
STARTUP TEAMS ARE BUILT HERE
Are you ready to step beyond your comfort zone? Can you take a creative idea and make it more than a daydream? Find others with skills and passion that match yours. Start now.
ENGAGE TO WIN
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Investment Competition
The Center awards over $90,000 per year to graduate students starting their ventures through the TVL Investment Competition. Do you want to take your business idea to the next level? -
Practicum
We have connected over 816 students, 274 startups, and countless investors since 2010. Participate in the TVL Practicum and build your power network. -
Judges & Speakers
We invite TVL alumni as guests, speakers, and judges for classes and events, including the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition.



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INVESTMENT COMPETITION: LAUNCH A STARTUP
The Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition (TVLIC) mimics the actual process of raising venture capital. The intensity and rewards are genuine.
THIS COMPETITION IS THE REAL DEAL
Past TVLIC participants, such as the founders of uShip, BeatBox Beverages, and Ordoro, have gone on to great things after launching their startups at TVLIC. Many participants have leveraged their TVLIC experience and feedback from the judges to accelerate their careers outside of entrepreneurship.
SPRING 2023 COMPETITION
The Spring 2023 Texas Champion was Hamperapp, which was awarded the top prize of $15,000 for their The Texas Superstar Award and $5,000 prize went to Trinity Tube in second place, and the Texas Rising Star Award and $2,500 prize went to Tano Pharmaceuticals in third place. Two James D. Pippin Veteran Entrepreneurship Awards and $1,000 prizes each went to Underdog Supplements and Tano Pharmaceuticals.The award for Health Innovation and $5,000 prize went to Longhorn Life Sciences. The winner of the Technology Commercialization Award and the $10,000 prize went to Trinity Tube. The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award and $1,000 prize are given to the three best elevator pitches. The three winners were Longhorn Life Sciences, Tano Pharmaceuticals, and Green Credit Exchange.
FALL 2022 COMPETITION
The Fall 2022 Texas Champion was Outmore Living, which was awarded the top prize of $15,000 for their patent pending temperature–controlled chair and couch with goal of providing warmth for their customers year–round. The Texas Superstar Award and $5,000 prize went to Longhorn Life Sciences in second place, and the Texas Rising Star Award and $2,500 prize went to Pike Robotics in third place. FlipFly was the winner of the Sustainability Innovation Award and $5,000 prize. The award for Health Innovation and $5,000 prize went to Tano Pharmaceuticals who were also given the James D. Pippin Award and $1,000 for being the best veteran-led venture. The winner of the Technology Commercialization Award and the $10,000 prize went to Trinity Tube. The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award and $1,000 prize are given to the three best elevator pitches. The three winners were Longhorn Life Sciences, Trinity Tube, and Outmore Living.
SPRING 2022 COMPETITION
The Spring 2022 Texas Champion is Snarr3D, which was awarded the top prize of $15,000 for their patent pending 3D printing technology that unlocks a new era of golf club shaft design, providing golfers with innovative options to improve their game. The Texas Superstar Award and $5,000 prize went to Droneconia in second place, and the Texas Rising Star Award and $2,500 prize went to Pike Robotics in third place. Better Bees was the winner of the Sustainability Innovation Award and $5,000 prize. The award for Health Innovation and $5,000 prize went to Pickle Systems. The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award and $1,000 prize are given to the three best elevator pitches. The three winners were G Squared, Pike Robotics and Snarr3D.
FALL 2021 COMPETITION
Bold Move Beverages was named the Texas Champion in the Fall 2022 Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition. Impact Education Software won the Texas Superstar Award in second place along with the James D. Pippin Veteran Award given to the most promising startup in TVLIC with one or more veteran co-founders. The Texas Rising Star Award went to Longhorn Life Sciences which also won the Health Innovation Award and the Commercialization Award. The three winners of the E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award were Longhorn Life Sciences, Pike Robotics and Snarr3D.


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TVL PRACTICUM: BE A STARTUP CONSULTANT
The TVL Practicum offers students the chance to participate in semester-long consulting projects helping company founders increase their chances for market success.
COURSE CREDIT AND REAL-WORLD CREDIBILITY
Gain experience and course credit while working for startups in the TVL Practicum class. Graduate students from all majors are welcome, with many from the MBA, law, engineering, pharmacy, and natural sciences programs.
Students experience startup reality while solving significant cross-disciplinary problems and applying academic principles in the real world. They build valuable job skills and strengthen their resumes with proven experience. Not to mention the ability to network with top-tier startups, founders, and investors and possibly find a job, raise funding, or identify team members.
Students participate in semester-long consulting projects solving significant problems alongside the company's founders. They work closely with two startup companies on market validation, competitive analysis, financial analysis, and business model assessment. Practicum students also receive extensive funding guidance from professors and entrepreneurs.
FALL COHORT
TVL Practicum students work with a wide range of startups, both pre- and post-revenue. Check out this past semester's cohort of practicum companies.
Applications for the Texas Venture Labs Practicum Fall 2023 are open. UT Austin graduate students with a taste for entrepreneurship should apply.