September was a whirlwind of fun and engagement!
On September 9th, our new pilot The Small Business Impact Program had its kickoff event, where the cohort of 19 small businesses mingled with a number of community partners, including our program’s sponsors from Wells Fargo. We then had our first SBI Wednesday Workshop on September 11th, which featured lectures on business planning from Mellie Price, as well as Shannon Black from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). We are happy to be having such great engagement from our cohort and look forward to our future workshops!
We co-hosted our first Coffee Connect of the semester on September 12th with our friends at HKEC. It was incredible to see students, alumni, and members of the larger UT network come together to make professional connections over coffee and breakfast tacos. Students also got to hear more about the future entrepreneurship events happening this Fall. We will be hosting more Coffee Connect events every month, RSVP here for the next one in October!
We are proud to be a part of the 9th Annual Startup Ecosystem Tradeshow on September 23rd! TVL tabled along with many other entrepreneurship centers in the UT ecosystem to help students get a better understanding of the organizations and opportunities at their disposal. Being active members of our community is important to what we do at Texas Venture Labs, and we made many great connections with prospective students and professionals interested in startup acceleration! Cheers to many more!
EnergizeUT on September 25th was a busy day, filled with thrilling talks and student exhibitions focused on careers in the energy industry. It featured student organization mixers, live music, and panel discussions on innovations in the Energy sector. The panel speakers had a profound impact on all who attended. TVL was honored to participate in the coordination of the event in collaboration with the UT Energy Institute. Hopefully we see this event come back again next year!
We are also grateful to Jon Brumley and all who attended our Advisory Board Meeting on September 26th, it was the perfect time to catch up with our TVL family and discuss all the exciting plans to come.
Announcing Texas Entrepreneurship
During President Hartzell’s State of the University Address on September 18th, he announced the appointment of Mellie Price to serve as the inaugural Executive Director of Texas Entrepreneurship. In this role, Mellie will spearhead this joint initiative of the President’s Office and the McCombs School of Business designed to enhance University engagement with the broader entrepreneurship and investor ecosystems both on and off campus. Texas Venture Labs is thrilled to be a part of an innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem that is dedicated to excellence!
On the heels of this announcement, the McCombs School of Business hosted an unforgettable Homecoming Weekend event that brought together alumni, faculty, and friends for a celebration of our vibrant community. One of the highlights was the Alumni Business Conference, where attendees had the unique opportunity to engage in a thought-provoking fireside chat featuring two influential figures at Texas Venture Labs: Mellie Price and Jon Brumley. The conference provided a platform for learning and discussion, with Mellie and Jon offering invaluable insights into the world of entrepreneurship and what it takes to make it in business. Their passion for fostering innovation and supporting aspiring entrepreneurs resonated deeply with the audience, inspiring many to consider new avenues for personal growth and collaboration. It was during this event it was announced that Jon and Rebecca Brumley generously donated an additional $2M in unrestricted funds to help support this Texas Entrepreneurship initiative to serve our Longhorns. We’re so grateful to them for all the ways they uplift our community!
After Mellie and Jon’s discussion, the duo were joined on stage by Dean Mills and Rebecca to present the Brumleys with a special award to honor their many contributions to UT students and future founders. This moment was a wonderful reminder of the strength of our community and the lasting connections formed as a result. As we look back on this month, we are grateful for the opportunity to learn, celebrate, and reconnect with one another. Here’s to many more events that bring our McCombs family together!