All spring entrepreneurial events have been canceled and/or postponed, except NEW VENTURES.  New Ventures will still hold their competition.  Please check back as we will be updating the specifics of the competition in the near future.

MassChallenge Community Event

MassChallenge announced that @Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of @Thrive Global, and @Linda Pizzuti Henry, Managing Director of the Boston Globe will headline the first-ever MassChallenge Virtual U.S. Awards on October 22, 2020 @ 5pm EDT/ 4pm CDT.   Hosted by @Chris Denson, creator of @Innovation Crush this event with highlight #startups from the network’s Austin, Boston, Houston, and Rhode Island cohorts, discuss the transformative power of startups, and award up to $2M in equity-free cash prizes to top startups from the programs. Learn more and RSVP here: https://masschallenge.org/2020-awards

Austin Fast Start STEM Pitch Competition!

Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. Are you an entrepreneur leading innovation using one or more of these disciplines? Apply now for the Austin Fast Start STEM Pitch Competition!

Austin Music Disaster Relief Grant

The City of Austin Economic Development Department reopened the grant on August 10 to reach additional local musicians facing hardships. Eligible local musicians must be able to demonstrate income loss due to the COVID-19 global pandemic to apply for a $1,000 grant. 

The Austin Music Disaster Relief Fund application is live and accepting eligible submissions through the MusiCares Foundation on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information, including guidelines and eligibility, Click here

Austin Creative Worker Relief Grant

Austin’s individual creatives and industry support staff that have experienced economic hardship due to COVID-19 may apply for a $2,000 grant to offset expenses like rent, bills, and groceries. The grant program is designed to provide immediate and equitably-focused grants to individual creatives and industry support staff in Austin. For more information Click here.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)

San Marcos, TX – Known as Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), the large-scale campaign is active in 170 countries with roughly 9 million participants in 35,000 activities – ranging from small and casual meetups to massive events and competitions that connect, empower, and grow entrepreneurs all over the world.  Their mission: “to remove barriers and welcome all.” This year, GEW will take place November 16-22, 2020 and Splash Coworking will lead the effort as “Community Organizer” (CO) for the central Texas region – spanning from Austin to San Antonio, also known as, “The Innovation Corridor”, which includes the Greater San Marcos Area.  Read more......

WEW - Coming Fall 2020

WEW Every October.

This is a national event, coordinated by Montclair State University. Texas State participates each year.  Our program varies each year.  This year our sponsor is the Greater San Marcos Partnership.  All events are open to university and non-university individuals. This program will be offered again during 2019, the week of Oct. 19-26.

To see the 2019 program, click here.

EIGHT GREAT FINANCIAL TOOLS AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES

Is your business struggling due to the financial hardships caused by COVID-19? Click HERE to see eight financial tools you can use to combat the business struggles.

SBA Loan Assistance

Under the EIDLP, the SBA provides targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  The SBA’s EIDLP provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. Read more...

Texas State I-Corps Site for Entrepreneurship

5-Cohorts Offered Every Year - $3000 Mini-Grants 

Next Cohort: Feb. 24, Mar. 2 and 9 (5:00-9:00pm)
Now accepting applications for April 13, 20, 27 (5-9pm)  Apply here.

The Texas State I-Corps^TM program is a National Science Foundation-funded entrepreneurial program for teams working on business concepts in the science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) fields.  Teams including faculty, students, staff and alumni from Texas State University, and underrepresented community members, may apply for the program.  No previous business or entrepreneurship experience is required. Learn how to validate your potential market over the course of a 3-week program. See icorps.txstate.edu for the latest updates.

Texas State 2021 INNOVATION SERIES

Our next event is March 10 @ STAR Park Go To Market and Digital Marketing for Startups where you can also learn how to win $20K for your idea!

Joe DeMike is a marketing and product launch expert.  He held leadership roles at Google and Facebook. Joe is founder of Rockbound Investments and a graduate of the Wharton School as well as the United State Military Academy at West Point.

He will be will discussing marketing:

• Goals for companies at any stage of development

• Proven strategies and blueprints

• Tactics and digital tools

Register Here

The Innovation Series is held the second Tuesday of each month from 4:30 – 6:30 at the STAR One incubator.

Sample Topics (will change as opportunities and needs are identified)

April 14: Milestones and Metrics for Startups

May 12: Starting, Engaging and Growing Non-Profits

June 9: Building a Financial Model

July 14: High Performance Teams and Partnerships

August 11: Persevere or Pivot

Sept. 8: Business Models

Oct. 13: Positioning: Unique and Compelling

Nov.10: Problems Not Solutions

Dec. 8: Money

WiSE Conference 2020

Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE)

Every Spring Semester

Since 2010, Texas State University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Conference has provided opportunities for young women studying for careers in the science and engineering fields to gain insights into successful engineering, science, and career practices from experienced professionals, educators, and fellow students.

A key goal of our conference is to provide a place for women to become inspired and empowered, explore opportunities and challenges in STEM, talk with like-minded professionals, and learn what others are doing. A unique feature of WiSE is the opportunity for students to apply for our Women’s Giving Circle and event sponsor scholarships each year.

Register here.

New Ventures Innovation Competition

Copyright by Skymaster Photography

Offered Every April-May - $20,000 & 1-Yr at STAR Park

Deadline to apply: March, 2021

Materials Applications Research Center (MARC): https://www.marc.txstate.edu/

New Ventures will provide a seamless environment integrating applied multidisciplinary academic research, industry sponsored projects, and experiential learning opportunities for students addressing creation of a talent pipeline by integration of research, education and commercialization outreach. The competition is open to all student, faculty or staff member holding a valid Texas State ID.

Competition for $20,000 prize along with space at STAR Park will be May 2020, 1-5pm.  Application deadline is April 5th. Apply here.

Governor's Small Business Forum

April 9th: Governor's Small Business Forum

Embassy Suites, 9am - 5pm

More information will be coming soon.

Camp Entrepreneur Every Long Semester

Camp Entrepreneur is Texas’s ONLY founder lead entrepreneurship camp. During camp you will hear founder lead topics around ideation, purpose, personal development, validation, as well as founder stories. You’ll get the opportunity to make connections with founders and like-minded participants in an environment designed to build meaningful relationships (40 Person Cap), relationships that could turn into mentorships and partnerships. Lastly, you’ll get to tap in to your competitive spirit as you take on other teams in Kickball, Spark Olympics, and our camper favorite Spark Mission. Get back to your summer camp roots or enjoy your first camp experience. We run on an application basis and you can apply via our website.  Next Camp: Spark: April 10-12, 2020  Apply Here

Camp Location: Spicewood, TX (On Lake Travis)

Application Deadline: TBD

Want to talk to a member of our team?

3Day Startup

3DS Every Long Semester

Next program: Dive Deep is Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.

Go to their website here Note applications for spring semester are closed. For more information, contact Dan Roy, Entrepreneur-in-Residence for McCoy College of Business. 3DS is offered every long semester.  Participation is limited, so apply early!  Come hear their presentations on Mar. 1st, 3-5pm at Industry, 110 E. Martin Luther King, San Marcos, TX

Entrepreneur Honor Cords

Students participating in Entrepreneurial Events at Texas State can purchase an Honor Cord to wear at graduation, $10 plus tax.  Students must participate in 3-events that have been listed on this website.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we will now have online entrepreneurial events that students may “attend” to receive credit towards the purchase of an entrepreneurial cord.

Please click here for Online events.