UTEP Entrepreneurship Guide
Resource Guides for Alumni and Student Entrepreneurs
ALUMNI
Are you an entrepreneur (Alumni) looking to start a small business, medium business, or VC-backed business?
I have a business idea develop!
Alumni with a business idea or a startup can explore various avenues to secure funding. Some local sources of funding include:
- Pitch Competitions
- Aggie Shark Tank is a pitch competition offering a unique platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas. It's an opportunity to receive valuable feedback from experienced investors and potentially secure funding to kickstart your business. Participating in Aggie Shark Tank provides exposure, validation for your business idea, potential funding, and valuable networking opportunities. For more information: https://arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu/program/studio-g/aggie-shark-tank/
- Angels Investors
- Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs Texas Chapter serves the broader Southwest region by providing a venue in which Stanford alumni investors and regional startup founders share and discuss entrepreneurship on equal footing. They host regular startup pitch events and educational seminars to facilitate advising and mentorship as well as investment. Founders need not be Stanford alumni or affiliates to benefit from their network and ten percent of their investors may also hail from outside the alumni community. For more information: https://www.stanfordangels.org/
- Local Venture Capital firms
- Borderplex Community Capital is a Community Development Loan Fund dedicated to fostering economic growth in the El Paso and West Texas region. We provide essential loans to impactful organizations that may not meet traditional lenders' criteria, focusing on supporting nonprofits and small businesses in low-income neighborhoods. For more information: https://borderplexcommunitycapital.org/
- Audaz Capital
- Audaz Capital is an investment firm specializing in capital-efficient startups across sectors like energy tech, water tech, and supply chain/logistics, fostering innovation and sustainable growth.For more information: https://audaz.capital/#thesis
- University Career Center
- Alumni looking for talent to hire can utilize the University Career Center’s resources for employers. The Career Center acts as a direct link between UTEP students and potential employers by assisting employers with recruitment activities. Employers or their representatives must register with UTEP's University Career Center via Handshake and adhere to recruitment policies and regulations. For more information contact the University Career Center or refer to their website: https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/careers/employers/
- MLCIC Startup Internship/Job Postings
- If you are a small business or startup looking to hire talent and would like for us to promote your job or internship posting on our website please contact gariosibane@miners.utep.edu. Include any information you would like to share about the role and a link to the job posting in the email.
- The Mike Loya Center for Innovation and Commerce offers a variety of learning opportunities for students looking to learn about entrepreneurship and related fields. For upcoming events and workshops refer to the Events tab.
- Studio G is a specialized business accelerator for college students and alumni passionate about entrepreneurship. It offers a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and resources essential for launching and growing successful startups. For more information refer to the Studio G tab. To sign up to become a member visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScftEnajfukpSnLkPVT2pJSmIiIyi8wIuvyLHLH2_x0tQmr0w/viewform
- Pioneers21 encourages startups to transform ideas into sustainable businesses, playing a vital role in the region's emerging economy. With a mission to inspire and incubate businesses and entrepreneurs, P21 provides mentorship, training, and valuable connections to support their growth and success. Some of their programs include:
- Business Incubator
- Venture Mentoring Service
- Innovation Workshops
For more information and an exhaustive list of their programs and events visit: https://pioneers21.org/
- The Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) Paso del Norte provides support to companies regarding quality issues, supply chain, etc. TMAC gives solutions to have the competitive edge, discover financial opportunities and grow your business. For more information: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/tmac/
- The Medical Center of the Americas Foundation (MCA) is a hub for health care and biomedical innovation in the Paso del Norte region. Centered around the 440-acre campus in El Paso, Texas, MCA fosters a "life sciences ecosystem," including education, training, and commercialization of biomedical advancements, to meet the region's health care needs through collaboration and innovation. To learn more about the initiatives they offer to help entrepreneurs visit: https://mcamericas.org/what-we-do/startup-incubation--acceleration
I still don't have a business idea.....
Studio G is a specialized business accelerator for college students and alumni passionate about entrepreneurship. It offers a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and resources essential for launching and growing successful startups. For more information refer to the Studio G tab.
To sign up to become a member visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScftEnajfukpSnLkPVT2pJSmIiIyi8wIuvyLHLH2_x0tQmr0w/viewform
STUDENTS
Are you an entrepreneur (Student) looking to start a small business, medium business, or VC-backed business?
I have a business idea develop!
Current students with a business idea or a startup can explore various avenues to secure funding. Some local sources of funding include:
- Pitch Competitions
- The Mike Loya Center for Innovation and Commerce hosts pitch competitions throughout the spring and fall semesters that offer cash prizes to top competitors to fund their ideas or businesses. Competitions are open to current UTEP students only. Check our website and social media for upcoming events.
- Aggie Shark Tank is a pitch competition offering a unique platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas. It's an opportunity to receive valuable feedback from experienced investors and potentially secure funding to kickstart your business. Participating in Aggie Shark Tank provides exposure, validation for your business idea, potential funding, and valuable networking opportunities. For more information: https://arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu/program/studio-g/aggie-shark-tank/
- Angels Investors
- Stanford Angels
- Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs Texas Chapter serves the broader Southwest region by providing a venue in which Stanford alumni investors and regional startup founders share and discuss entrepreneurship on equal footing. They host regular startup pitch events and educational seminars to facilitate advising and mentorship as well as investment. Founders need not be Stanford alumni or affiliates to benefit from their network and ten percent of their investors may also hail from outside the alumni community. For more information: https://www.stanfordangels.org/
- Stanford Angels
- Local Venture Capital firms
- Borderplex Community Capital is a Community Development Loan Fund dedicated to fostering economic growth in the El Paso and West Texas region. We provide essential loans to impactful organizations that may not meet traditional lenders' criteria, focusing on supporting nonprofits and small businesses in low-income neighborhoods. For more information: https://borderplexcommunitycapital.org/
- Audaz Capital is an investment firm specializing in capital-efficient startups across sectors like energy tech, water tech, and supply chain/logistics, fostering innovation and sustainable growth.For more information: https://audaz.capital/#thesis
- University Career Center
- Alumni looking for talent to hire can utilize the University Career Center’s resources for employers. The Career Center acts as a direct link between UTEP students and potential employers by assisting employers with recruitment activities. Employers or their representatives must register with UTEP's University Career Center via Handshake and adhere to recruitment policies and regulations. For more information contact the University Career Center or refer to their website: https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/careers/employers/
- MLCIC Startup Job Postings
- If you are a small business or startup looking to hire talent and would like for us to promote your job or internship posting on our website please contact gariosibane@miners.utep.edu. Include any information you would like to share about the role and a link to the job posting in your email.
- The Mike Loya Center for Innovation and Commerce offers a variety of learning opportunities for students looking to learn about entrepreneurship and related fields. For upcoming events and workshops refer to the Events tab.
- Studio G is a specialized business accelerator for college students and alumni passionate about entrepreneurship. It offers a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and resources essential for launching and growing successful startups. For more information refer to the Studio G tab. To sign up to become a member visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScftEnajfukpSnLkPVT2pJSmIiIyi8wIuvyLHLH2_x0tQmr0w/viewform
- The FIRE Venture Fellowship is a program for undergraduate and graduate students from NMSU and UTEP, offering a one-semester apprenticeship focused on investment, venture capital, and startup entrepreneurship. Participants learn through hands-on experience, creating investment memos, developing investment theses, and working within their chosen industrial sectors. For more information: https://arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu/program/fire-fellows/
- Pioneers21 encourages startups to transform ideas into sustainable businesses, playing a vital role in the region's emerging economy. With a mission to inspire and incubate businesses and entrepreneurs, P21 provides mentorship, training, and valuable connections to support their growth and success. Some of their programs include:
- Business Incubator
- Venture Mentoring Service
- Innovation Workshops
For more information and an exhaustive list of their programs and events visit: https://pioneers21.org/
- STTE Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 2018 in the Southwest Texas Borderplex Region dedicated to developing and deploying entrepreneurship and STEAM-based educational programs. Their mission is to accelerate economic development by empowering students and adults with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation sectors. They offer a variety of programs and events including:
- STTE Ventures
- El Paso Pitch Startup Competition
- Dia De Los Muertos Pitch Competition
For more information and an exhaustive list of their programs and events visit: https://sttefoundation.org/
- The Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) Paso del Norte provides support to companies regarding quality issues, supply chain, etc. TMAC gives solutions to have the competitive edge, discover financial opportunities and grow your business. For more information: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/tmac/
I still don't have a business idea.....
- Studio G is a specialized business accelerator for college students and alumni passionate about entrepreneurship. It offers a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and resources essential for launching and growing successful startups. For more information refer to the Studio G tab. To sign up to become a member visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScftEnajfukpSnLkPVT2pJSmIiIyi8wIuvyLHLH2_x0tQmr0w/viewform
- The GAIA makerspace at UTEP offers a variety of technologies and methodologies that students can utilize in their development of new ideas. For more information on the resources GAIA provides visit: https://www.utep.edu/technologysupport/learning-environments/gaia.html