GalXc Accelerator

Overview

The GalXc women’s accelerator provides education, training, networking and mentoring to a cohort of women. Participants develop skills and competencies to become effective business leaders and founders of high-achieving startups.

This 8-week program covers the following topics:

Getting started and customer discovery
Startup legal basics
Financial foundations
Founders stories
Launch and marketing
Building and scaling
Building a pitch deck and how to pitch

Guest speakers, subject matter experts, and mentors are included throughout the program. The program concludes with a pitch competition.

Application and Eligibility

ELIGIBILITY

Participation in GalXc is open to all currently-enrolled students of any classification/major. UT Dallas staff, faculty, and alumni are also welcome to participate.

Fall 2022 dates will be announced soon. Please check back in August for the updated schedule and application.

Facilitator

Leah Frazier

Owner, Think Three Media

Leah Frazier is a leading FashionPreneur™ and was recognized as one of Dallas’ most successful women for 2015. In addition to this elite recognition, Leah received the “Rising Star” award for fashion blogging by Fashion Group International of Dallas in 2017, and was also nominated as one of the “Best Journalists of 2017” by Cosign Magazine. In 2018, Leah was awarded the “Startup Evangelist of the Year” honor by The Dallas Entrepreneur Center, and also “Best Stylist of 2018” by Cosign Magazine. She is a multi-licensed attorney turned fashion guru, who unapologetically left the practice of law to pursue her fashion ventures.

Leah has built a multi-faceted empire as an award-winning fashion journalist, media personality, celebrity stylist, digital marketing expert,and in-demand fashion consultant to notable brands. She has been nominated as one of the best wardrobe stylists in Dallas, and recently led the styling initiatives for the Emmy and 5-time Addy Award-Winning #IAMUP campaign for WFAA Channel 8.

Leah is also the proud owner of Think Three Media – a creative marketing agency focused in the areas of content marketing, social media marketing, and public relations services for brands spanning the industries of fashion, beauty, public speaking, the performing arts, food, lifestyle, and more.

Leah has been featured on Vogue.com, NBC, CW, CBS Local, Chase TV, Fox TV, Good Morning Texas, Haute Living Magazine, and many other outlets as an expert in fashion. Leah has cultivated top-tier partnerships with Belk, Cantu Beauty, Marshall’s, Via Spiga, Vogue, Brahmin, Neiman Marcus, Warner Bros., Shoedazzle, Yosi Samra Shoes, and more.

Leah has co-authored her first book, “The Success Factor,” which reached #1 as a best seller for Women and Business reads, and was also awarded an African-American Literary Award for 2018.

FAQ

What is an accelerator?

A business accelerator is a fixed-term, cohort-based program that gives developing companies access to mentorship, educational components, and other support that help them become stable, self-sufficient businesses.

Is the program for me?

Are you a UT Dallas student with a business idea and you want to test out? Do you need help identifying your target market or figuring out your business plan? If you need help fine tuning your business model or revenue model, or you are a first-time entrepreneur wanting to hone your skills from proven entrepreneurs, then this program could be perfect for you. That being said, you get what you put in. We can’t (and won’t) start the business for you. We can’t (and won’t) do all of the research and customer discovery for you. We can (AND WILL) teach you how to do it and support you along the way!

What can I gain from the program?

You will develop an entrepreneurial mindset, specifically skills such as creativity, persuasiveness, resourcefulness, problem solving, communication skills, leadership skills, collaboration/teamwork skills, presentation skills, and more.GalXc has received over 450 applications since launch in spring 2019 and has an average of 30 participants each semester. GalXc participants have gone on to compete in the UT Dallas Big Idea Competition and other state, national, and international competitions. 100% of feedback survey respondents agreed that the program added to their college experience at UT Dallas.

Do I earn academic credit for joining this program?

No, this is an experiential program that does not qualify for academic credit.

Who can join?

Any currently enrolled UT Dallas student, any classification (Freshman to PHD) and all majors are welcome. UT Dallas alumni, staff, and faculty may also participate. GalXc is intended for women or for those who identify as women in an effort to create a comfortable and collaborative environment, however all gender identities are welcome.

Will food be provided?

Probably not but you are welcome to bring your own. If we have a sponsor to provide funding for food, then we will provide it.

When does it take place?

The program is offered in the spring and fall semesters. Please see the dates tab for specific information each semester.

Where does it take place?

The Blackstone LaunchPad located on campus at 2830 Rutford Ave, the ground floor of the PS3 parking garage next to Taco Bell Cantina.

How long is the program?

GalXc meets once per week for 2 hours for 8 weeks.

What does the program cover?

GalXc covers the following topics:

Getting started and customer discovery
Startup legal basics
Financial foundations
Founders stories
Launch and marketing
Building & scaling
Building a pitch deck and how to pitch

Why do you ask so many questions about the stage of my venture in the application?

There is a significant cost for the entrepreneurial programs, resources, and support provided by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship each year, at no charge, free to you — our students and the UTD community. We do this because we believe it will lead to significant economic value, as your venture is able to generate revenues and hire employees. But, in order to continue offering these programs, the “cost” to you is the data about your startup’s progress instead of a financial cost. By providing information about your venture, you help us communicate and demonstrate the impact we are making to our stakeholders. Some of the key factors we need to measure include job creation and revenue.

Will the university own my idea or startup or take equity from me?

If you are a student, then the short answer is no – please see Section 6 in the link below for more details. If you are a faculty member, researcher, or are employed by the university, there may be some intellectual property rights to consider. More information here: https://cms.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/rules/90101-intellectual-property.
Please contact Dresden Goldberg if you are unsure:
dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu

Testimonials

I was hesitant applying to GalXc because I really wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship, but I didn’t have a business or clear idea. I am so glad I joined the program because it really changed the trajectory of the rest of my time at UTD. It made me pull together a business concept and pitch deck, which I had never done before and also pitch for the first time.I ended up winning 3rd place in the GalXc pitch competition. It wasn’t even about the money so much as feeling like I can actually do this and move it forward because someone liked it and believed in it. IDA is now in the middle of our pilot/beta stage. We are working on increasing users for a later launch and building out the rest of the features. It was approximately a year ago that I was in GalXc getting ready to pitch this. I am so grateful that I got to be part of the 1st cohort because it changed everything!
Varika Pinnam
BS’21 Marketing , Co-founder of IDA

I had an amazing learning experience taking part in the GalXc program, an 8-week accelerator program for women entrepreneurs at The University of Texas at Dallas. We learned about developing our business ideas, differentiating and innovating, marketing our ideas, fundraising, managing legalities, among many other things. It was also very inspiring to be able meet successful entrepreneurs who shared with us their stories of how they made it happen. Additionally, I loved meeting with experienced investors and mentors who gave us valuable feedback on our pitches. The program helped me to develop my idea and enhance my entrepreneurial and presentation skills, as I came in Third place for the pitching competition. Overall, I would highly recommend it to any budding entrepreneur looking to start their own business.
Fariha Musharrat Khan
MS’19 Applied Cognition and Neuroscience

I participated in a GalXc pitch competition after completing the 2-month GalXc program, where I learned various aspects of starting a startup. By the pitch competition, I felt my concepts of startup building have advanced. Particularly, the very important startup idea pitching skill I’ve gained helped me win the second place in the competition.
Balnur Duisenbayeva
MS’22 Computer Science

Blackstone LaunchPad

The LaunchPad network helps students succeed in entrepreneurship and in their careers. Available to over 750,000 college students, LaunchPad is designed to complement existing on-campus entrepreneurship resources, catalyze student ventures through connections to off-campus opportunities, and convene students and staff at global events leveraging our world-class, industry-leading mentors, networks, and brands. LaunchPad transforms students into entrepreneurs.

Past Sponsors

Intelis Capital

We believe the energy transformation is the greatest opportunity of our lifetime and will need breakthrough technologies to solve systemic problems in a profitable and scalable way.

Palios

At Palio’s – Richardson, we are proud to serve our local Richardson community. From being active in sponsoring local events, sports teams, and schools to helping organizations with fundraising, we strive to help the Richardson community thrive, all while serving the best gourmet pizza, pasta, sandwiches & salads in town!

Past Winners

FALL 2022

1st: Tori Sonkin, BS Interdisciplinary Studies
2nd: Megan Kling, MBA
3rd: Shivani Gandhi, MS Systems Engineering and Management

FALL 2021

1st: Bright Owl – Sofia Babool, BS Neuroscience
2nd: Chrysalis Impact Coaching – Neeru Sharma, MS Innovation and Entrepreneurship
3rd: Aditi Mungale – BS Computer Science & Ananya Sammidi, BSBA