BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A Startup Texas Pitch Fest will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization in Brownsville, Texas.
The event is organized by the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) in partnership with the UT-Rio Grande Valley Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC).
The event will feature live business pitches, networking, local food and music and a community choice award that allows attendees to help recognize their favorite pitch of the evening.
The Startup Texas Pitch Fest will highlight the creativity and innovation of local entrepreneurs and is facilitated by programming support from the UTRGV ECC. The Startup Texas program received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in Nov. 2023, to expand its program over the next three years. Graduates who will be presenting at Pitch Fest represent the first cohort to complete the newly enhanced program.
“This is a deviation from our usual pitch competitions, as everyone who completes our newly redesigned Startup Texas Accelerator program is now eligible for advancement funding to pursue patents, develop prototypes, and scale their businesses right here in Brownsville,” Nathan Burkhart, BCIC’s vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation, said.
“Unlike previous programs, where funding was distributed as cash prizes, we’ve invested more resources into the accelerator itself, thanks to funding from the U.S. EDA, to ensure graduates have the tools and opportunities to thrive. The eBridge Center is where ideas turn into action, and Pitch Fest highlights the tangible progress we’re making to foster innovation and build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Brownsville.”
Startup Texas was established in 2019 as a dynamic accelerator program based in Brownsville that provides entrepreneurs with capital, mentorship, and resources to scale their operations. Startup Texas is a collaborative initiative by the BCIC, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center, and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, and the program supports founders across various industries through specialized workshops and networking opportunities.
The program, lasting 12 weeks, ends with a Demo Day, presenting startups to a broad audience, including potential investors, to foster regional growth and innovation.
The event is free and open to the public. The eBridge Center is located at 1304 E. Adams St., in Brownsville and is considered by many as the region’s leading entrepreneurial hub, offering collaborative workspaces, business training, and access to funding opportunities.
Applications for the nest Startup Texas cohort are open. For more information on the cohort or the event, visit startuptexas.com.
About Startup Texas
Startup Texas is accelerator program and a seed fund from the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC). In partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and the Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation, Startup Texas partners with passionate leaders and visionary entrepreneurs, and we apply creativity, strategy, design and data to re-invent businesses, drive growth, commercialize and scale in the Rio Grande Valley. We strive to shape an ecosystem of entrepreneurship that is both sustainable and inclusive for businesses, people and our planet.
