TVL Investment Competition
Unleash the Power of Innovation: Experience the Texas Venture Labs' Investment Competition, where University of Texas graduate students pitch their business idea for invaluable feedback, cash prizes, and valuable connections.
This Competition is the Real Deal
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 next Spring 2026 competition will be on May 1st 2026.
Building Skills While Launching Dreams
$857M
PRIZE MONEY GIVEN AWAY
Since 2010
42%
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Have judged in TVLIC
302
UT GRADUATE STUDENTS
Participating Since 2010
We Craft Dream Pitches
Spring 2025 Competition
The 1st prize winner of the Spring 2025 Investment Competition went to Imagine Devices, presented by Iman Salafian, PhD PhD Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, 2025.
Fall 2024 Competition
The Fall 2024 Texas Champion was Longhorn Life Sciences, which was awarded the top prize of $15,000 for enveloping needs-driven solutions to improve patient outcomes and experiences. Their technology, “iDetect”, is a wound monitoring system for remotely detecting infections in post-operative cancer patients. The system will reduce the subjective burden on patients to accurately report their symptoms and improve clinical coordination. Congratulations to James Clarke, Ph.D. in Physics in the College of Natural Sciences, for bringing home the win!
Texas Superstar Award
The Texas Superstar and $5,000 prize went to Avid, which makes growing fresh, pesticide-free food as easy as pressing a button. You can tell their app what you want to grow, insert our seed pods, and watch for notifications to add more water. Avid automates the rest so you don’t need to have the time or green thumb to do so yourself. Congratulations to Fred Lindseth, MBA, McCombs School of Business, 2026.
Additional Awards
Texas Rising Star Award
$2,500 goes to second runner up.
Health Innovation Award
The winner of the Health Innovation Award wins $5,000 and a 6-month membership to ScaleHealth.
Sustainability Innovation Award
The Sustainability Innovation Award of $5,000 for the top sustainability-related venture.
Discovery to Impact Award for Commercialization
Our Commercialization Award category this semester has been graciously
supported by our colleagues at Discovery to Impact, a UT organization that
partners with researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs at every step of their
journey in pursuit of changing the world. A prize of $10,000 which is given to the top venture that is working with University of Texas intellectual property.
Discovery to Impact Award for Commercialization
Our Commercialization Award category this semester has been graciously
supported by our colleagues at Discovery to Impact, a UT organization that
partners with researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs at every step of their
journey in pursuit of changing the world. A prize of $10,000 which is given to the top venture that is working with University of Texas intellectual property.
Experian Legacy Leader Pitch Award
The Experian Legacy Leader Pitch Awards recognizes the three best short format pitches in TVLIC. In this component of the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition, each team is represented by one member who gives a 2-minute pitch without the use of any audio visual aids. Previously called The Ann Whitt Elevator Pitch Challenge, this category has been renamed in honor of our sponsors from Experian Business Services. Awards prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 respectively to the top three presenters.
James D. Pippin Veteran Entrepreneurship Award
In 2015, the cofounders of RideScout set up an endowment to fund a $1000 cash prize for the top TVLIC team with one or more U.S. military veteran cofounders.
Energy Innovation Award
This prize of $5,000 is given to the best venture in the energy sector.
The Texas Superstar Award
$5,000 goes to our first runner-up.
The Texas Champion will receive a prize package which includes:
• $15,000 cash award
• Advising from Kastner-Gravelle
• Golden Ticket to Capital Factory
• Access to the LeanStack.com tool
The Texas Champion will receive a prize package which includes:
• $15,000 cash award
• Advising from Kastner-Gravelle
• Golden Ticket to Capital Factory
• Access to the LeanStack.com tool