and present their ideas to a live audience.

At Ready, Set, Startup!, you’ll watch three IGNITE finalist teams take the stage and pitch their ideas live.

You’re not just attending a fundraiser. You’re investing in the movement transforming how the next generation learns, leads, and builds.

Imagine. Build. Launch.

Thank you to our
2026 Ready, Set, Startup! Sponsors  

For full details visit: https://app.betterunite.com/venturelab-2026readysetstartup

Tickets & Sponsorships

Thank you to our 2026 Ready, Set, Startup! Sponsors

Interested in becoming a 2026 sponsor?
Connect your brand and team directly with the next generation of innovators.
Contact Monica Morales at monica@venturelab.org.

ABOUT VENTURELAB

At VentureLab, we’re closing the opportunity gap for future creators and leaders by building students’ confidence, creativity, and growth mindset, especially for girls and historically marginalized youth.

Your support at Ready, Set, Startup! helps bring VentureLab IGNITE and entrepreneurial learning to more young people who otherwise may not have access. Together, we can give the next generation the confidence, skills, and opportunity to build what comes next.

Help us bring VentureLab to more under-resourced communities and change the face of entrepreneurship!

2025 Highlights

  • Photos people at Ready Set Startup!
  • RSS 2025 Kids Team
  • a group of children standing on a stage
  • a group of people attending a dinner event or conference.
  • an auction or bidding event, likely a charity gala or fundraising dinner.
  • RSS Dinner
  • RSS Dinner
  • RSS Dinner
  • RSS Dinner
  • RSS Dinner
  • four individuals posing together at an evening event.
  • a social gathering with people talking.
  • two individuals smiling together at an event.
  • a group of people smiling together at an event.
  • a group of five individuals smiling together at an event.
  • a setup for a silent auction at a gala event, potentially for a startup or business organization.
  • four individuals posing together, likely at a professional or social event.
  • a man and a woman standing in front of a VentureLab Entrepreneurial Learning banner.
  • a man standing in front of a Venturelab "Ready, Set, Startup!"
  • a group of people posing together
  • a couple smiling at a professional event featuring branding for "venturelab" and "READY SET Startup!".
  • a man in a black suit and a woman in a green dress standing together
  • a moment from a venturelab "READY SET Startup!" event.
  • a couple posing for a photo in front of a blue banner for a venture lab event called "Ready, Set, Startup!"
  • a woman in a shimmery evening dress and a young man in a black suit, with the VentureLab "Ready, Set, Startup!" banner in the background.
  • a moment in time during a "Ready, Set, Startup!" event hosted by VentureLab
  • a VentureLab "Ready, Set, Startup!" event presentation.
  • a VentureLab "Ready, Set, Startup!" event presentation.
  • people performing music at an event
  • people performing music at an event.
  • a social gathering or event held in a modern, industrial-style venue
  • a social gathering on a outside patio, featuring a bartender serving a cocktail to a guest.
  • a crowded outdoor social gathering during the daytime, possibly a party or a reception
  • a woman seated at a table interacting with people who are viewing her artwork.
  • a social gathering or networking event with people socializing outdoors.
  • two individuals engaged in a structured activity at a table.
  • cocktail hour or reception event at a modern venue with large arched windows.
  • a social gathering with people chatting and holding drinks.
  • a social gathering with people talking and holding event materials.
  • a group of people mingling at an outdoor social event.
  • a social gathering with people looking at documents on a table.
  • a social gathering taking place outdoors.
  • a social gathering with two women greeting with a hug
  • a social gathering or networking event
  • a food preparation scene at an outdoor event.
  • a menu setting for a formal event, featuring a dark blue tablecloth and white plates.
  • people outdoors including a server holding a platter and individuals at a table with small packaged items.

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