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Herb Kelleher Center event attendees speak together

A REGENERATIVE COMMUNITY

A village of collaborators support the Institute’s work and make a greater impact on campus, around Austin, and across the nation. We are grateful to be part of a collaborative community.

  • CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

    A more sustainable future begins right here on the UT campus. Faculty, staff, and industry professionals come together to offer a wide range of opportunities for our students through UT Austin centers and initiatives.

FEATURED CENTERS & INITIATIVES

Funding & External Competitions

Seeking funding for your sustainable innovation or program? These are prime opportunities for students.

LaunchPad Startup Grants

Each semester, The LaunchPad provides $15,000 in grant funding for undergraduate students to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Grant amounts range from $500-to-$5,000 and can be used for projects related to customer discovery, prototype development, pilot deployment, travel expenses, living stipends for unpaid and/or low-paying startup internships, and more.

Genesis

Genesis is a student-alumni partnership that provides student startups with equity-free funding to pursue their ventures. They have over $1.8 million in funding to distribute to UT Austin startups, along with the time and talent of a diverse and entrepreneurial leadership team. Genesis has helped founders develop their businesses, build their products, generate revenue, recruit co-founders and early employees, brainstorm ideas, and raise future funding from top investors.

SWAN Impact Network (Southwest Angel Network)

The angels at the SWAN Impact Network are bound together by a passion for making the world a better place. The Network supports dynamic startups that are striving to address serious challenges that our society faces. Companies are expected to deliver measurable social or environmental impact and to have solid plans for financial success.

Capital Factory

Capital Factory is the place where the technology community comes together to learn and connect. They gather the most promising entrepreneurs in Texas and introduce them to their first investors, employees, mentors, and customers.

   

Competitions

Local, national, and global competitions provide a variety of support mechanisms for students interested in sustainability. Students can test their ideas in a safe environment with the support of mentors and peers. Some competitions even offer cash prizes.

Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge

The Fowler Challenge is a global impact venture pitch competition. It is held each summer at The University of San Diego and The University of St. Thomas. The Texas Social Innovation Challenge winners represent UT-Austin at this competition.

Total Impact Portfolio Challenge

SOCAP Global and Wharton Social Impact Initiative present the Total Impact Portfolio Challenge, designed to inspire the next generation of at-scale capital mobilization to address the world’s critical challenges. The Challenge provides aspiring wealth managers, portfolio managers, and investment advisors an on-ramp into portfolio construction with an impact lens across asset classes and the risk-return spectrum.

International Business and Ethics Case Competition

The International Business and Ethics Case Competition at Loyola Marymount University enables students to apply ethical reasoning to practical issues and the moral imperative of sustainable development. The competition takes place in April.

Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge

Every year, the Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge invites teams of graduate students from around the world to develop and pitch creative financial approaches to tackle pressing social and environmental challenges. Applications close in January, and the competition takes place February – April.

TCU Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Competition

Values and Ventures is a social venture pitch competition for undergraduate students held at TCU. Applications open in October, and the competition is held February- April.

Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition

The Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs (JBTVL) is a campus-wide initiative at The University of Texas at Austin to accelerate startups, help take innovations to market, and transform graduate students into entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Network for Business Sustainability

NBS is a consortium of individuals and academic centers housed at The Ivey School of Business that contribute educational resources to a shared pool.

   

   

Accelerators, Incubators, and Co-Working

Here is where startup founders and their teams find the resources to build their technical infrastructure, human resources, customer base, production capacity, marketing system, and more.

Divinc

Divinc generates social and economic equity through entrepreneurship focused on early-stage tech founders. The organization is laser-focused on building the programs and infrastructure that remove any barriers for underrepresented founders to build investable tech startup companies.

The Un.Inc

The Un.Inc strengthens the entrepreneurial support ecosystem by providing hybrid online and in-person programming grounded in co-working spaces, cities, and universities around the country. Their online campus is a curated space full of tools and mentors designed to push, guide, and support company founders.

Notley

Notley uses knowledge, collaboration, human capital, and financial capital to catalyze innovative organizations' growth and expansion, making positive change in the world.

Mission Capital

Mission Capital is an Austin-based non-profit accelerator that equips and connects mission-driven leaders, organizations, and networks advancing equity and opportunity through their work.

Texas Venture Labs Accelerator

The Texas Venture Labs Accelerator provides an opportunity for Texas startups to take their ventures to the next level with the unique benefit of leveraging UT resources and talent, including graduate student consultants across many disciplines. 

Impact Hub Austin

Impact Hub Austin (VUKA) offers shared workspace, private offices, and dedicated desks at two locations in Central Austin.

   

Newsletters, Podcasts, and Learning Aids

Learning is not just for the classroom. Listen to, read, and interact with the wisdom of Subject Matter Experts and practitioners. P.S. - Podcasts are great for walks!

Impact Alpha

Stay up to date on sustainable investing and entrepreneurship trends through Impact Alpha. The Impact Alpha community also hosts exclusive events and podcasts. The Global Sustainability Leadership Institute pays for UT Austin student subscriptions. Secure your access by emailing Sandi. Subscriptions are limited.

Bloomberg Green

Bloomberg Green offers authoritative reporting on Energy & Science, Finance, Climate Adaptation, Politics, and Culture and Design. Real-time updates on news affecting the global economy.

Sustainability Defined

Each episode of the Sustainability Defined Podcast focuses on a single topic that pushes sustainability forward. Each issue is explained with the help of an experienced pro, placed in context, and addressed in detail episode by episode.

MSCI ESG Now

MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. The ESG Now Podcast focuses on Environmental, Social, and Governance Fund Investing.

Dollars and Change

On Dollars and Change, hosted at Wharton, hear from guests in corporate social responsibility, impact investing, impact entrepreneurship, and more. Listeners learn from guests ranging from the head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Starbucks to the CEO of the Gates Foundation.

The Business of Sustainability (EDF)

The Business of Sustainability blog and podcast series from the Supply Chain Solutions Center explore trends in sustainability leadership. Hear from corporate leaders tackling sustainability challenges, supporting a thriving economy, and raising the bar for climate action.

Money + Meaning (SOCAP)

The Money + Meaning Podcast highlights stories of innovators leveraging the power of capital markets to create a more just and sustainable economy. The series expands the conversation around impact investing and explores strategies to finance and support social change.

Stanford Social Innovation Review

The Stanford Social Innovation Review features articles, podcasts, and webinars dealing with social issues such as education, health, security, and solutions, including advocacy, funding, and leadership. The site covers government, non-profit, business, and other sectors.

Dive into vital research from our affiliated faculty