Longhorn Startup Showcase
Presented by The University of Texas at Austin, the Longhorn Startup Showcase is a fast pitch competition for UT Austin-based student companies with revolutionary ideas looking for funding to scale their innovations. Innovative startups, like last year’s winning Longhorn Startup Showcase team, Beyonic, are leading examples of how students can have global impact with creative uses of technology and a sound business plan. We will choose five finalists to advance and present to a hometown panel of corporate, angel, and venture investor judges in front of a well-connected audience at SXSW 2014. The Longhorn Startup Showcase Pitch finalists will each engage in Q&A sessions with a renowned judging panel and have opportunities for discussions with the audience.
Presenters
Ben Dyer
EIR, Cockrell School of Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Ken Demarest
CTO
Appsoma
Nelson "Rudy" Garza
Managing Dir
G51 Capital Management
As founder and managing general partner of G-51, Rudy focuses on the development of all portfolio companies, syndication partnerships and deal flow. Through mentoring as well as serving on portfolio boards, he is instrumental in driving success through defining and then guiding the implementation of well-grounded business and marketing strategies. Rudy is an expert at finding and defining business and revenue models, market shaping services, business growth strategies and talent sourcing. Rudy has served as an investor and board member for over 20 companies, selling several to publicly traded firms including SAP, ADP, Prudential, and Cisco Systems among others.
Rudy is also an active leader in the venture community, as a longtime member of the NVCA and the Texas Venture Capital Association. He has served as Chairman of the Board of the University of Texas Alumni Association (“Texas Exes”) in 2011. In addition, Rudy is a lifetime honorary trustee of the Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation.
Rob Warren
Asst Dir, Texas Venture Labs
The University of Texas at Austin
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