The TVL Accelerator provides an opportunity for startups to take their ventures to the next level with the unique benefit of leveraging UT Austin resources and talent. JBTVL also provides a venue for investors to engage with UT research and startups. The TVL Accelerator matches early-stage Texas-based startups with cross-functional student teams from across UT’s graduate schools to help solve business problems.

The TVL Accelerator is a zero-cost, zero-equity program that collaborates with Texas startups who want to work with graduate student consultants for up to 200 hours of high-impact business consulting over a 14-week semester. We accept applications from pre-revenue and post-revenue companies who have a working prototype or product, can clearly define two to three projects for students, and are ready to engage with the student team.

We welcome startups from ALL industries! In addition to our MBA, MSTC, and McCombs MS students, many of our graduate students come from other disciplines such as computer science, life science, law, and engineering. Since we are embedded in an academic institution and surrounded by brilliant scientific and technical talent, startups who can leverage technical Ph.D. and Masters students in their project work are encouraged to apply.

For more information, check out the FAQs.

Apply now

The TVL Practicum connects local startup companies with talented and entrepreneurial graduate students from UT Austin.  Most students come from the MBA, law, engineering, pharmacy, and natural sciences programs but all majors are welcome. Students participate in semester-long consulting projects with company founders, delivering 200-300 hours of quality consulting work for academic course credit.

The TVL Practicum is a cross-disciplinary networking and learning program with a hands-on approach using the academic foundations of entrepreneurship and business modeling. Students learn project management, client relations, team collaboration, market validation, competitive research, price modeling, and analytics.

Apply now for Fall 2023!

The Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition (TVLIC) mimics the real-world process of raising venture capital. Graduate students from the University of Texas System present their ideas for new businesses and receive invaluable feedback from entrepreneurs and investors. Many TVLIC competitors launch successful businesses, including uShip, Ordoro, BeatBox Beverages, Phurnace Software and Qcue.

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.

Apply by April 16 to compete in the Spring 2023 TVL Investment Competition!

TVL Startup Fellows gain experience in a variety of industries and roles while simultaneously building their expertise and networks. They work on projects that reinforce classroom learning, allowing them to bridge the gap between their career aspirations and their current skill set. In addition to their project work, TVL Startup Fellows enjoy access to a range of resources, including guest speakers, seminars, opportunities to network, and connections to mentors from members of the JBTVL Advisory Board.

TVL Startup Fellow applicants choose between five tracks based on their interests and the type of career path they would like to explore.

• TVL Venture Capital Fellow – work with leading venture capital firms to gain skills in due diligence, deal sourcing, investment analysis and more.
• TVL Social Impact Fellow – work with startups focused on solving the world’s hardest problems for the greater good of humanity.
• TVL Commercialization Fellow – an opportunity to work with a STEM-based company that is taking an intellectual property to market.
• TVL Founder in Residence Fellow (FIR) – TVL will connect you with mentors and resources to help bring your own startup to market.
• TVL Ecosystem Fellow – an opportunity to work with educational and investment programs that fuel the startup ecosystem.

TVL Startup Fellows are selected based on an application and interview process. The TVL Startup Fellows program offers two cohorts: a school-year cohort that runs from September to May and a summer cohort that runs from June to August.

Interested UT-Austin graduate students and graduate student alumni are encouraged to apply here for the TVL Startup Fellows.

The Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs Accelerator matches Austin-area startups with cross-functional teams of UT Austin graduate students for 10-week startup consulting projects. Our rigorous market validation process and our students' research accelerate startups towards funding. 

The JBTVL Accelerator is a zero-cost, zero-equity program that collaborates with Texas-based startups who want to work with graduate student consultants for up to 300 hours of high-impact business consulting. We accept startup company applications from pre- and post-revenue companies who have a working prototype or product, can clearly define two to three student projects, and are ready to engage with the student team.

We welcome startups from all industries. In addition to our McCombs MBA, MSTC, and MS students, many of our graduate students come from science, engineering, and computer science disciplines. Since we are surrounded by brilliant scientific and technical talent, startups who can leverage the skills of technical Ph.D. and Masters students are encouraged to apply.