Entrepreneurship at McCombs
Explore McCombs’ Entrepreneurship Centers, meet our community, and learn how to engage as a student, alumnus, or supporter.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTERS

Texas McCombs is the heart of entrepreneurship at The University of Texas at Austin. Explore our research centers and initiatives dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and innovation for students, faculty, and alumni across the Forty Acres and beyond.

Brumley Institute for Graduate Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship leadership and support for graduate students.
Visit Brumley

Global Sustainability Leadership Institute (GSLI)

Entrepreneurship for social and environmental impact.
Visit GSLI

Harkey Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies

Entrepreneurship programs and support for undergraduate students.
Visit Harkey

Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center (HKEC)

Entrepreneurship education, events, and founder support.
Visit HKEC

Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute

KS WELI supports women’s entrepreneurship leadership and community.
Visit KS WELI

HMTF Center for Private Equity Finance

Fosters research and scholarship on private equity finance and entrepreneurship.
Visit HMTF

Success Stories

Senior’s Mental Health Venture Named a Top Disruptive Startup

Poets & Quants has named Cura, the project of Texas McCombs senior Aakriti Kamal, one of the 29 Most Disruptive Business School Startups of 2024. Cura is AI-enabled software designed to support family caregivers of people with mental illness by providing personalized treatment and enabling effortless care management.

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Mixing business with pleasure: A recipe for margarita success

 

McCombs MBA alumni Chris and Elsa DeGroot founded Tepetán, a cold-pressed margarita mixer company born during the pandemic and inspired by their family’s love of margaritas. In 2023, Tepetán reached a major milestone when it landed on H-E-B Central Market shelves, expanding to over 60 retail locations across five Texas cities.

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The Banana Cure: Tano Skincare

Sean Finney, an alumni of Brumley Institute’s TVL Accelerator and winner of the Fall 2023 TVL Investment Competition, utilizes banana extract as the key ingredient in Tano’s natural skincare line.

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AI in Action: Apptronik

Apptronik co-founder Jeff Cardenas, BBA ’08, MSTC ’13, is building humanoid robots, powered by artifical intelligence.

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Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Iman Salafian

Iman Salafian, Ph.D. alumni and co-founder of medical tech company Imagine Devices, supports the Texas Entrepreneurship ecosystem by leading the SEAL Accelerator and Small Business Impact Program.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEADERS

Mellie Price

Executive Director of Texas Entrepreneurship and Brumley Institute for Graduate Entrepreneurship
Meet the Brumley Team

Jeffery Hales

Executive Director, Global Sustainability and Leadership Institute
Meet the GSLI Team

Entrepreneurship Staff

Brumley Center for Entrepreneurship

Mellie Price, Executive Director
Christy Grady, Program Manager
Mary Grace Granito, Communications Specialist
Pancho Gomez, Administrative Manager
Shanon Lundquist, Sr. Program Coordinator

Global Sustainability Leadership Institute

Jeffery Hales, Executive Director
Meeta Kothare, Managing Director
John Schwartz, Associate Director
Madison Gove Khamooshi, Senior Program Manager
Sandi Ruddick, Senior Administrative Associate
Laura Starks, Advisory Director & Inaugural Executive Director
Steve Limberg, Director Emeritus, GSLI; Co-Executive Director, Social Innovation Initiative

Harkey Insitute for Entrepreneurial Studies

Melissa Murphy, Director
Colin Ellis, Assistant Director
Reema Attyeh, Program Manager
Kriti Gopal, Senior Student Program Coordinator
Alexis Mitchell, Senior Administrative Associate

Herb Keller Entrepreneurship Center

Steve Gray, Director
Ali Arnold, Assistant Director
Ingrid Powell, Events Program Coordinator
Logan Phipps, Communications Specialist

Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute

Whitney McElwain, Director
Sandeep Shah, Assistant Director
Evelyn Garcia, Communications Coordinator
Victoria Mena, Senior Administrative Associate
Victoria Murillo, Program Coordinator

HMTF Center for Private Equity Finance

Ken Wiles, Executive Director
Xavier Sztejnberg, Associate Director
Jonathan Cohn, Academic Director
Kimberly Barnett, Assistant Director
James Nolen, Associate Director

Join the TEXAS Entrepreneurship Community Board

Community Board members commit to supporting our student entrepreneurs and broader ecosystem by participating at least once per year as a judge, mentor, guest speaker, or office hours host.

Apply now
Students interacting at a booth during an event