Who We Are
The LaunchPad is a resource hub that helps undergrad and graduate students of all majors and backgrounds navigate and explore entrepreneurship at UT Austin. We help students identify where they are in their personal entrepreneurial journey: Explore, Ideate, Create, or Scale. Then, we educate and connect them to resources across campus and in the Austin community.
By asking students what problems they’re excited to solve and helping them cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, our experiential learning opportunities, signature programs, and supportive mentorship network create a lifelong impact that students carry with them beyond the Forty Acres.
What We're Fundraising For
The LaunchPad recognizes that financial limitations are a barrier to entry for entrepreneurship, especially for student entrepreneurs from underrepresented and under-resourced populations. Your support in this year’s 40 Hours for the Forty Acres Campaign will put grant funding directly in the hands of undergraduate students to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.
Student “StartUP Grants” is a LaunchPad signature program that provides non-dilutive funding, professional mentorship, and a cohort community to help undergraduate students make progress towards their entrepreneurial goals. Individual grants range from $500 - $5K and can be used for various projects related to customer discovery, prototype development, pilot deployment, travel expenses, living stipends for unpaid and/or low-paying startup internships, and more. Your support will help The LaunchPad expand our StartUP Grants program and empower more student entrepreneurs with the financial resources, community, and skills to succeed.
Your Impact
The ventures created by past StartUP Grant recipients are providing innovative solutions to real world problems. Your contribution will provide students like these with the financial support they need to create a lasting impact through their entrepreneurial pursuits.
Mansi received a StartUP Grant for Psykhe - A social enterprise that strives to increase access to mental health treatment by ending the time-consuming burden on college students of seeking long-term therapy. Through data driven matching, the intuitive online platform equips students with therapists who fit their needs, giving them the resources to begin mental health therapy, and paving a healthier and happier college lifestyle for themselves.
Valeria received a StartUP Grant for Cabilde - A software as a service tool founded by student activists to facilitate civic engagement in Mexico. Disorganized bureaucratic data and political jargon makes finding legislative information tedious for the average Mexican constituent. Cabilde provides a simple way for constituents to get informed, contact their representatives, and take action.
Soufia, Oishika, and Mahija received StartUP Grants for Knowledge is Power - A future nonprofit organization that delivers accessible health information through mobile learning to underserved communities globally, starting with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
What starts at UT Austin changes the world. Help a student entrepreneur get started today.
Thank you to everyone for another amazing campaign! Below are the challenge winners for the final hours of the campaign!
Time for Another Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
2nd Place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
3rd place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
Hungry, Hungry Bevo Challenge
1st Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
2nd Place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
3rd place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
40 to the 40 Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Longhorn Racing
2nd Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
Final Countdown Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
2nd Place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
3rd place: WINNER Texas Women's Rugby
Longhorn Pride Social Media Challenge
1st Place: Longhorn Band Student Association $1,000 Prize
Runner-up: Women's Club Lacrosse $250 Prize
Procrastinator Gift WINNER Longhorn Racing $500 Award
6,000 Milestone WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
7,000 Milestone WINNER Longhorn Racing
8,000 Milestone WINNER Black Student Alliance
State & International Challenge Winners - Check your donor wall these have been awarded!
Leaderboard Challenge Winners - Check the challenges page wall for the final leaderboards. Prizes will be awarded soon!