This spring, more than 30 venture capital firms will convene in Northwest Arkansas with one goal: to engage founders ready for serious conversations about capital, growth and scale. Together, these firms represent more than $7 billion in assets under management.
Onward FX invites startups from Arkansas and across the country for a unique opportunity to participate in curated, one-on-one meetings with venture investors. This process compresses months of outreach into a single, focused experience.
Taking place April 20 and 21 in Bentonville, the Spring 2026 Onward FX cycle represents the next phase of a growing, statewide platform designed to connect founders with venture capital at key moments of readiness.
Led by the Northwest Arkansas Council in partnership with Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the program supports early-stage founders as part of a broader effort to strengthen Arkansas’ innovation economy and attract venture capital to the state.
By bringing decision makers directly to Arkansas, the program expands access to early-stage capital and creates a more efficient path for founders seeking institutional investment.
Since launching in 2024, Onward FX has delivered measurable outcomes for participating founders and investors. Across cycles to date, the approach has:
- Facilitated more than 500 curated founder-investor meetings, including hundreds involving Arkansas-based startups and investors
- Resulted in approximately one in four participating companies securing a term sheet
- Led to more than $22 million in investment capital raised by participating companies
- Supported company expansion and relocation conversations, with several startups choosing to establish or grow a presence in Arkansas
Together, these outcomes reflect both the quality of companies participating and the seriousness of investor engagement.
“Onward FX illustrates that Arkansas is the front door to the Heartland for venture capital, a place where founders can build and scale,” said Serafina Lalany, executive director of Startup NWA, the Northwest Arkansas Council’s entrepreneurship program. “The program creates space for focused, substantive conversations between founders and venture investors.”
“Entrepreneurs in Arkansas are creating jobs and growing our state’s economy with innovative new businesses and ideas,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “AEDC is committed to supporting entrepreneurs, and programs like Onward FX are helping company founders connect with investors to scale their businesses.”
Participating venture capital firms include investors with experience across health, retail, industrial and frontier technology, including Legendary Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Hustle Fund, MaC Venture Capital, Upfront Ventures, Mercury, Ingeborg, Flyover Capital, S3 Ventures, Run Ventures, Perot Jain, Wildwood Ventures and others from across the country.
How to Apply
Startup applications for the spring cycle are open through midnight CT Feb. 23. The program is open to startups nationwide across a range of sectors, including health tech, fintech, consumer packaged goods, aerospace and defense, cybersecurity, climate and energy, and enterprise software. Companies do not need to be based in Arkansas to participate. Founders can apply at onward.nwacouncil.org/fx.
All applicants are added to a venture deal database shared with more than 200 institutional investors nationwide, extending the value of participation beyond the event itself.
Founders are also invited to participate in networking opportunities with peers and funders, supporting longer-term relationship building. To understand more about Onward FX and its impact, watch this video.
Additional details on public sessions, featured speakers and community programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
