At Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem, students, faculty, staff, and the general public are invited every fall to explore the diverse and expert network of resources at UT and in Austin dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and innovators. Hosted by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center, this presentation and trade show is the perfect opportunity for all levels of engagement in the local startup scene.

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 Momentum is a student organization on a mission to create a vibrant entrepreneurship community for students. We run a semester-long startup accelerator that connects student-founders with product managers, software engineers, and designers to build, launch, and scale their venture. Membership in Momentum is open to all majors.

The Corporate Relations team is uniquely suited to help connect UT's research and innovation with relevant and interested company partners. We seek to solicit and raise funding from companies to advance student programming, research and discovery. If UT students or faculty would like to explore developing/deepening ties with industry, we suggest that we first have an internal discussion to assess the opportunity so that we can make appropriate connections.

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) provides support for all externally sponsored projects, excluding those sponsored by industry. Services include review/submission of proposals, negotiation/acceptance of awards, and setup of financial accounts. OSP also manages budget changes, financial reporting, invoicing, subrecipient monitoring, award extensions and audits. OSP has training available for managing awards as well as compliance with university and sponsor policies/regulations.

The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) is the only organization on campus authorized to manage university-owned IP (trademarks excepted). The OTC works with researchers to define the technology, assess its development stage, strategize potentially valuable patent claims, and as necessary, file patents to protect the IP in advance of publication. The OTC also supports technologies that are not patentable, such as software and copyrighted works that may be commercialized via license.

The SHEspeaks series aims to equip both students to join the modern workforce (helping them to better adapt to the evolving nature of work) and those wanting to start their own businesses. The series will do this by teaching the entrepreneurial mindset: a set of skills that enable people to identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings.

UT Austin's Simulation and Game Applications (SAGA) Lab develops software for funded projects and assists in preparing grant proposals. We create games, interactive/immersive environments, mobile apps, web dashboards, game-simulations, and VR/AR software solutions. The SAGA Lab and partnering UT faculty co-design the software solution, which is developed by paid student-interns. We have a long track record of creating software solutions for research and education spanning nearly 10 years.

The Office of Technology Commercialization helps UT researchers monetize software and creative content they develop while at the university. The Office of Technology Commercialization can help researchers find the optimal license type and distribution strategy for such work, which includes open sourcing. The Office of Technology Commercialization also helps with finding commercialization partners, negotiating licenses, and supporting startups.

UT Entrepreneurs: Whether you're looking to see what other creative students are up to, have a business idea of your own, or are in search of co-founders to join your team, Startup Coffee Connect is the perfect event to kickstart your dream. From apps and software development to medical technology, innovative services, and retail goods, UT students are working on big things. Come by these monthly gatherings to meet others in the innovation space in a low-stakes, friendly environment.