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MASSCHALLENGE TEXAS ANNOUNCES GRAND FINALE OF THE INAUGURAL ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

(AUSTIN, Texas – July 10, 2018; source: Juice Consulting) – MassChallenge Texas, the Texas-based location of the global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, announces the first MassChallenge Texas Awards Ceremony to take place Aug. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Austin (208 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, Texas 78704) from 5 – 8 p.m. A limited number of tickets are open to the public, for more information please see here. For more information about the MassChallenge Texas Awards Ceremony, see here.
 

At the Awards Ceremony, MassChallenge Texas will award up to $500,000 in equity-free cash prizes to the top startups from the accelerator program. Top influencers from the Texas innovation community – including potential investors and customers, MassChallenge mentors and VIP community leaders – will come together to celebrate entrepreneurship and startup innovation. The August event is the first MassChallenge Awards Ceremony in Texas and will take place in Austin, the home base of the region’s inaugural program.
 

“Over the past four months, our global cohort of entrepreneurs has experienced the best that the Texas innovation ecosystem has to offer and recognizes that Texas is one of the best places in the world to launch a business,” said Mike Millard, Managing Director of MassChallenge Texas. “MassChallenge Texas is excited to bring together leaders across the Texas innovation ecosystem to celebrate our entrepreneurs and their accomplishments at our inaugural Awards Ceremony.”

 

The Awards Ceremony will include keynotes from Texas-based female founders Cristal Glangchai, CEO/Founder of VentureLab and author of Venture Girls,and Julia Cheek, CEO/Founder of EverlyWell. 
 

“It is my life’s work to empower people to think and act like entrepreneurs in all facets of life,” said Cristal Glangchai, CEO and Founder of VentureLab and author of Venture Girls. “I am excited to speak to the inaugural class and the MassChallenge Texas community about the entrepreneurial mindset, the value of creativity and the need for exploration to break through market norms and make impact in the world.”
 

The co-keynote speakers will address the startup and VIP audience about their experiences building business, influencing change and creating impact in Texas.
 

“As a woman entrepreneur breaking into the $25 billion diagnostics industry, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to build a successful business, be a strong leader and bring meaningful change to the market,” said Julia Cheek, Founder and CEO of Everlywell. “I think that women developing ideas and creating products from their personal experiences is so powerful. It’s the best career path in the world, and I’m excited to share my story and encourage the MassChallenge Texas community to take the leap.”
 

The MassChallenge Texas Awards Ceremony will include a People’s Choice Award. Guests are encouraged to vote for their favorite startup during the Startup Showcase portion of the event, and the People’s Choice Award winner will be announced from the stage during the presentation of the grants. 
 

MassChallenge Texas Awards Ceremony Agenda

  • 5 p.m.: Registration + Startup Showcase + People’s Choice Award voting
  • 5:45 p.m.: People’s Choice Award voting closes
  • 6 p.m.: Ceremony begins
  • 7 p.m: Ceremony ends + Reception begins
  • 8 p.m.: Event Close

 

Supporters of the MassChallenge and the Awards Ceremony include: MassChallenge Texas Founding Partners Southwest Airlines, TMAC, WeWork, Upstream and USAA; A-Player Media, Fish & Richardson, SoftServe, SnP Cap IQ, and UPS. 
 

About the Inaugural MassChallenge Texas Accelerator

  • In April 2018, 84 of the world’s highest impact, highest potential early-stage startups joined MassChallenge Texas’ inaugural cohort in Austin.
  • The inaugural cohort represents:
    • Five continents
    • 11 countries
    • 12 states
    • Five major Texas cities/regions: Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio
    • 32 percent female founders
      • Five major industries
      • High tech (33 startups, 40%)
      • Healthcare and Life Sciences (24 startups, 28%)
      • General Consumer (12 startups, 14%)
      • Social Impact (nine startups, 11%)
      • Energy and Clean Tech (six startups, 7%)
  • Over the past four months, startups participated in a tailored program designed to support their unique needs: from market research to launching pilot programs, intellectual property and licensing, to fundraising and investor relations, sales and marketing strategy, to working with corporate partners and more.
  • The 84 companies have worked out of the new WeWork West 6th spacehome and have access to a complimentary, Texas-wide WeWork community membership for six months.

 

MassChallenge Texas Founding Partners

Southwest Airlines, TMAC, WeWork, Upstream, USAA
 

MassChallenge Texas Community Partners

City of Austin Mayor Steve Adler, City of San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Austin Representative Eddie Rodriguez; founding corporate partners Southwest Airlines, TMAC, WeWork, USAA, and Upstream; AngelSpan, Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College, Austin Community College Bioscience Incubator, Austin Film Society, Austin Healthcare Council, Austin Technology Council, Austin Technology Incubator, Blackstone LaunchPad at UT Austin, Blackstone LaunchPad at UT Dallas, Bexar County, Borderplex Alliance, Capital Factory, City of Austin, City of San Antonio, CompTIA, Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Department of Defense (DoD), DIUx, El Paso Hub of Human Innovation, Food + City, Founder’s Institute Austin, Galvanize, Geekdom, Goodworks Houston, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Greater Houston Partnership, Greater San Marcos Partnership, Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship at UT Austin, IC2 Institute, Impact Hub Austin, Juice Consulting, MediaTech Ventures, NASA, National Instruments, Splash Coworking, South by Southwest (SXSW), Southwestern University, Sputnik ATX, STAR Park at Texas State University, Station Houston, Strasburger & Price, LLP, Tech Fort Worth, TechNet, Texas A&M University, Texas Entrepreneur Exchange (TEX), Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities (TFIC), Texas Healthcare and Biosciences Institute (THBI), Texas Small Business Development Centers, Texas State University, University of Texas System, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas and University of Texas at San Antonio. 
 

About MassChallenge

MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Switzerland, Texas, and the UK, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 1,500 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $3 billion in funding, generated more than $2 billion in revenue, and created more than 80,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.
 

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MEDIA NOTE:
 

For press inquiries, interview requests or other requests, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
 

Heather Wagner Reed 

713 208 3891

heather@juiceconsulting.com

 

Tyler Ostby

210 854 9119

tyler@juiceconsulting.com