Freed Family Pitch Competition
Are You Ready to Break the Mold?
Freed Family
Pitch Competition
Are You Ready to Break the Mold?
Freed Family
Pitch Competition
Are You Ready to Break the Mold?
FREED FAMILY PITCH COMPETITION
The Freed Family Pitch Competition is UT Austin's largest and most prestigious undergraduate pitch competition. Hosted by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center, this event offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for experiential learning, where student teams can pitch their startups in a high-stakes environment, competing for $65k in cash and prizes. Beyond the financial rewards, participants gain invaluable insights from seasoned entrepreneurs, receive personalized feedback on their business strategies, and build lasting connections within the Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem. The competition not only recognizes groundbreaking ideas but also empowers the next generation of innovators to turn their visions into reality.
Why Should You Apply?
1) $65k in cash + prizes
2) Feedback, mentorship, networking
3) Supports building big ideas
Applications for the Fall 2025 competition are closed.
The Mission
The Freed Family Pitch Competition seeks to create a lasting legacy of successful student entrepreneurs by fostering an environment where bold ideas can thrive. This competition is designed to empower the leaders of tomorrow, providing them with the tools, resources, and mentorship needed to innovate and reach their full potential.
Throughout the competition, students engage in a rigorous process of refining their business strategies, receiving targeted feedback from industry experts, and navigating real-world challenges faced by startups. By participating, students not only gain practical experience but also become part of a vibrant community that values collaboration, resilience, and forward-thinking. At The University of Texas at Austin, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of changemakers because we believe that what starts(up) here truly changes the world.
The Prizes
1st Place: $20,000
2nd Place: $10,000
3rd Place: $5,000
4th Place: $5,000
Elevator Pitch Award: $2,000
Audience Choice Awards: $1,000 (Finals) + $1,000 (Elevator Pitch)
Finalists: Each Finalist (1st–4th) will receive legal services valued at $5,000 through Jackson Walker LLP
2025 Competition Rule Book
Our Sponsors
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Jackson Walker LLP, who sponsors a portion of the Freed Family Pitch Competition prize package by contributing pro bono legal services for our top finalists.
How It Works:
This competition is all about shaking up the game, never settling, pushing boundaries, and never settling. We’re looking for big ideas and the passionate students behind them.
Are you ready to break the mold?
Who Should Apply
Undergraduate entrepreneurs from The University of Texas at Austin are welcome to apply! Applicant teams must contain at least one primary team member who is enrolled as an undergraduate student full or part-time for the academic Fall 2025
Entrepreneurship is for everyone—teams of all backgrounds and innovative products across any industry are encouraged to apply. Top industries represented in previous years include: social impact, entertainment, robotics, mobile app development, SaaS, ed tech and healthcare tech.
Important: ONLY undergraduate students of UT Austin will be allowed to participate in the competition sessions. See competition rule book for full eligibility rules and requirements.
What Do You Win
Beyond feedback from top Austin entrepreneurs and investors, you’ll be eligible for a chance at $65k in cash and prizes, including free service offerings and perks from our sponsors.
Cash Prizes:
- 1st Place: $20,000
- 2nd Place: $10,000
- 3rd Place: $5,000
- 4th Place: $5,000
- Elevator Pitch Award: $2,000
- Audience Choice Awards: $1,000 (Finals) + $1,000 (Elevator Pitch)
In-Kind Prizes:
- Each Finalist team (1st–4th Place) will receive legal services valued at $5,000 through Jackson Walker LLP
NOTE: Awards will be processed as a scholarship or financial aid award. If you are an international student, taxes may be withheld. See more in Disclaimer below.
How Do You Win
Each written application, Semi-Finals pitch, and Finals pitch will be reviewed by a panel of judges
and evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Problem: Is the pain point or market opportunity being addressed legitimate?
- Solution: Does the founder’s product/service effectively address the identified problem/opportunity?
- Innovativeness: Is the core idea innovative or original relative to existing market options?
- Achievability: How practical is the idea and is there a market need?
- Scalability: Can the idea generate a sustainable and growing business?
- Fundability: How clear are the benefits of funding for the idea?
- Persuasiveness: Was the pitch effective?
- Presentation*: Was the presentation of high quality and convey an intriguing narrative? (*Not applicable to application rounds.)
Each elevator pitch will be reviewed by a panel of judges and scored from 1-5 according to the following criteria:
- Problem: Is the pain point or market opportunity being addressed legitimate?
- Solution: Does the founder’s product/service effectively address the identified problem/opportunity?
- Market Validation: Did the founder/team display a deep understanding of and provide sound evidence for market validation?
- Presentation: Quality and efficacy in communicating the founder/team’s ideas through the form of a pitch.
- Delivery: Was the pitch of high quality, convey an intriguing narrative, and overall effective?
F.A.Q.
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the competition. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Contact hkec@utexas.edu.
Where do I submit an application?
Applications for the Fall 2025 competition are closed.
When is the deadline for the application?
Applications for the Fall 2025 competition are closed as of Sunday, September 19, 2025 at 11:59PM CT. All applications must be received through the submission portal.
Do I have to be a student to participate?
This is a competition for undergraduate student startups; the participating undergraduate student(s) representing a startup must play a central role in the business, defined as combined ownership of at least 50% equity and be a founding member. Only undergraduate students of UT Austin will be allowed to participate in the competition sessions.
How many students can be on a team?
A minimum of one student can comprise a team. A maximum of three students per team will be invited to participate in competition sessions. Only undergraduate students of UT Austin may participate.
When and where will the finals be held?
The Freed Family Pitch Competition Semi-Finals 2025 will take place virtually on Friday, October 17th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The Semi-Finals are a closed event. The Freed Family Pitch Competition Finals 2025 will take place on Thursday, October 30th at Crum Auditorium in Robert B. Rowling Hall. Finals will be hosted from 3:00pm to 6:00pm with a reception to follow.
How can I get help or preliminary feedback on my application?
The HKEC offers individual appointments with it’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to discuss any problem areas in business development or pitch presentations. Additionally, helpful videos, how-to’s, and articles can be found at the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center website and YouTube channel.
Does my venture have to be an established business?
No, the Freed Family Pitch Competition is open to startups at all stages. Having an established and operating business is not required and does not impact judging.
Can I submit a plan for an established business that I helped found?
Yes, as long as it is still early-stage/startup, you are a current undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, and you play a central role in the business (founding member) with team members having combined ownership of at least 50% equity.
What colleges and universities are eligible for this competition?
The participating team must contain at least one primary team member that is enrolled as an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, either full or part-time, for the Fall 2025 semester. The competition is open to any undergraduate major at UT Austin. Team members from other universities are not eligible to compete. Students who competed in the Freed Family Pitch Competition 2024 Finals are not eligible to compete.
What is the format of the judging rounds?
First, written applications will be judged virtually by a judges panel. The top 16 teams will be invited to virtually deliver 10 minute pitches followed by 10 minutes of judges’ Q&A at the Semi-Finals on Friday, October 17th. Semi-Finals rounds are structured divisionally, and one team from each division (4 teams total) will advance to the Finals. Finalist advancement decisions are made by each division’s unique judges panel.
Finalists will deliver 10 minute pitches followed by 10 minutes of judges’ Q&A at the live Finals event, occurring on Thursday, October 30th. Semi-Finalist teams that are not selected as Finalists are invited to deliver 2 minute elevator pitches at the Finals event to compete for additional prizes.
Are applications and presentations confidential?
No. Any information divulged in the application or in-person competition should be considered public domain. Entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality. Sessions of this competition are open to the public and may be recorded or photographed.
Can my company compete if I’ve already raised funding or have revenue?
Yes, as long as the participating undergraduates still retain 50% of company equity.
Disclaimer
PLEASE READ:
Winners will receive cash awards via scholarships for the Fall 2025 semester. An increase in resources — including a financial award as a result of performance in the Freed Family Pitch Competition — may result in a reduction or cancellation of financial aid funds or a requirement to repay awards already released to students. Financial awards may be used to pay outstanding payments owed to the University or some types of student loan payments.
If you receive financial aid or owe money to the University, we highly encourage you to reach out to Texas One Stop, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, or Students Accounts Receivable to determine how winning a cash award through the Freed Family Pitch Competition would impact money owed to UT or your financial aid status.
Recipients are responsible for any taxes owed on cash awards and the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center will not provide council on taxation. Taxes owed on cash awards issued to international students will automatically be withheld by the University.
Cash awards will only be issued to individual students, not companies. Any financial awards earned in the Freed Family Pitch Competition will be rendered to the individual student who is listed as the primary contact for the startup on the written application. If there are multiple team members associated with a startup that receives an award, it is up to the team members to decide how to divide the money amongst themselves. We encourage competing teams to discuss this prior to the event. The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center will not mediate or intervene in any disputes regarding the division of financial awards among team members.
Services such as office space, marketing, software licensing or logistic support may be offered by sponsors as part of the winnings. These types of additional prizes are not distributed through the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center and should be coordinated directly from the provider to the recipients.
Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. These ambitious students depend on the support and advice of experienced faculty members, industry mentors and investors.
BILLY FREED
PROGRAM DONOR
Freed Family Pitch Competition News
Recap Rewind: Freed Family Pitch Competition Finals 2023
On the night of October 26, 2023, four undergraduate student startups went head-to-head in the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center’s Freed Family Pitch Competition Finals. These University of Texas at Austin students pitched their startups to an elite panel of judges in competition for the $60,000 prize pool.
Endowed in by UT alum Billy Freed and family, the Freed Family Pitch Competition is an annual competition where undergraduate students pitch their startups to a panel of qualified judges from a variety of industry backgrounds in competition for non-dilutive grant funding. This competition, previously known as DisrupTexas, allows students’ ideas to come to fruition, empowering them to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality. A one-of-a-kind opportunity for experiential learning, students are able to hone their pitching skills, refine their business strategy, receive detailed feedback from industry experts, and form valuable relationships with key players in the Austin startup ecosystem. Due to the generous gift from the Freed Family, this year’s competition was able to offer the largest non-diluted funding opportunity for undergraduate students at UT.
Starting with over 70 applicants, this year’s competition was narrowed down to 16 teams that competed divisionally in the virtual Semi-Finals that were held on October 14th. The top team from each of the four divisions were selected to advance to the Finals — BoBo, Merge Conflict Studio, Sensibed Tech, and STEMkidz.
HKEC Director, Luis Martins, began the night with welcome remarks to introduce the competition and panel of judges. This prominent panel, providing their time and feedback, consisted of Kalyan Banerjee, Co-Founder & CGO of Lumenci; Toni Jacaruso, President of Jacaruso Enterprises; David J. Neff, Operating Partner of Ecliptic Capital; Athena Simpson, Founder & Investor of Unrestricted Ventures; and Quoc Tran, CFO of FarBridge.
Pitching first were Phillip Baek and Ashauntee Fairley with BoBo, an app that gives roommate living a lively twist, creating a game offering personal suggestions and rewards for chore management by leveraging machine learning. Next up were Samantha Preston and Srikar Sadhu for Sensibed Tech, a medical technology alerting nurses of the formation of dangerous pressure ulcers in bedridden patients. Angelica Sharma then presented her startup, STEMkidz, which hosts computer science and robotics camps for kids, leading future generations in STEM. The last presenters were Melody Geiger, William Sords, and Joseph Horak for Merge Conflict Studio, a minority-led indie video game development studio that centers marginalized perspectives and advocates for a more environmentally conscious society.
Following the pitches, judges had a tough deliberation period to rank the competitors, all agreeing that the students showed great promise in the entrepreneurial world. Luis Martins announced that, after careful consideration, the third place prizes of $5,000 were to go to the Merge Conflict Studio and Sensibed Tech teams. The second place prize of $10,000 went to BoBo, and the first place prize of $20,000 went to STEMkidz. In addition to cash awards, each team was also awarded $5,000 in AWS credits.
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center extends it’s warmest thank you to all participants, judges, staff, and attendees of the 2023 Freed Family Pitch Competition, as well as the Freed Family. The HKEC wishes all the founders success in their startups, and eagerly looks forward to the next annual Freed Family Pitch Competition!
A $1 Million Boost to UT’s Venture Culture
San Antonio entrepreneur and investor Billy Freed and family donate to support students’ business efforts at Texas McCombs
Adding fuel to The University of Texas at Austin’s startup engine, alumnus William “Billy” Freed, BBA ’81, and his family have given $1 million to the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center in the McCombs School of Business.
The gift establishes the Freed Family Entrepreneurship Excellence Fund and endows the Freed Family Pitch Competition, previously called DisrupTexas. Freed’s wife Cheryl, BA ’82, JD ’84; sons Tyler, BS ’17, and Russell, BBA ’21; and daughter-in-law Leslie Lugrin Freed, BS ’17, took part in this gift.
“The Kelleher Center is deeply grateful to Billy Freed and his family for their generous support of the startup community at UT,” said Luis Martins, the center’s director and Texas McCombs professor of management. “With this gift, countless students will find the inspiration, know-how and capital to take their bold ideas to market.”
A serial entrepreneur in San Antonio for more than 30 years, Freed has served as president, principal or co-founder of numerous businesses. He is currently principal of Nueces Marketing Partners Ltd., a diversified investment partnership with interests in consumer products, energy services, technology and telecommunications. The company also holds a substantial real estate portfolio.
“Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Freed, who earned a marketing degree from Texas McCombs. “These ambitious students depend on the support and advice of experienced faculty members, industry mentors and investors. My family and I hope this endowment will encourage more young people to step up with fresh business ideas, and that those ventures will have room to grow.”
The Freed Family Pitch Competition endowment will support an annual event open to all UT undergraduate students. Teams vie for cash and prizes as expert judges critique their 10-minute pitch presentations, asking questions and offering vital feedback to help the emerging companies hone their business strategies.
The new Freed Family Entrepreneurship Excellence Fund will power other efforts of the Kelleher Center, including a pre-accelerator program, networking events, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student founders to collaborate.
“UT attracts some of the brightest, most innovative students in the world — young people poised to tackle the crucial problems of our time. With this gift to the Kelleher Center, the Freed family helps connect these entrepreneurial minds with the people and resources to realize their ideas,” said Texas McCombs Dean Lillian Mills. “I’m excited to see what solutions our students will find, thanks to this bold investment in their talents.”
Recap Rewind: DisrupTexas Undergrad Pitch Competition Finals 2022
On Thursday, October 27th, 2022, four student founded startup teams from The University of Texas at Austin pitched their business concepts to a panel of judges in competition for $35,000 in cash and prizes at the 2022 DisrupTexas Undergrad Pitch Competition Finals.
DisrupTexas is an annual pitch competition for undergraduate students at UT Austin hosted by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center. DisrupTexas is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for experiential learning and a chance for student teams to pitch their startups in competition for cash and prizes. DisrupTexas seeks to create a legacy of successful student entrepreneurs and empowers the leaders of tomorrow to innovate and attain their full potential. During the competition, students have the opportunity to hone their business strategy, get professional feedback on their pitches, and form lasting relationships with mentors in the Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The evening began with HKEC Director Luis Martins giving the welcome address to kick start the 2022 DisrupTexas Pitch Competition Finals. Deliberating this year’s pitch competition was a prominent judge’s panel consisting of Blake Settle, Founder and CEO of Rev Gum; Brian Cruver, Founder and Executive Chairman of AlertMedia; Carol Frank, Managing Director of BirdsEye Advisory Group; and Rajini Kodialam, Co-Founder of Focus Financial Partners.
First up to pitch were Alyssa Le, Janani Gopal, and Paulina Chee with Locket, a one-stop site that takes gynecologist-approved curriculum and converts it into easy-to-understand educational content for teens. Next, Hudson Gould pitched his concept, Renew Robotics, which is speeding up industrial composting with the C1 — a smart composter that takes hours instead of years to degrade waste. Siddharth Thakur and James Mahon represented Paradigm Robotics, a wirelessly controlled, obstacle-climbing tracked robot that can be deployed in burning buildings to efficiently search for and locate human life. The last entrepreneur to pitch his concept was Aryan Bansal with his startup, Disolv Energy, which combines biodegradable materials with solid-state technology to solve toxic battery waste with next-generation battery technology.
After a difficult deliberation period, HKEC Director Dr. Luis Martins revealed the judges’ decisions. He announced that after careful consideration, Siddharth Thakur and James Mahon with Paradigm Robotics would take home the 1st place title with $8,000. Hudson Gould with Renew Robotics came in 2nd place with $4,000, Aryan Bansal with Disolv Energy in 3rd place with $2,000, and Alyssa Le, Janani Gopal and Paulina Chee with Locket in 4th place with $1,000. The audience choice was Renew Robotics, which earned Hudson Gould an extra $100 for his venture.
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center extends a massive thank you to all participants, judges, HKEC workers, and attendees that helped make this year’s DisrupTexas Pitch Competition such a success, and best of wishes to all entrepreneurs in their outstanding ventures.