So I want to keep this post as far away from whiny as possible, but this was the hardest year we’ve ever had at Midwest House.
That’s saying something —because it’s always hard. We’ve bootstrapped this thing from day one.
This year, though, saw roughly a quarter of the budget we had last year. A rented VRBO that seemed to have squatters in it. A last-minute venue change. Temps in the 90s (not all bad). Travel chaos at every turn (Jordan & KT at Spin Travel are our forever heroes) And the day before we opened, I woke up with a stress-induced swollen foot that had me limping around all weekend (yes, maybe TMI—but the only other time that’s ever happened to me was right before SXSW was canceled in 2020, so… take that how you will).
All that plus the (waves hands) general 2026 of it all, and, yeah, it was a tough one. At multiple points in the lead-up, it felt like we were building on unstable ground and more than once I found myself asking a pretty simple question:Why are we even doing this?
And then… y’all showed up.
Not just showed up—really showed up.
We had our biggest single day of attendance ever at a Midwest House on 3/13. And it wasn’t just volume—it was the right people —so many of you. Builders. Operators. Ecosystem leaders. Friends. The kind of people you actually want to spend time with.
Together, we created moments that wouldn’t have existed anywhere else:
The Cool Ass Midwest Food Market with Here Here Market and World Business Chicago—one of the most alive, human, and distinctly “Midwest” activations we’ve ever done.
Two (honestly, two-and-a-half) great pitch competitions: a statewide Michigan 5x5 pitch competition with Start Garden and Venture 313 that brought nearly 200 people together on a rooftop —real camaraderie, real pride, real momentum, and some pretty great Detroit-style pizza courtesy of MEDC. And then the first ever TechRise Chicago activation to feature Midwest-wide founders and take place outside of Chicago. All told, more than $37K was awarded to Midwest founders.
A run of musical performances—from Riley Downes, DJ Heather, DJ Holographic, and Curls of Oz—that were a powerful reminder that this can’t just be about panels and programming. It needs culture. It needs energy. It needs joy.
And then a pretty amazing ecosystem of Midwest-connected orgs making the most of their time in Austin. There were multiple founder houses (most without squatters). There were curated dinners happening almost every night. There were multiple activations featuring the best and brightest of the Midwest happening at Midwest House & throughout the city.
Those moments cut through everything else and provided their own “why”.
Midwest House isn’t supposed to be “just an event”. It’s meant to be a gathering point for people who are actually trying to build something. It’s for people working on hard problems. People creating companies, ecosystems, and opportunities where they don’t easily exist. People pushing against systems that weren’t designed with this region—or this kind of ambition—in mind.
This kind of work is almost definitionally isolating. Often it feels insurmountable, and doing it alone??? Not an option.
Having a community—people to learn from, to challenge you, to open doors, to remind you you’re not crazy for trying—that’s the difference. And in the Midwest, where doing something new can still feel out of step with the norm, that kind of community matters even more.
We’re building something bigger than “just an event” and it’s something I try to remember when the brutal realities of the event itself make my nervous system go haywire.
We still are building a community that believes we can build abundance —not fight over scarcity— even in the midst of crazy headwinds. I firmly believe that community and opportunity for all are not “nice to haves”—they are literally our way forward.
Call it delusional if you want, but I don’t think we’re building just an event. I don’t even think we’re building just an ecosystem. I think we’re building a societal model.
As our friend and panelist Victor Hwang likes to say , “the urge to create, to build, to make something better in the world, to bring it to life — is fundamentally human.”
And creating spaces for that…it won’t always be easy.
Y’all, this year proved that.
But it also proved something else: even in the hardest conditions, this community shows up —and that’s enough to keep going.
Thanks as always to our partners at Carbon Stories for the videos. If you want to see more photos and videos…here’s a link for ya: LINK
If you want a fuller look at our 2026 Impact…here’s a link for ya: LINK
The first quarter of Midwest ’26 is in the books. We’re in Chicago this week for a Start-Midwest event w/ TechNexus and a dinner with EcoMap. And then we’re back to planning what comes next. If you want to be a part of building this with us, let’s talk:
https://www.midwesthouse.org/partnerships
Great post - was bummed I couldn't catch SXSW this year! I want to say that the line, "saw roughly a quarter of the budget we had last year," made me see red. Why is such a cornerstone team (that being the entire awesome Midwest House team) not getting flooded with support from private/philanthropic partners?
Budget cuts this dramatic are a major red flag that priorities are off in the state. I'm sitting here wondering how long can *any* team honestly sustain cuts like this... especially to something that is so important and representative to the region (like Midwest House at South-by)?
If this isn't a wake-up call for private and philanthropic partners in the region, I don't know what is. Ted — if there's a direct ask or a specific door we can knock on, say the word. This community should be rallying behind you, not leaving you to build on unstable ground. You and the team do so much to bring people together 👏
Wow, Ted. Thank you for writing and sharing what I had suspected: the difficulty you and your team faced in pulling off MWH this year in Austin. We never even had opportunity for a proper conversation. But I feel your pain, my friend. And all I can say as a MWH participant from Day One -- huge THANK YOU for showing up. Again. And again. Midwest House has become one of the handful of most-anticipated, most gotta-attend, most memorable House or Brand activations at SXSW over the past decade. Because you always show up...and you bring the FULL breadth of Midwest conversation and representation...and y'all always kill yourselves to convene genuine community. So thank you again. And please know how much you and your efforts are truly appreciated.