Anyone who meets the eligibility requirements for the McCombs School of Business full-time MBA program is eligible to be a TVL Scholarship, though current McCombs students are ineligible. The only other qualifications are an interest in entrepreneurship and a specific proposal for a new business.

Applicants must submit a resume, statement of interest, and a two-page executive summary describing their proposal for a new business. In addition, students must submit a 60-second elevator pitch video and answer some basic questions about themselves.

Competitive applications will address the market problem their business is addressing, their solution to the problem, and business model (how you will sell the solution). If appropriate, address the management team, market trends, intellectual property status, and any financing required. The strongest applications will include quantitative support for all major assertions. 

You should clearly articulate why you are a good candidate for this program, how it fits with your short-term and long-term goals, and how it will help you achieve those goals.

All serious entrepreneurs wanting to launch a business will be competitive for this scholarship. Whether your start-up is already profitable, or just an idea on a napkin, if your intent is to pursue entrepreneurship upon receiving your MBA, you are eligible for this scholarship. 

No, however, if you have one you may use it in your presentation.

Any type of business is acceptable, as long as the entrepreneur can demonstrate a compelling market need, an adequate solution to this need, and his/her ability to execute the business successfully. It can be anything from a space ship company to a restaurant to even a lawn mowing company.

Applications will be due on January 7th and finalists will be selected by January 15th. Finalists will then be invited to attend the Texas Venture Labs Scholarship Competition held on February 9th at the McCombs School of Business in Austin, Texas. Each finalist will deliver a brief presentation pitching their business proposal to a panel of judges. The judges will then select up to four TVL Scholars based on their presentations.

The scholarship is only for students in McCombs’ full-time MBA program. The competition has been scheduled in conjunction the McCombs’ “Texas Friday” admissions event, held on February 8th. All finalists will be invited to this event to learn more about the full-time MBA program and its entrepreneurial offerings.

Anyone meeting the eligibility requirements can apply. However, the scholarship application is an individual application, and awards will be given to individuals, not teams.

We will be awarding between two and four individual scholarships.

No, you may apply to the TVL Scholar program before or after you decide to apply to the McCombs School of Business. The application processes run in parallel but are not dependent on one another. Individuals who are selected as TVL Scholars will have a period of eighteen months to enroll at McCombs and take advantage of the scholarship offer.