UTD entrepreneurs, Rahul Madhugiri BS’23 and Sofia Babool BS’22 understand what it takes to launch a venture while still in college. But as natural problem solvers, there was something missing about their collegiate entrepreneurship experience. “We have a lot of startup resources on campus that are staff and faculty-led, but none seem to be student-led,” said Madhugiri. It isn’t uncommon to have college students run startup accelerators or pitch competitions. In fact, a study published in 2021 in the Journal of International Entrepreneurship suggests, “student-led entrepreneurial organizations (SLEOs) allow students to attend entrepreneurship events and workshops, to network, to work in multidisciplinary and international teams and to share ideas. All these activities promote an entrepreneurial environment and culture that is deemed to foster entrepreneurship.”
The concept, according to Madhugiri and Babool, is simple, “we’re going to utilize knowledgeable and seasoned entrepreneurs who have participated in and experienced first-hand the trials and processes of launching a venture. It’s like a pay-it-forward model for the next batch of upcoming Comet entrepreneurs,” stated Babool.
The incubator’s curriculum uses Guy Kawasaki’s “The Only 10 Slides You Need in Your Pitch.” The presentation format, developed by Guy Kawasaki, a venture capitalist and startup advisor, is designed to be used in pitch presentations for startups, and it focuses on the key information that investors need to know in order to make a decision about investing in a company. The format includes 10 slides that cover topics like problem/solution, financial projections, traction, and business model. Once the cohort of five students was selected, the team conducted a post-acceptance survey and curated a custom curriculum based on the specific needs of the cohort.
Friday, January 20th was the official kickoff meeting and over the next 10 weeks, the cohort will meet at the university’s Blackstone LaunchPad co-working space and the Richardson IQ where UTD has a significant presence to train and prepare for a culminating demo day.
Perks of the program include:
- Customized curriculum for young founders
- Skill-building workshops from startup experts and venture capitalists
- Coaching and feedback from experienced UTD founders
The following teams have been selected for the first cohort:
Allercheck is working to solve how people suffering from food allergies can eat pain-free by detecting allergens before they enter the system.
Tori Sonkin (BS ’25)
Nerveli is utilizing neuroscience fundamentals on pain to design a mobile application that allows users to take diagnostic testing that will produce daily tailored pain management recommendations.
Leon Jacobson (MBA ’22)
Homelessness in Dallas is a nonprofit art program designed to help improve mental health and increase a sense of dignity among homeless artists, helping break the cycle of homelessness.
Gia Kirk (BS ’23)
No-Time-2-Cook is a meal prep program tailored to students.
Ofer Turjeman (BS ’23)
Fits is a website-based 3D modeling tool that allows for a quicker and easier clothes shopping experience.
Zuhair Lakhani, (BS ’26)
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