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UT STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

Guide to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem

Explore the diverse and expert network of resources at UT dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and innovators.

Are you interested in entrepreneurship and innovation? Do you want to meet other entrepreneurial-minded students? Are you looking for mentors and resources to help you launch? Use our Guide to UT Austin's Startup Ecosystem to immerse yourself into entrepreneurship and innovation on campus!

Sign up for HKEC's Weekly Digest Newsletter to stay up-to-date on entrepreneurship and innovation news and events happening on campus and in Austin.

# 10
Austin is #1 city
for startup
activity
# 100
UT is #7 in the world
for startup founders
who secure funding

Immerse Yourself in the Startup Experience with our Guide to UT Austin's Startup Ecosystem

How To Use:

To find the UT organizations that move your idea forward, filter by the categories below:

Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET)
Professional degree plan and community centered around preparing students for careers in the arts and entertainment industries.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)
Through partnerships with investors, trusted professional, corporate and strategic partners as well as universities and other community affiliations, Austin Technology Incubator is dedicated to supporting deep tech solutions that will become the future for today’s global challenges.

Who it is for:

Open Community-wide


Who to contact:

The LaunchPad
Co-working space that offers guidance for entrepreneurs by appointment, one-on-one mentorship, workshops, and curated information for students at the University of Texas.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Bridging Disciplines Program: Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
The Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship BDP helps you develop skills to bring creative thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset to your career goals, whether you’re interested in turning your ideas into a new venture or initiative, being part of a startup team, or bringing creative new ideas into more established organizations.

Who it is for:

undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Bridging Disciplines Program: Social Entrepreneurship & Non-Profits
The Social Entrepreneurship & Non-Profits BDP brings together students who are interested in pursuing a career in the public service sector and expanding their involvement in the community. Non-profit leaders for the 21st century must increasingly understand the blurring of the lines between private, government, and non-profit sectors.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (CCE)
College of Fine Arts center for developing resources and coursework surrounding student-led entrepreneurship.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Center for Electromechanics (CEM)
Basic and applied research in electrical and mechanical engineering, with an emphasis on prototype development in electromechanical devices.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Center for Integrated Design (CID)
Center within the School of Design and Creative Technologies that develops coursework focused on providing students the opportunity to study design methodology and apply it in creative and entrepreneurial scenarios.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation
The Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation cultivates character development, leadership skills & long-term welfare of athletes and coaches through coaching classes and programs.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Dallas Morning News Innovation Endowment
The Dallas Morning News Innovation Endowment strives to be a leader in pushing media forward while educating students, through endowments for graduate students.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Design Institute for Health
A collaborative initiative between the Dell Medical School and College of Fine Arts centered around accelerating research and design around healthcare.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Bridging Disciplines Program: Design Strategies
The Design Strategies BDP provides a multidisciplinary framework for undergraduate students to master design thinking skills outside of traditional departmental programming to better prepare them to tackle real-world wicked problems.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Energy Institute
The Energy Institute works with schools and departments across campus to foster energy-related courses. The Institute manages the interdisciplinary Graduate Portfolio Program in Energy Studies; sponsors a weekly guest lecture series, the UT Energy Symposium; and hosts UT Energy Week, an annual gathering of energy experts.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Agency
Tasked by the Graduate Student Assembly, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Agency serves as a conduit to startup collaboration, resources, and education. Their chief aim is to centralize and simplify Austin's dynamic entrepreneurial scene

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Entrepreneurship Minor
Built for undergraduate students who are passionate about solving problems, the Entrepreneurship Minor equips individuals with the tools and skills needed to innovate through entrepreneurship.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Freshman Research Initiative (FRI)
Initiative to give first-year College of Natural Sciences students the opportunity to engage in real-world research experience with faculty and graduates.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Genesis
Genesis is a student-alumni partnership which provides student startups with equity-free funding to pursue their ventures. We accept funding applications from startups in their earliest stages, all the way up to startups with established traction.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Global Sustainability Leadership Institute
Acting as UT-Austin’s hub on campus for innovation in social and environmental impact, the institute prepares future leaders to address societal and environmental challenges through any career path, and promotes the regenerative possibilities of purposeful and responsible business.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Healthcare Innovation Initiative
Initiative centered arround joining business and healthcare, that offers coursework in the Business of Healthcare Certificate Program, MBA Healthcare Concentration, and the MBA Healthcare Innovation Fellows.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center (HKEC)
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center promotes the development of entrepreneurial skills and supports exploration of the ways these skills can be applied to careers as founders or innovators within established firms.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

IC² Institute
Institute focused on bringing economic development to communities around the state of Texas, through work-placement programs, grants, and research initiatives.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Imagine Moody
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiative was established to promote the college's faculty, programs, and centers focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, provide mentorship, resources and networking opportunities to students interested in media entrepreneurship and bridge Moody College's efforts to the University of Texas and across Austin.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Institute for Media Innovation
The Institute for Media Innovation is a boutique hub for research and design housed within the Moody College of Communication. Distinct and yet interrelated, the research and design components drive IMI’s quest to better understand the intersections between media, technology, and the future of innovation.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program
The IE Pre-Graduate School Internship provides undergraduates with an immersive experience of being in graduate school, empowering them to explore graduate school and the career options it makes possible.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs (JBTVL)
JBTVL aims to transform graduate students into entrepreneurs and accelerate Austin-based startups to venture funding through market validation.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute
The KS WEL Institute aims to strengthen the next generation of courageous, creative female leaders who will change the world — in business and beyond. Through an environment of community, diversity, inclusivity and empowerment, the institute will redefine leadership and entrepreneurship by growing the number of women-owned and women-led businesses.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency (LEA)
Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency is an arm of Student Government dedicated to fostering and supporting entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin. As the hub for entrepreneurship on the 40 Acres, we work with the university's administration to cultivate a premier campus environment for students to build new ventures.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Longhorn Startup Seminar and Lab
Longhorn Startup fosters interdisciplinary startup innovation at the University of Texas at Austin. The seminar is a lecture-based course in the Fall semester that features prominent entrepreneurs telling the stories of how they founded their companies and answering questions from the students.The lab is an intensive project-based course in the Spring semester that identifies student entrepreneurs who are building scalable technology companies and gets them real course credit for working on their startups while still in school.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative
During their six weeks on the Forty Acres, 25 emerging leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa are immersed in a world-class Business and Leadership Institute developed in collaboration with the McCombs School of Business.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC)
The Texas McCombs M.S. in Technology Commercialization teaches you how to launch new businesses and products into the market either through a venture of your own or an existing organization.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

McCombs Entrepreneurship Society (ES)
McCombs' Entrepreneur Society (ES) is an organization that brings together MBA students with a common interest in entrepreneurship. Counting 30% of the full time MBA students as dues-paying members, ES is one of McCombs' largest student organizations.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Nexus Startup Hub
Nexus is a collaboration between the American Embassy, New Delhi and ACIR to showcase the best of American and Indian Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Commercialization.

Who it is for:

Open Community-wide


Who to contact:

Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)
The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) is responsible for the efficient transfer of university discoveries to the marketplace for the benefit of society.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students and Faculty


Who to contact:

Portfolio in Arts and Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship
Certificate program within the School of Public Affairs that focuses on cross-dsiciplinary theoretical and practical training related to the management and governance of arts and cultural organizations, and/or the business dimensions of an entrepreneurial artistic career.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

President’s Award for Global Learning
The President’s Award provides significant funding and administrative support to faculty who offer expertise while collaborating with additional faculty and leading a student team through the implementation of an international project. There is also a student credit award that gives students the chance to work closely with faculty and earn degree credit while building on coursework to gain real-world experience for success in a globalized economy.

Who it is for:

Students and Faculty


Who to contact:

RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service (RGK)
The RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service prepares the next generation of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders through graduate education and research.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Southwest NSF Innovation Corps
Through the combined entrepreneurial experience and research capabilities of five leading research institutions in Texas, Southwest I-Corps™ supports and connects young scientists, leading faculty and the greater business community across the Texas and Southwest region in testing their funded research for potential commercial applications through national and regional I-Corps™ programming.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Technology & Information Policy Institute
The Technology & Information Policy Institute serves to research imbalances and provide insights that inform public policies and programs focused on digital inclusion for everyone. Housed in the Moody College of Communication, the institute also investigates social impacts of digital media and entertainment such as immersive media, virtual reality, social media and digital games.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Texas Convergent
As UT’s first interdisciplinary entrepreneurial organization, Texas Convergent aims to equip students, of differing disciplines, with the necessary skills and resources to drive the future of innovation.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Texas Enactus
A community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Texas Health Catalyst
Texas Health Catalyst leads Dell Medical School’s product innovation and commercialization efforts. Researchers and entrepreneurs can receive customized guidance on product development from industry and clinical experts as well as milestone-based seed funding and industry partnership opportunities.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Texas Innovation Center (TxIC)
The Texas Innovation Center (TxIC) offers a personalized environment for faculty and students to explore entrepreneurship that includes educational workshops, speaker series, coaching sessions, and direct guidance for technology commercialization pathway; from ideation to market validation to fundraising.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students and Faculty


Who to contact:

Texas Inventionworks
A wing of the Engineering building equipped with labs and fabrication facilities for students to take coursework and innovate independentlty.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

Texas Inventors Program
Program for Natural Sciences and Engineering students that provides coursework and hands-on experience with STEM faculty and professionals turning scientific discovery into societal impact.

Who it is for:

Undergraduate Students


Who to contact:

Texas Law Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic
The Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic offers free legal assistance to nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and small businesses in Texas. The services are provided in a law school clinic setting where second- and third-year law students are closely supervised by the Clinic’s law faculty, who are attorneys with more than 20 years of transactional legal experience.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

The Drug Dynamics Institute
The Drug Dynamics Institute is a multi-disciplinary research center where scientists, educators, businesses and regulatory specialists collaborate in finding solutions to a wide range of biomedical, pharmaceutical and public health issues.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

The Foundry
Co-working space within the Fine Arts Library, which provides access to a laser cutter, 3D printers, mills, video and audio equipment, and other tools, available to all students.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

UT Nutrition Institute (UTNI)
UTNI aims to harness the power of nutritional science to revolutionize personal and public health. Their goal is to use nutrition science to create real-world impact.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

UTech Dorm Room
Wet lab space is a critical resource for life sciences entrepreneurs and small start-ups in the Austin area. The UTech Dorm Room, managed by DDI, encourages technology start-ups and companies to locate in Austin, where the lack of wet lab space is limiting these efforts.

Who it is for:

Open Community-wide


Who to contact:

Venture Fellows
A year-long program for a selected group of MBA students who get hands-on experience at private equity and venture capital firms across the nation.

Who it is for:

Graduate Students


Who to contact:

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI)
Initiative for graduate residents of South America, including a four-week fellowship, grant opportunites, and leadership curriculum.

Who it is for:

UT Students


Who to contact:

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