Hayden Blackburn

Feb 26

Membership: Founding Member
Joined: March 2023
Companies: TechFW and Cowtown Angels
Titles: Executive Director, Director
Interests: Entrepreneurial ecosystem building through startup coaching, angel investing, economic development, and mentorship
Education: Texas Tech University, Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business
Social Media: LinkedIn

Professional Biography

If you are an entrepreneur in DFW, then you know about TechFW and Hayden Blackburn's role at the center of it all. TechFW supports entrepreneurs through various programs, like an accelerator, an incubator, mentorship, and through the Cowtown Angels angel investing network. With big exits like ZS Pharma, Encore Vision, and Exact Diagnostics in their past, TechFW is helping connect entrepreneurs to build a strong biotech entrepreneurial ecosystem in Fort Worth today and into the future.

As a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business with a Minor in Psychology, Hayden started his professional career in the field of economic development working in business recruitment and business retention and has spent the last decade working in economic, community, and small business development. With a belief in the power of community development through engagement and partnerships he was the founding Director of IDEA Works FW, a mixed-industry incubator formed from a public-private partnership with the City of Fort Worth, and guided the vision and launch of the program for its first three years.

He has served as an organizer for multiple Startup Weekend events and is a past organizer for the Fort Worth chapter of I Million Cups. In the community, he serves on the boards for the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), Near Southside, Inc., the Fort Worth Library Foundation, and volunteers with various groups exploring entrepreneurship with youth in our community.