Financial slam dunk

Texas billionaire couple champions women's sports with major investment in WNBA

So far, the Dallas Wings are the only WNBA team in Texas.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Wings

Texas billionaire Michael Dell might not play basketball, but he and his wife, Susan, are becoming big players in the sport.

Last year, the Dells bought a 10 percent share of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. Now, the Dells are investors in the WNBA, the 12-team women’s league associated with the NBA. They recently chipped in an undisclosed sum as part of a $75 million fundraising haul for the WNBA. The funding will help fuel growth of the WNBA brand, including the potential addition of teams.

Right now, the WNBA has only one team in Texas: the Dallas Wings.

“Susan and I are excited about the growth opportunity in women’s sports and specifically the WNBA,” Michael Dell says in a WNBA news release. “We also are proud to support a league that is committed to empowerment, and we look forward to supporting [WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert] and all the accomplished and diverse women of the WNBA to make a positive impact in the world.”

Michael Dell is founder, chairman, and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies. As of February 8, Forbes estimated his net worth at $61.8 billion.

Dallas Wings lead owner Bill Cameron contributed to the WNBA’s $75 million pool of capital. He’s also part owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Cameron, chairman and CEO of insurance provider American Fidelity Corp., lives in Oklahoma City.

Aside from the Dells and Cameron, new investors in the WNBA include:

Former Spurs player Pau Gasol.
Brad Hilsabeck, a minority investor in the Dallas Wings.
Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Sports apparel maker Nike.

Cathy Engelbert, former CEO of consulting giant Deloitte, says the WNBA will put the investors’ money toward driving “the league’s brand as a bold, progressive entertainment and media property that embodies diversity, promotes equity, advocates for social justice, and stands for the power of women.”

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6 Dallas-Fort Worth cities among best U.S. places to start a business

Photo by Zack Brame on Unsplash

Dallas loves big business.

Dallas-Fort Worth's track record for developing entrepreneurial powerhouses has been recognized in WalletHub's just-released list of the "Best Large Cities to Start a Business" for 2025. DFW contributed six cities among the top 50, with Dallas proper landing in the No. 16 spot.

The annual report ranked 100 U.S. cities based on 19 metrics across three main categories: business environment, access to resources, and costs. Factors considered in the report include five-year business survival rates, job growth comparisons from 2019 and 2023, office space affordability, and more.

The central Florida city of Orlando came in at No. 1, topping the list as the best large city for starting a business this year.

Dallas' business climate has slipped slightly since 2024, when the city previously ranked No. 14.

Dallas scored highly in the "national business environment" category, ranking No. 13 out of all 100 cities in the report. But it got much lower marks in categories such as access to resources and business costs.

And it earned a dubious prize: Dallas workers have the second-longest workweeks nationwide.

"Starting a business can be very scary, considering one in every five startups doesn’t make it past the first year," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "That’s why it’s especially important to live in a city that provides an environment where new businesses can thrive, with enough capital, workers and customers to keep it going long-term."

Despite this study's less-than-stellar review of the city's entrepreneurial spirit, there are many Dallas-based businesses that reigned superior on Fortune’s 2025 list of "America’s Most Innovative Companies." Dallas is also getting its own regional Nasdaq headquarters, so the metro clearly loves big business.

Across the Metroplex, Fort Worth ranked the highest out of all six DFW cities in the report at No. 11, followed by Arlington (No. 15), Irving (No. 22), Garland (No. 29), and Plano (No. 43).

Elsewhere in Texas
Austin was the only Texas city to rank among the top 10 best big cities to start a business in 2025, climbing up into the No. 3 spot.

Other large Texas cities that were named among the best places to start a business in 2025 include Lubbock (No. 33), Houston (No. 34), Laredo (No. 44), San Antonio (No. 64), El Paso (No. 67), and Corpus Christi (No. 70).

The top 10 best large cities to start a business in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Orlando, Florida
No. 2 – Tampa, Florida
No. 3 – Austin, Texas
No. 4 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 5 – Miami, Florida
No. 6 – St. Petersburg, Florida
No. 7 – Boise, Idaho
No. 8 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 9 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 10 – Hialeah, Florida

innovation wallethub rankings business entrepreneurship dallas fort worth plano garland irving arlington