Dallas Represents

Tech Wildcatters co-founder Gabriella Draney gets tapped for world's most creative community

Gabriella Draney is having a pretty good year — and it’s only just begun. The Tech Wildcatters co-founder recently announced the startup house in Uptown, where traveling entrepreneurs can rent affordable and fully furnished rooms. And earlier this month, the Wildcatters hosted the first event in its Edges and Intersections series, a collaborative effort that brings together the art and start-up communities.

The accelerator is also gearing up to move into new headquarters in a yet-to-be-announced location. And, now, she’s been invited to join Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 1000.

“Curiosity is the key ingredient in creativity,” Draney says. “Brilliant move on Fast Company’s part to announce the group this way.”

Billed as a “new resource that defines the influential, diverse group of modern Renaissance men and women driving change across the economy and around the globe,” MCP 1000 debuts with two exclusive launch events in New York and San Francisco. Draney is off to Fast Company headquarters in the Big Apple for the January 29 event, where she will join hosts Diane von Furstenberg (DVF), Neil Blumenthal (Warby Parker), Beth Comstock (GE), Dennis Crowley (Foursquare), David Droga (Droga5), Chris Hughes (New Republic), David Karp (Tumblr), Michelle Peluso (Gilt Groupe) and Rachel Sterne Haot (chief digital officer, NY State).

Draney learned about the honor by way of an invitation to attend the New York launch party. “I honestly don’t know what to expect, and I am hoping that I find a few conversations that inspire me,” she says. “Maybe they designed it that way. After all, curiosity is the key ingredient in creativity. Brilliant move on their part to announce the group this way.

“It’s an honor to be considered a creative thought leader, and I welcome the opportunity to network with other leaders who inspire innovation. This notion is the very principle our mentorship program is built on.”

The new MCP 1000 editorial initiative was created in the spirit of Fast Company’s annual 100 Most Creative People in Business franchise. Coverage includes profile pages for all honorees, daily news posts, live chats, videos, polls, events and more. Fast Company will also bring the members of the world’s most creative community together to facilitate the spread of innovation and the sharing of expertise.

The San Francisco celebration is February 4 at Pinterest headquarters. Hosts include actor and musician Jared Leto, Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp from Pinterest, and Nasty Gal’s Sophia Amoruso, among others.

“These are the creative leaders behind the world-changing, inspiring ideas moving business and culture in new directions,” said Fast Company editor Robert Safian in a statement. “Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage for any enterprise. The MCP 1000 is more than a list; it is a community.”

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best in the world

6 DFW universities named best in the world on 2026 U.S. News list

The University of Texas at Dallas/Facebook

UT Dallas ranked 7th in Texas and No. 110 nationally.

Six Dallas-Fort Worth universities have been named among the best universities worldwide in U.S. News & World Report's just-released comprehensive list for 2026-2027.

U.S. News' Best Global Universities report ranks more than 2,250 schools based exclusively on their academic research performance and international reputation. Only 275 universities from the U.S. were included in the global ranking, and 21 based in Texas.

Harvard University topped the list for 2026-2027, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University claimed the coveted No. 2 and No. 3 spots worldwide.

Dallas' University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center topped the list of the best local schools, and it ranked as the 113th best university in the world.

Earlier in June, UT Southwestern ranked No. 69 in a separate list of the best universities in the world from the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), which compared 2,000 schools globally.

Here's how the rest of Dallas-Fort Worth's local institutions ranked:

No. 503 – University of Texas at Dallas
No. 739 – University of North Texas, Denton
No. 875 – University of Texas at Arlington
No. 944 – Southern Methodist University
No. 1,906 – Texas Christian University

In a statement explaining global university trends, the managing editor for Education at U.S. News, LaMont Jones, Ed.D., said schools in the U.S. have continued to rank "disproportionately high" while major universities from other countries in China and South America are starting to catch up.

"The continuing strength of [American university] reputations and academic research are, for the most part, unmatched," he said. "It's why students all over the world flock here to learn."

Top-ranking Texas universities
The University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 1 statewide and No. 56 worldwide, further cementing the university's reputation as the top choice for students seeking a higher education in Texas. CWUR also ranked UT Austin as the 35th best university in the world.

Here's where other Texas universities stand among the top 1,000 in this year's global rankings:

No. 144 – Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
No. 177 – Texas A&M University, College Station
No. 201 – Rice University
No. 296 – University of Texas at San Antonio
No. 324 – University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
No. 390 – University of Houston
No. 451 – Baylor University, Waco
No. 562 – Texas Tech University, Lubbock
No. 599 – University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

Additionally, five other Texas universities ranked outside the top 1,000: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (No. 1,153); University of Texas El Paso (No. 1,238); Texas State University in San Marcos (No. 1,531); Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock (No. 1,871); and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville (No. 2,141).

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