2021 Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem — Event Recap

The Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem Presentation and Trade Show on September 13th, 2021 was a huge success, igniting the start of another fruitful semester for UT entrepreneurs. While this event is usually hosted in-person on campus, given the current conditions the event was hosted online by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center. HKEC Assistant Director Amanda Golden and eight-time serial entrepreneur and the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs Executive Director Mellie Price led the presentations. Throughout the virtual event with over 480 attendees, the presenters shared invaluable resources for student and Austin based entrepreneurs to assist with any stage of their startup. A virtual trade show featuring 20+ UT and Austin resources followed.

UT Startup Ecosystem

Presented by Amanda Golden

UT Austin Ecosystem:

• University Level Programming
• Student organizations
• Event series
• Academic Programs
• Bridge to Austin startups

UT Minors, Undergrad, Grads:

• 40+ undergrad courses and seminars
• 30+ graduate courses in entrepreneurship and innovation

“Always start your journey by enrolling in classes if you don’t know where to start!”

Speaker Series + Workshops + Special Events:

• KS WEL Institute SHESpeaks Series
• HKEC Diversity & Inclusion in Entrepreneurship Summit
• Texas Innovation Center (TxIC) Workshops

Create a Network (Find co-founders and peers):

• HKEC Startup Coffee Connects
• SELL (Social Entrepreneurship Learning Lab)
• Texas Enactus
• Imagine Meetups
• HKEC Entrepreneurs-in-Residence
• The LaunchPad Space

Validate your Idea:

• 3 Day Startup
• CNS inventors program
• HKEC Forty Acres Founders Pre-Accelerator Program

Launch:

• SEAL (Student Entrepreneur Accelerator & Launch)
• Longhorn Startup Lab
• Texas Convergent

Get Funded:

• Genesis
• The LaunchPad StartUP Grants
• HKEC McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowships (MESF)

Work with Startups Programs:

• Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs Practicum
• KS WEL Institute
• LIFT Program
• Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)

“What starts UP here changes the world!”

Austin Startup Ecosystem

Presented by Mellie Price

The History of Austin Startups is very integrated with UT and Austin. Companies such as Motorola and Texas Instruments paved the path as early as the 1930s with battery and technology innovations way before the recognition of Austin as a “tech hub”.

Angel Networks:

Coworking Spaces:

• Capital Factory
• Chicon Collective
• Firmspace
• Galvanize
• ImpactHub
• Industrious
• Link Coworking
• Orange Coworking

Diversity:

• Girls who code
• Girlstart
• Latinitas
• Girl Develop It
• Chicktech
• Lesbians Who Tech
• True Wealth Ventures

Resources for Defense Innovation:

• Center for Defense Innovation at Capital Factory
• Booze Allen
• Deloitte Lab
• AFWERX (AirForce)
• Army Application Lab (AAL)
• Army Futures Command

Meetups:

• Austin on Rails
• AUSome
• Co-founder Meetup
• Health Tech Austin
• Refresh Austin

Other Learning:

• Women@Austin
• Bunker Labs (veterans)
• DivInc (diversity)
• Founders Academy
• Founders Institute
• Founders Academy Essentials

Coding Schools:

• Austin Coding Academy

Upcoming Events:

• Austin startup week (October 4–7, 2021)
• SXSW (March 11–20, 2022)

Facebook Groups:

• Open Coffee Austin
• Austin Startups
• Austin Tech Alliance
• Austin Monitor
• Austin Digital Jobs

Mentorship Opportunities:

• Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programs
• TechStars
• Hackout (LGBTQ)
• Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs
• Longhorn Startup Seminar and Lab

“This is Austin”

Encouraged by the amazing turnout of this event, HKEC hopes to host more of these beneficial events for all UT and Austin entrepreneurs. Join our newsletter to stay tuned with future opportunities! UT Startup Ecosystem Website