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Concordia University Texas and Tech Ranch, a startup accelerator, celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting for its Incubator for Innovation and Impact May 18.
Concordia University Texas partnered with Tech Ranch to create the space for entrepreneurs and small business owners to begin and develop their companies, said Dr. Lynette Gillis, Concordia's associate vice president of academics, graduate and professional studies.
“[Tech Ranch] was a natural connection and partner for us because they have a similar goal of creating businesses that will positively impact the community,” Gillis said.
University President and CEO Dr. Donald Christian; Kevin Koym, Tech Ranch founder and CEO; and Daniel Gonzales, director of product at venture firm G51, spoke during the grand opening. G51 is partnering with the incubator to mentor and consult start-ups. The company will also hold the incubator's shark tank and entrepreneur meet-up events on campus, she said.
The event’s keynote speaker was Phunware co-founder and CEO Alan Knitowski, who started various companies and was a finalist for the Ernst and Young 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Central Texas.
Ulrich Hatcheu, a rising Concordia senior studying marketing, is a member of the incubator. His company, Epic ATX, offers services that include social media management and content marketing to businesses.
“For me, it’s getting a lot more networking for my startup,” Hatcheu said about using the space on campus. “You get very inspirational people in there.”
Members receive a network of mentors, interns and student employees, use of library and mailing resources, around-the-clock access to the incubator and more. The Incubator for Innovation and Impact is currently accepting applications for membership and mentorship, Gillis said. The application can be found here.