HERB KELLEHER ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER
HERB KELLEHER
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER
Empowering Longhorns to Change the World
Through Innovative Ideas and Entrepreneurial Skills put into Action
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center is dedicated to igniting world-changing ideas. We do this by promoting the development of entrepreneurial skills and supporting exploration of the ways these skills can be applied to careers as founders or innovators within established firms. Tap into our wealth of inspiration, resources, and opportunities to get started.
Empowering Longhorns to Change the World
Through Innovative Ideas and Entrepreneurial Skills put into Action
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center is dedicated to igniting world-changing ideas. We do this by promoting the development of entrepreneurial skills and supporting exploration of the ways these skills can be applied to careers as founders or innovators within established firms. Tap into our wealth of inspiration, resources, and opportunities to get started.
Empowering Longhorns to Change the World
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center is dedicated to igniting world-changing ideas. We do this by promoting the development of entrepreneurial skills and supporting exploration of the ways these skills can be applied to careers as founders or innovators within established firms. Tap into our wealth of inspiration, resources, and opportunities to get started.
"Our tagline here at The University of Texas is 'What Starts Here Changes the World.' I can't think of a better way to change the world than through innovation and entrepreneurship."
LUIS MARTINS
DIRECTOR
"Our tagline here at The University of Texas is 'What Starts Here Changes the World.' I can't think of a better way to change the world than through innovation and entrepreneurship."
LUIS MARTINS
DIRECTOR
INSPIRATION
Start here to attend events designed to foster an innovative spirit in all UT students. Get your entry into the UT Startup Scene at a Startup Coffee Connect or meet startup founders at Entrepreneurship Live!
RESOURCES
Start here for immersive and experiential resources for any stage of business development. Orient yourself in the UT Startup Ecosystem.
OPPORTUNITIES
Start here for programming built to empower student entrepreneurs. Validate your idea with the Forty Acres Founders Pre-Accelerator, secure funding at Freed Family Pitch Competition, + more!
Entrepreneur In Residence Mentor Sessions
Entrepreneur in Residence Mentor Sessions
In-Person and Virtual 30 Minute Sessions Available Now!
Book a mentorship session with Quoc V. Tran (McCombs MBA, 2022) today! With an extensive background as an entrepreneur and CFO, Quoc brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table.
Quoc V. Tran is a seasoned entrepreneur and founder based in Austin, Texas, where he has made significant contributions to the startup ecosystem. He has established himself as a technical and financial advisor, providing invaluable guidance to small businesses and startups seeking to navigate the complexities of growth and sustainability.
Quoc is currently available for 30 minute in-person and virtual meetings, schedule your session today!
Freed Family Pitch Competition Finals 2023
Thurs, 10.26.23 | 3-7 PM | AT&T Conference Center Room 204
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center invites you to join us for the Freed Family Pitch Competition Finals 2023!
The Freed Family Pitch Competition (FFPC) is an annual competitive funding opportunity for undergraduate students at The University of Texas at Austin. Hosted by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center at the McCombs School of Business, FFPC is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for fully immersive learning – and a chance for student teams to walk away with some serious cash.
This pitch competition is all about never settling, pushing boundaries and testing new ideas. Come see if the next generation of industry leaders have what it takes to break the mold!
Upcoming Events
Check back at the beginning of the Spring Semester for more information on upcoming events!
April Startup Coffee Connect
Thurs, 4.11.24 | 10 - 11:30 AM | RRH 4.308
Join the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center and Texas Momentum for Startup Coffee Connect, a casual networking event for entrepreneurs, innovators, and dreamers!
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this event is the ideal opportunity to network, share experiences, and find potential collaborators for your next big venture. With a relaxed atmosphere and a diverse group of attendees, you'll have the chance to make meaningful connections and expand your professional network. Come pitch ideas to other founders, learn what’s happening in the UT startup scene, and connect with other ambitious minds over a complimentary coffee bar and FREE breakfast tacos!
Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition
Finals 2024
Thurs, 4.18.24 | 2-6 PM | Crum Auditorium
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center invites you to join the ultimate pitch showdown at the Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition Finals 2024!
Witness the future of business at the Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition – where student dreams become $20,000 realities! Be there to cheer on the founders, network, and ignite the entrepreneurial spirit!
This competition caps the end of the Forty Acres Founders Pre-Accelerator Program, where 20 UT student founders spend the semester honing their business strategy, vetting their market, and establishing product-market fit. During the competition, four finalists from the cohort will have 10 minutes to pitch their ideas to an elite judge's panel for funding and top industry feedback. While the judges deliberate on who will take home the grand prize, you'll also get to hear from the rest of the cohort as they each deliver a 2-minute pitch for the $1,000 Elevator Pitch Award.
Secure your seat to witness the next generation of entrepreneurs in action – RSVP now for the Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition!
Open Applications
Freed Family Pitch Competition
Application Deadline: Sunday, 9.17.23 at 11:59 PM
Are You Ready to Break the Mold?
Calling all student founders! The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center is looking for big ideas and the passionate students behind them to compete in the Freed Family Pitch Competition!
The competition, previously known as DisrupTexas, offers a chance to hone your business strategy and opens the door for professional feedback and lasting relationships with mentors. Are you ready to break the mold? Apply today to pitch your startup in competition for $60k in cash and prizes!
Forty Acres Founders Program Spring '24 Cohort
Application Deadline: Tues, 10.31.23 at 11:59 PM
Do you want to position yourself and your ideas for maximum success? Vet your business idea with rigorous product-market fit and customer discovery in the Forty Acres Founders Program at McCombs!
The Forty Acres Founders Program is a semester long practicum designed to guide undergraduate and graduate student founders through studying potential customers, improving their product, and establishing product-market fit. Founders leave the program with their product or service positioned for success within the marketplace.
Throughout the semester, founders will learn to vet their ideas through rigorous customer research, coach up their fundamental entrepreneurship skillset, and develop tools for building a product/service that appropriately fits a market need.
This program is completely free and may be used to complete 3 credit hours of coursework.
Meet the Texas Student Duo that’s Determined to Alleviate Patient Care Complications
Meet Samantha Preston and Srikar Sadhu, junior biomedical engineering students at UT Austin and co-founders of Sensibed Tech, a health-tech startup with social impact roots. Driven by the shared passion to ease pains they’ve both witnessed first-hand, the duo’s exploration of entrepreneurship led them to create an all-encompassing product of application that aims to prevent pressure ulcers through an effective and innovative practice solution.
Using Design Thinking to Guide Your Ideation Process
Every successful business starts as just an idea, but how do legendary founders come up with their ideas? How do they vet that their idea genuinely addresses a need in the market?
Introducing: design thinking, a thought process that seeks to create deeper understanding and challenge assumptions with the overarching goal of tackling root problems through innovative solutions. Read to explore five design thinking techniques and how you can apply them to your ideation process.
How This Recent UT Graduate is Liberating Content Creators from Dreaded Algorithms
Meet Alana Wilcoxson, a recent graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s electrical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. During her time at UT, Wilcoxson founded Kumtrya, a SaaS startup whose feature offering, blogrStream, aims to put the power back in creator’s hands by liberating them from dependence on social media platforms and associated algorithms.
A Beginner's Guide to Engaging in Entrepreneurship
The thought of developing a new business completely from scratch may pose many thoughts of disinclination and uncertainty, especially when solely focusing on the potential obstacles and failures. Conversely, concentrating on the possible outcomes of social impact and groundbreaking innovation through entrepreneurship undeniably transforms the way we approach startup development. This reframing can ignite you with encouragement, optimism, and dedication.
A $1 Million Boost to UT’s Venture Culture
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...
$20k in Funding Funneled into UT Austin Startup Ecosystem Through Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition
On Thursday, April 20th, 2023, four students of The University of Texas at Austin took the stage to pitch their startups to an elite panel of judges to compete for funding from the collective $20,000 prize pool...
How This Student Female Founder is Solving Women’s Reproductive Health Misinformation
Meet Alyssa Le, a third-year undergraduate student in the Business Honors Program and Management Information Systems major pursuing a computer science certificate at The University of Texas at Austin. She’s also the founder of the Locket, an innovative online resource that provides menstrual and sexual education to women...
Christian College Student Sparks Inspiration for a Startup through Finding Church Community
Meet Trenton Balcombe, a second-year undergraduate finance major at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) from Frisco, Texas. He is also the founder of ChurchSearch, an online platform that connects people to churches by helping them narrow down the options to find their best fit...
Meet the Texas Student Duo that’s Determined to Alleviate Patient Care Complications
Meet Samantha Preston and Srikar Sadhu, junior biomedical engineering students at The University of Texas at Austin and co-founders of Sensibed Tech, a health-tech startup with social impact roots. Driven by the shared passion to ease pains they’ve both witnessed first-hand, the duo’s exploration of entrepreneurship led them to create an all-encompassing product of application that aims to prevent pressure ulcers through an effective and innovative practice solution.
Using Design Thinking to Guide Your Ideation Process
Every successful business starts as just an idea, but how do legendary founders come up with their ideas? How do they vet that their idea genuinely addresses a need in the market?
Introducing: design thinking, a thought process that seeks to create deeper understanding and challenge assumptions with the overarching goal of tackling root problems through innovative solutions. Read to explore five design thinking techniques and how you can apply them to your ideation process.
How This Recent UT Graduate is Liberating Content Creators from Dreaded Algorithms
Meet Alana Wilcoxson, a recent graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s electrical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. During her time at UT, Wilcoxson founded Kumtrya, a SaaS startup whose feature offering, blogrStream, aims to put the power back in creator’s hands by liberating them from dependence on social media platforms and associated algorithms.
A Beginner's Guide to Engaging in Entrepreneurship
The thought of developing a new business completely from scratch may pose many thoughts of disinclination and uncertainty, especially when solely focusing on the potential obstacles and failures. Conversely, concentrating on the possible outcomes of social impact and groundbreaking innovation through entrepreneurship undeniably transforms the way we approach startup development. This reframing can ignite you with encouragement, optimism, and dedication.
A $1 Million Boost to UT’s Venture Culture
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...
$20k in Funding Funneled into UT Austin Startup Ecosystem Through Forty Acres Founders Pitch Competition
On Thursday, April 20th, 2023, four students of The University of Texas at Austin took the stage to pitch their startups to an elite panel of judges to compete for funding from the collective $20,000 prize pool...
How This Student Female Founder is Solving Women’s Reproductive Health Misinformation
Meet Alyssa Le, a third-year undergraduate student in the Business Honors Program and Management Information Systems major pursuing a computer science certificate at The University of Texas at Austin. She’s also the founder of the Locket, an innovative online resource that provides menstrual and sexual education to women...
Christian College Student Sparks Inspiration for a Startup through Finding Church Community
Meet Trenton Balcombe, a second-year undergraduate finance major at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) from Frisco, Texas. He is also the founder of ChurchSearch, an online platform that connects people to churches by helping them narrow down the options to find their best fit...