The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award is a $1,000 prize given to the presenters of the top three elevator pitches at the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition. The award is named after Edward Craig Nemec, who began his entrepreneurial pursuits while completing his business degree at UT. Over the next 25 years, he grew it into the commercial real estate firm Pearson Group Capital Management, owners and operators of office and industrial properties.

The KS WEL Institute empowers and spotlights female-owned startups monthly through their application-based Featured Female Founders program. The Featured Female Founders program provides resources and exposure to the Austin startup community for these founders. Come stop by the KS WEL Institute or apply online if you're interested in becoming a Featured Female Founder!

The James D. Pippin Veteran Entrepreneurship Award is a $1,000 prize awarded to one of the top teams in the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition with one or more U.S. military veteran cofounders. The award is named after James D. Pippin, a Retired Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army who served with RideScout co-founder and CEO Joseph Kopser. Sergeant Major Pippin is the only active duty serviceman to have conducted three airborne combat jumps.

Texas Venture Labs works campus-wide across disciplines to transform graduate students into entrepreneurs and business leaders, take their innovations to market, and accelerate startups in our ecosystem. We do this through our Practicum course and Fellows program that provide experiential learning for grad students, our Investment Competition, and our Accelerator. Let us help you build your skills while launching your dreams.

The Texas Innovation Center 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 pathways; from ideation to market validation to fundraising. We accomplish this through Startup-In-A-Box Resources, TxIC Friends and Mentors Network, Innovation Lab, and co-working space. A place to inspire, create and commercialize.

Founded in 2010, the Texas Venture Labs Accelerator is a zero-cost, zero equity program that connects Texas startups with multi-disciplinary graduate student teams. These students provide up to 200 hours of high impact business consulting each spring and fall semester. We accept applications from both early stage and growth stage startups who can clearly define meaningful projects to help accelerate growth and are committed to engaging with the student team.

The Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition provides UT System graduate students the opportunity to compete for cash prizes while pitching new business ideas. They also receive invaluable feedback from panels of judges comprised of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and investors. Many competitors launch their businesses while others leverage the experience in careers as leaders in their fields. Awards include best three finalists, elevator pitches, healthcare innovation, and military veteran-led.