Who We Are
Encourage. Engage. Educate. Empower.
The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center (HKEC) promotes the development of entrepreneurial skills and supports the exploration of the ways these skills can be applied to careers as founders or innovators within established firms. The HKEC believes in making entrepreneurship accessible to all Longhorns, no matter what stage of their entrepreneurial journey they are in or what industry background they come from. At the HKEC, we are dedicated to igniting groundbreaking, limit pushing ideas because we know that #WhatStartsUpHere truly changes the world.
Our programming is designed to aid students throughout each stage of their entrepreneurial journey. First, HKEC encourages the discovery of university-wide entrepreneurship and startup resources through the Entrepreneurship Live! and Diversity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship speaker series. These series promote the exploration of entrepreneurship and the different ways entrepreneurial skills can be leveraged for success on campus and beyond. Next, the Center supports students with engaging with a community of Longhorn leaders that embody the entrepreneurial mindset through Startup Coffee Connect and the Intro to the UT/Austin Ecosystem Tradeshow. These programs facilitate the development of an entrepreneurial network students can utilize as they pursue their entrepreneurial goals. HKEC also educates students through an innovative curriculum and mentoring by entrepreneurial leaders through the Forty Acres Founders Program, Ignite Startup Workshops, and our Entrepreneurs in Residence, all of which provide guidance to students on different areas of new venture creation. Finally, the HKEC empowers students by providing a space for initiating real-world experience in a low-risk environment by hosting DisrupTexas, the McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowships, and travel grants, which provides financial resources crucial to the successful launching and scaling of student-founded companies.
What We're Fundraising For
Many student founders struggle with accessing financial resources, which is why HKEC is fundraising to support our empowerment programming. The McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship (MESF), funded by the generous support of alumni donors and the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center, enables innovative students to continue building their startups during the summer. First-year MBAs, full-time graduate students from majors outside of McCombs, and undergraduate students from any major with four semesters of course work who are actively working on a startup are eligible to apply. Additionally, travel grants are open to all students at the university in need of financial support to travel in order to pitch for capital.
Your Impact
Summers for college students are traditionally reserved for working internships for job placement or taking classes to get ahead on a degree. For the students that have received a McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship (MESF), summer looks a bit different. These students spend their summers working on their existing startups, taking their side hustles to the next level. Support provided through the McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship provide crucial support to students interested in launching or scaling a startup. Previous fellowship recipients have applied funding toward market research, prototyping, marketing, and accessing legal services.
"The MESF allowed us the flexibility and freedom to compensate our first employee, afford our operational costs, and scale to our first few paying customers. Without it, there's a good chance that none of this would have been possible, and we're incredibly grateful for the continuous opportunity and support provided by McCombs and the HKEC."
-David Willson, Fellowship Recipient 2022
HKEC-funded travel grants allow undergraduate and graduate students to participate in national and international business startup competitions and share their vision with the world.
"The Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center travel grant went a long way for team Gazelle when it came to planning travel logistics and accommodations during the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge finals in San Diego. Due to covid, fuel costs, and spikes in airfares our team’s already limited budget definitely felt a crunch. The HKEC’s generosity and support not only helped cover our team’s travel expenses but ultimately helped us along our journey in placing #1 at this year global finals and earning our 1st major non-dilutive pre-seed check! Our team is thankful for the HKEC’s support along our mission to build a more sustainable Kalahari."
- Amod Daherkar, Travel Grant Recipient 2022
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!