MassChallenge Expands Dallas Commitment as Second U.S. Headquarters with Renewed Support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies

New two-year grant will expand commercialization-focused programming at Pegasus Park, helping more North Texas scientific breakthroughs gain traction and attracting top talent to the region.

DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MassChallenge, ranked the No. 2 accelerator in the U.S. by TIME and Statista, is expanding its commitment to Dallas, announcing its second U.S. headquarters, bolstered by a renewed two-year grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, whose founder, Lyda Hill, was recently named to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list. The renewed partnership is intended to further accelerate North Texas' innovation and life sciences ecosystem.

The renewed investment builds on five years of collaboration since Pegasus Park opened, strengthening the connections, programs and startup pipeline that support the region's life sciences ecosystem. Since 2022, MassChallenge has delivered accelerator programming, connected founders with experts, convened the ecosystem through dozens of events and created opportunities for high-potential companies from North Texas and beyond to engage with the region.

The generous grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies enables MassChallenge to scale its proven accelerator programming in Dallas, concentrating on enterprise-startup collaboration in North Texas and connecting regional corporate leaders with curated, commercialization-ready startups. Two intensive, ten-week early-stage Accelerators, in Health & Life Sciences and in Security & Resiliency, will help founders reach the critical technical, regulatory and commercial milestones that position them to win customers, attract capital and scale. Founder Access Clinics will give earlier-stage founders the opportunity to validate their path to market with feedback from academic, clinical, corporate and industry stakeholders. The partnership will also support INNOVATE '26, MassChallenge's flagship Dallas convening, taking place November 17 at Pegasus Park.

"Dallas has extraordinary strength in research, industry and capital, and we're proud to be part of building a leading life science and biotechnology ecosystem here. We're grateful that Lyda Hill Philanthropies' renewed support allows us to continue the long-term work of accelerating high-potential biotechnology companies and contributing to the ecosystem of support around them," said MassChallenge CEO Cait Brumme. "Lyda Hill Philanthropies has been a catalytic partner in building that connective tissue, and we're grateful for their continued investment in the founders, institutions and relationships that are turning North Texas into a leading biotech and life science ecosystem globally."

"Lyda Hill Philanthropies has long believed that North Texas has the scientific talent, institutions and ambition to support a world-class life sciences ecosystem," said Nicole Small, CEO of Lyda Hill Philanthropies and CEO of LH Capital. "Pegasus Park was created to bring the people, infrastructure and resources that innovation and scaling require into one place. The growth we've seen across the campus and the region reinforces what is possible when we invest for the long term, and this renewed partnership with MassChallenge will help more founders and companies build, grow and succeed here."

The renewed investment comes at a moment of enormous momentum across North Texas, visible both in MassChallenge's growth since launching in the region and in the market itself. Since 2022, Texas-based applications to MassChallenge national programs have grown more than fivefold, while innovation-event attendance is approaching 1,000 annually. That growth mirrors broader momentum across the region. The Dallas Regional Chamber recorded 14 life sciences corporate locations or expansions across Dallas-Fort Worth in 2025 alone, while CPRIT reports that 10 companies that started, expanded or relocated to the region with its support have gone on to raise more than $2 billion in direct follow-on funding.

That momentum is particularly visible at Pegasus Park. BioLabs at Pegasus Park filled its shared workspace in just 15 months against a projected five-year timeline. That demand contributed to the development of Bridge Labs on the Pegasus Park campus, which opened in 2024 with 135,000 square feet of growth-stage lab space. Pegasus Park is also home to one of three national hubs for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), selected after a highly competitive nationwide search.

The growth at Pegasus Park reflects the broader growth of North Texas as a destination for life sciences research, entrepreneurship and investment. Across the region, universities, healthcare systems, companies, investors and economic-development organizations are contributing to an environment designed to help promising science and technology move toward commercialization and create new economic opportunities. For the Dallas Economic Development Corporation, supporting the companies that start in the region, as well as those it attracts, is an important part of that opportunity.

"Dallas has proven its ability to attract major companies and investment. The opportunity now is to invest just as intentionally in the companies that start here and give them what they need to stay and scale here," said Linda McMahon, CEO of the Dallas Economic Development Corporation. "That takes access to capital, talent, infrastructure and strong partnerships across the public, private and academic sectors. Dallas has tremendous strengths in life sciences and technology, and continued investment in our innovation ecosystem can translate those strengths into companies, quality jobs and long-term economic growth."

For North Texas founders, that broader regional momentum is creating new opportunities to turn promising science into companies that can reach the market and scale and to advance a nationally competitive innovation economy.

"The startups coming out of MassChallenge's programs are tackling some of the toughest health and science challenges facing North Texas and the nation," said Craig J. Lewis, MassChallenge Board Member and Interim Managing Director. "This renewed investment gets those solutions to market faster, and it's proof that the innovation happening right here in North Texas can compete with, and outpace, anywhere else in the country."

To learn more about MassChallenge and explore opportunities to participate as a founder, expert or partner, visit masschallenge.org.

About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global institution that backs startups building solutions to complex, systems-critical challenges, working where complexity is high and the path to market is hardest. Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Texas, Israel, Switzerland and the UK, MassChallenge connects startups with the partners, programs and capital needed to accelerate commercialization and real-world impact. Since 2009, MassChallenge has supported more than 5,000 startups that have raised over $27 billion in funding and is ranked No. 2 in the United States on TIME's list of America's Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026. Learn more at masschallenge.org.

About Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Lyda Hill Philanthropies encompasses the charitable giving of founder Lyda Hill and includes her foundation and personal philanthropy. The organization is committed to funding transformational advances in science and nature, empowering nonprofit organizations and improving the Texas and Colorado communities. Because Miss Hill has a fervent belief that "science is the answer" to many of life's most challenging issues, she has chosen to donate the entirety of her estate to philanthropy and scientific research.

SOURCE MassChallenge