START.PIVOT.GROW. (SPG)—an AI-powered small business accelerator powered by the Cynthia E. & Clarence E. Nevels Foundation—is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural GrowthTech Summit, being held at Wells Fargo HQ in Las Colinas, TX on October 21, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The half-day event is engineered to help entrepreneurs leverage technology, artificial intelligence and capital to accelerate business growth. Nationally recognized venture capitalist and investor Melissa Bradley will deliver the keynote address, with the summit concluding in the presentation of more than $35,000 in accelerator grant funding to selected cohort graduates.
“Business owners aren’t in it for aesthetics. They’re earning a living that pays mortgages, tuition, groceries, insurance, and someday, retirement,” said Cynthia Nevels, Founder of Start.Pivot.Grow. “When their business grows, that growth reaches their families and their employees’ families—it’s the difference between surviving and building a life of peace and possibility. GrowthTech Summit exists to put real people, real investors, and real systems in the same room as the innovators who need them. It’s a conduit for resilience and expansion in an unpredictable economy. If you own or operate a high-growth venture, this is the place to be this Fall.”
Powered by KPIXAI, Wells Fargo, and the UPS Foundation, GrowthTech builds on the START.PIVOT.GROW. mission to move entrepreneurs from surviving to scaling by combining education, technology and access to capital. Through its patent-pending KPIXAI platform and accelerator programs, START.PIVOT.GROW. has helped deploy more than $1 million in capital to small businesses while maintaining a 97 percent alumni business survival rate. The inaugural GrowthTech Summit builds on START.PIVOT.GROW.’s growing national momentum, positioning the Dallas-Fort Worth region as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and technology.
Just announced, Melissa Bradley, investor, operator and Founder of New Majority Ventures, will headline GrowthTech to keynote on The Applied AI Economy Comes to Main Street, exploring how entrepreneurs can move beyond AI adoption to strategically integrate artificial intelligence for long-term business growth.
“For too long, Main Street was told to wait its turn on technology. That era is over,” Bradley said. “AI is not a content toy anymore. It is a strategic operating partner, and the companies that integrate it will define the next two years, not the ones that wait. What makes GrowthTech Summit matter is the alignment. Capital, capability, and community in the same room at the same time, all pointed at growth. When SMB technology and growth finally move together, New Majority founders stop surviving and start choosing. That is not the future of the economy. That is the economy. I am coming to Irving because this is where Main Street drives what is next.”
In addition to Bradley’s keynote, attendees will experience:
- Live fireside chat on responsible AI & legal implications of the use of artificial intelligence
- Conversations with investors, founders and industry leaders including Kevin Vela, Gagan Singh, Kristie Jones, Dennis Cail, and many others
- Practical growth strategies for scaling small businesses
- Networking opportunities with entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners
- Resources focused on capital access, innovation and business sustainability
- $35,000+ in KPIXAI-powered accelerator grants, plus awards for innovation, AI leadership and community impact
The GrowthTech Summit reflects the Cynthia E. & Clarence E. Nevels Foundation’s continued investment in creating pathways for entrepreneurs to become more competitive and better equipped to grow in today’s rapidly changing economy. Since its inception, the organization has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs through accelerators, coaching, technology tools and capital initiatives across the nation.
Registration for the GrowthTech Summit is now open. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit startpivotgrow.org/growthtech-summit.