University Organizations

Austin Technology Incubator – The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) works with early stage technology companies to increase their odds of success and decrease their time to capital and markets. Founded in 1989, ATI has worked with over 150 teams of entrepreneurs who collectively raised over $725 million in investor capital while at ATI. A not-for-profit division of The University of Texas at Austin, its mission is to create jobs and wealth in Central Texas through technology entrepreneurship and to provide unparalleled opportunities for the University of Texas community.

Bridging Disciplines Program – The Bridging Disciplines Program teaches students about the entrepreneurial process and the history of innovation in the United States and around the world. Through an interdisciplinary program that combines courses from Business, Communications, Fine Arts and Liberal Arts, students learn how ideas, inventions, talents and skills are developed and transformed into commercial and social ventures. At the same time, the program asks students to learn about creativity and the creative process within their own disciplines or fields.

Center for Technology Entrepreneurship (CTE) – CTE provides multidisciplinary support for technology entrepreneurship by initiating and developing education, research and public service programs at The University of Texas at Austin. CTE includes faculty associates from the McCombs School of Business, the College of Natural Sciences, the School of Law and the College of Engineering.

Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship – A leading academic center focused on entrepreneurship, the Kelleher Center adds to the existing entrepreneurship programs at the McCombs School of Business and maintains strong ties with the IC2 Institute, ATI and other schools and colleges across the University. Programs include entrepreneurship courses and seminars, an entrepreneur-in-residence program, action research projects (where students and faculty solve problems for – and with–entrepreneurs) and an entrepreneurs’ council that is open to the start-up community.

Hicks Muse Tate Center – The Hicks Muse Tate Center supports curriculum development in a private equity specialization in the McCombs School MBA program. The center also fosters research and scholarship by finance faculty and graduate students on issues related to private equity finance, capital markets, corporate finance, investments, real estate and other associated matter.

IC2 Institute – IC2 Institute is an interdisciplinary research unit focusing on the theory and practice of entrepreneurial wealth creation at The University of Texas at Austin with 16 endowed full professors from the sciences, computer science, liberal arts, Cockrell School of Engineering and the McCombs School of Business. IC² Institute includes the Austin Technology Incubator, one of the world’s most prominent business incubators; the Bureau of Business Research to provide Texas leaders with research data to strengthen the state’s economy and the Global Commercialization Group, to catalyze emerging knowledge-based economies throughout the world.

Idea to Product (I2P) – The Idea to Product® Competitions are early-stage technology commercialization plan competitions that promote unique product ideas with clear market demand using innovative technologies. The goal is educating and developing the next generation of technology entrepreneurs. The program is particularly interested in matching technologies resulting from a university’s fundamental research programs with potential markets. Founded at The University of Texas at Austin, I2P Competitions are now held in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Moot Corp – This original business plan competition has continued to grow in prestige and international acclaim since it was conceived and launched by Texas MBAs in 1984. The Moot Corp Competition simulates the real-world process of raising venture capital where students from top schools around the globe come to The University of Texas at Austin each year to present their business plans to panels of investors.

Office of Technology Commercialization – The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) is a bridge between the research community at the University and commercialization partners, ensuring smooth and fast transfer of intellectual property created at the University.

The Marvin and Ellie Selig Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship –The Selig Center augments technical education for a select group of engineering students who have a keen interest in becoming entrepreneurs by developing and offering student-centered activities that promote independent learning and thinking as well as the development of non-technical areas such as teamwork, leadership and understanding of the commercialization aspects of engineering.

Venture Fellows - Unique to the University of Texas at Austin, the Venture Fellows program places MBA students as interns in local venture capital, private equity and start-up firms. Students work 12 – 15 hours a week throughout the year and attend classes for credit taught by industry practitioners.

Wireless Networking & Communications Group – The Wireless Networking & Communications Group (WNCG) is an interdisciplinary center for research and education at The University of Texas at Austin with an emphasis on industrial relevance. Their mission is to create a collaborative environment which supports basic research and promotes technical innovation, imagination and entrepreneurship in wireless networking and communications and applications.

Student Organizations

3 Day Start-Up – 3 Day Start-Up is a cross-campus student organization and competition. Forty students from across campus are invited to form eight groups of five people each. The small groups brainstorm and pick their favorite ideas. Then each group pitches their top idea to the seven other groups. At the end, all participants vote on the top one, two or three ideas. The goal is to create multiple company prototypes by researching and validating the market, engaging potential customers, writing an initial business plan and pitching the idea to investors.

Entrepreneur Society – The goal of this MBA student organization is to use its network and guidance to equip students with the leadership skills to successfully manage a business or business unit. Through access to expert faculty, successful entrepreneurs, venture capital sources and interactive events, students are exposed to the cross-functional skills necessary to become a value creator in an organization including analytical thinking, problem solving and the development and launch of new products. The Entrepreneur Society sponsors Start-Up, Meet-Up, an annual event that brings together Austin’s entrepreneurial community and UT students for a large-scale networking and educational opportunity.

Intellectual Property Law Society – Founded in 1991, the Intellectual Property Law Society at The University of Texas School of Law is dedicated to informing and assisting students interested in the practice of intellectual property law—the law of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.

Technology Entrepreneurship Society – Sponsored by the College of Engineering, this student organization helps students learn how to start a technologically-focused venture, regardless of their college or major. In addition to regular meetings, they organize the Idea to Product® (I2P) UT Austin Competition every spring semester and the I2P Seminar Series every fall semester.

Texas Ventures – Texas Ventures is a university-wide student organization that empowers student entrepreneurs by providing a supportive peer network, business plan validation and sponsored professional seminars/panels. They streamline the start-up process for students and work to build helpful class schedules and facilitate introductions to mentors and potential investors.