Neekta Hamidi came to Dallas with a hypothesis: that the region was poised to become a globally recognized hub for biotech and health innovation. After years working across the East Coast in science, policy, and strategy, she saw an opportunity to apply her experience where it could be catalytic – at the intersection of impact, infrastructure, and innovation.

And after making the move, Dallas proved her hypothesis right. From the launch of ARPA-H’s customer experience hub, to the expansion of accelerators like Health Wildcatters and MassChallenge, and the growth of several biotech and life sciences companies in the region, Dallas–Fort Worth is quickly establishing itself as a national center for innovation and commercialization. But for Neekta, the real differentiator has been the welcoming, collaborative community. Early introductions to organizations like BioNTX, Biolabs, and the Dallas Regional Chamber helped her build her community quickly.

Now, she plays the same connective role across the Dallas-Fort Worth innovation landscape that her early contacts played for her, from venture-backed healthcare startups to ecosystem-level strategy work. She is currently expanding Ignite Healthcare Network into North Texas with support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, and actively consults with civic and innovation leaders to translate ideas into scalable outcomes. Whether advising accelerators, structuring founder-facing programs, or helping organizations operationalize their mission, her approach is grounded in execution and community alignment.

Why Dallas? For Neekta, the list is long- but it all comes down to the region’s unique mix of assets. The Dallas Region boasts a thriving medical district, world-class institutions, affordable real estate, abundant capital, and a strong civic commitment to innovation. It’s a globally-minded, mission-driven city filled with transplants like her- all working to build something meaningful. And with DFW Airport just minutes from her home in Coppell, she can hop on a flight and be on either coast in about four hours, making it easy to stay connected with conferences, meetings, and collaborators across the country.

When she’s off the clock, free from the high overhead of coastal living, she has more room to recharge meaningfully than ever before. That includes discovering ethnic cuisine in the Northern suburbs (BigDash and Lahori Kabob are her favorites), exploring one of Dallas’ nationally renowned farmers markets in Coppell, McKinney, or downtown, or enjoying the city’s many family-friendly offerings, like mommy-and-me Pilates at Align Studio or a morning at the newly renovated Children’s Museum at the Perot.

For Neekta, saying yes to Dallas was more than a career move- it was a strategic bet that’s now paying off. She’s found a region where innovation moves quickly, collaboration comes naturally, and the appetite for meaningful impact is matched by the infrastructure to support it. With the biotech sector on the rise and new opportunities emerging across the innovation landscape, she’s exactly where she wants to be: helping connect people, ideas, and investment in service of a stronger, more visible North Texas. Add to that a welcoming community, great schools, vibrant parks, and time to enjoy it all with her family- and it’s easy to see why Neekta says yes to Dallas, every single day.

Born in India, and educated at Penn State University, Anmolika Singh is today a data scientist at Stanley Black & Decker, vice president of professional development at Society of Women Engineers Dallas, and as of this writing, in the process of starting a local chapter of AI Tinkerers, a global community that include engineers, developers, and researchers who work with generative AI.

She doesn’t say that she was destined for the Lone Star State, but as a recent graduate in 2021, the area had a couple things going for it.

“Some of my best friends from school had moved her for their jobs, and then my younger sister joined Texas A&M—so I knew that I would be visiting a lot.”

Still in her college town, she wanted to move to a city that has tech hubs, and tech companies; a place with professional organizations, not student groups; someplace that provides social support, and enables career growth.

“It just made sense to be here because I already had connections with people, and my job was work-from-home. I was sick of being in my college town.”

DFW checked all the boxes.

Finding her niche

Singh settled in Plano, where she can get a taste of home … with a Texas twist.

“There is a lot of authentic Indian food in the area—a lot of restaurants that have franchises in Dallas, but nowhere else.”

She says it’s fun to eat at those when friends are visiting.

“And the Texas portions are noticeable.”

Yes, everything is bigger here.

Other favorites include RA Sushi, Velvet Taco, Marufuku ramen … “And I don’t think I’ve found a bad Thai spot.”

Another benefit of living in Dallas-Fort Worth is DFW International Airport, which makes it easy to get here and get away. (See the destinations you can Say Yes to in North Texas, from commercial and private airports)

“DFW Airport is a charm,” says Singh, who visits domestic and international locations during work and personal travel.

She’s thinking about joining a club sports team but hasn’t gotten around to it yet. In the meantime, Singh takes advantage of the open space around her apartment complex to walk in the fresh air. She also likes the open retail/dining areas like Central Markets, and in the city of Grapevine.

And while Bollywood may be an Indian import that people enjoy, Texas has also put its stamp on dancing.

“I have gone once to Honkytonk dance—and that was my first time trying anything like that, but it was a great experience, respectful people. I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said, smiling.

Say Yes to ‘launching your life’ in Dallas

Of course people in all stages of life choose to relocate to the region, but for young people in particular, she says this is a great place to launch your life.

“The tech community is growing, and actually a lot of it is already here. People are comparing the DFW area, and Texas as a whole, to Silicon Valley because there’s so much room for growth here. So if you are a person, if you’re early in tech, you don’t necessarily have the means to move to Silicon Valley, to California or something. This is the place to be.”

And who knows, you might decide to stay. What she’s discovered about Dallas is that it’s not ‘either/or,’ it’s ‘yes, and’ …

“You get a mix of both of just the career and like that stuff, and the fun stuff as well, of going out, eating, partying—that’s here as well.”

Ready to see how Dallas-Fort Worth is right for you? Check out our Newcomer & Relocation Guide.

If you’re following the arts and entertainment scene in Dallas, the name Ahava Silkey-Jones may already be familiar to you. She’s a Midwest transplant with her fingerprints on today’s events and installations, while shaping the future of the local arts industry.

Jones moved to Dallas with her husband and two children in 2022, from Minneapolis.

“I was looking for a unique arts and education opportunity. I wanted a few different things, including a big scope of impact,” said Silkey-Jones.

She was open to any location where the opportunity was right and imagined that would be in a big city like Chicago or New York.

“Dallas was not on my radar when clearly it should have been, I came to learn that the entire state population of Minnesota is smaller than the DFW region,” she said, laughing.

But lured by the opportunity of being vice-provost of the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment, and Design at Dallas College, she started learning more about the area and realized it checked most boxes. The area has also provided some great surprises.

“I pictured cowboy hats and country music, and that’s here, but Dallas is actually very layered, very multicultural, and very metropolitan. I knew I was stepping into a role where I would be promoting and working in the arts, but I had no idea how vibrant and dynamic the art scene is—I mean, number one in the nation two years in a row. Dallas is a force.”

Finding a new home base

Her family settled in Oak Cliff.

“It was an interesting area for us to pick because it has a lot of elements that feel familiar. It’s got a lot of big trees – and we feel connected to nature—the vibe is very down to earth.”

In fact, she says being outdoorsy has taken a bigger role in their lives since it’s so accessible.

“There’s a ‘dads club’ that our kids take part in—they do a camp out three times a year. They earn badges and they go fishing and hiking and do ropes courses and things like that that.”

Jones’ primary office is at the Mountain View Campus, but her work takes her to all seven of Dallas College’s campuses, and soon, she’ll have two kids in school, so she appreciates the proximity to everything. She describes her family as an adventurous bunch and they love soaking up the different experiences the region serves up: festivals, the arboretum, Klyde Warren Park, and the State Fair in the fall.

“We do a lot of road trips too—like down to Hill Country near Austin, where we go hiking. But we’ve gone in all directions—Houston, Florida, New Mexico. And even just staying close to home, there’s more chance to do something outside because it’s great weather most of the year.”

She points to rollerblading, which she loves, but is tougher to keep up with in Minnesota, where there’s only a few months out of the year without snow on the trails.

For her husband, who grew up in Arlington, moving back to DFW was familiar, though the region had changed a lot in his absence. Meanwhile, her daughter and son found their groove quickly—her son joined a competitive all-boys hip-hop dance team, and her youngest had a great first impression of Dallas with her first school experience at the Dallas Zoo preschool.

“And I’ve really felt embraced by the community. I’m excited by how many people are driven and ambitious—and leveraging that ambition to do good for the community.”