We believe that right now, everyone can be the Founder of something great.
StartUp Texas was created in 2019 after discussions with local entrepreneurs seeking modest capital to expand their Brownsville operations. It was first conceived as an ideation pitch summit, designed to invest in early stage companies located or willing to relocate to Brownsville, but has now evolved into a full accelerator program with three cohorts a year. We’re industry agnostic, but separate cohorts based on alignment within quality of life (food entrepreneurs, human impact businesses), SBIR/STTR related research, and emerging industries (tech, manufacturing, energy, etc.).
The program is a collaborative effort between the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center, as well as the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (for our SBIR/STTR program).
Our Accelerator Program is a highly competitive, intensive 12 week program designed to help companies effectively scale, properly evaluate market research, fine tune financial projections, all while creating valuable connections with local business leaders and fellow founders in the community. Selected founders meet at designated times during the duration of the program at the eBridge Center for specialized workshops, mentorship sessions, pitch practices, and more. The program culminates in a public Demo Day event where each startup will pitch their company to the community and a panel of judges, industry experts and potential investors.
Permittivity, utilizing a licensed NASA technology with a team of seasoned experts to provide a novel and disruptive leak detection system for underground storage tanks.
STARTUP TEXAS PITCH SUMMIT WINNER 2020
What We Do
We partner with innovators, dreamers, and those who are reimagining the largest industries in order to bring their visions to life. We work with and incubate, entrepreneurs who are rethinking previous assumptions about how companies and the systems around them behave. We support our incubators by proactively creating new industry ecosystems that include government leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and other industry leaders in order to make change happen faster. We foster intentional, goal-oriented relationships between specialists, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders. We are committed to the development of an open and inclusive ecosystem of entrepreneurship in the Rio Grande Valley.
Established in 2004, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) is a nonprofit economic development organization for the City of Brownsville.
A leader in economic development, BCIC focuses on elevating the quality life for Brownsville residents by advancing industry, retaining and expanding existing businesses, attracting new businesses, and fostering the growth of entrepreneurs. Partnering with local academic institutions and international partners is a key component to BCIC’s long-term community goal of developing an open, inclusive and sustainable ecosystem of entrepreneurship.
Learn more about BCIC at brownsvilleedc.com.
The UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC) is in the business of assisting entrepreneurs to develop and expand their business through education and collaboration. The ECC serves as a real-life entrepreneurial laboratory for the University and the community where entrepreneurs inside and outside of the University can collaborate to take advantage of opportunities and create value. The ECC has over fifteen years of experience in providing business assistance through the means of its experienced staff, UT System, courses, business incubation, resources and community partners.
Learn more about UTRGV ECC at utrgv.edu/ecc
Interested in becoming a Partner?
If you love helping courageous entrepreneurs, creative business founders and high-growth startups star in their own success stories, we’re the platform for you. Interested partners please contact Nathan Burkhart at 956-459-2123 or by email at nburkhart@bcic.us.