2021 Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem

Calling all Longhorns and Austinites! Are you interested in entrepreneurship & innovation? Do you want to meet ambitious students and faculty? Are you looking for mentors and resources to help you launch? If you answered yes, then this event is for you!

Hosted by the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center, the sixth annual Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem Presentation and Trade Show is the perfect opportunity to get yourself involved in entrepreneurship & innovation at UT and in Austin!

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Schedule

• 4:00PM - "Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem" Presentation featuring Amanda Golden, HKEC Assistant Director, and Mellie Price, Executive Director of the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs & M.S. in Technology Commercialization
• 5:00PM - Virtual Trade Show featuring UT and Austin startup resources

Speakers

Amanda Golden | Assistant Director, Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center

Amanda Golden is the Assistant Director of the Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center. In this role, she oversees the center’s various programs and events, including managing the Forty Acres Founders Pre-Accelerator Program.

Amanda has over 12 years experience working in higher education and helping students navigate the college and university setting. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government right here on the Forty Acres, Amanda worked for two years at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Due to snowy winters and a significant lack of breakfast tacos, she chose to move back to Austin with her family and has been working on campus for over ten years. Amanda joined the McCombs School of Business in 2018 to launch the Entrepreneurship Minor.

Prior to joining the HKEC team, Amanda worked as a Career Counselor and Academic Advisor in the Cockrell School of Engineering. While working in engineering, Amanda oversaw many complex projects, allowing her to build an expansive skill set in program coordination and student support. In 2015, Amanda earned a Master’s Degree in College Student Development from St. Edward’s University. Amanda enjoys helping students find ways to achieve their academic and professional goals and to identify and build skills that will help them be successful in their classes and careers. She has advised students and led workshops in a number of areas, including major and career exploration and enhancing academic success.

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Mellie Price | Executive Director, Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs and the M.S. in Technology Commercialization Program at the McCombs School of Business.

Mellie Price is a highly experienced innovation and operations executive, venture fund manager, angel investor, philanthropist, data geek, and technologist who has worked in organizations ranging from non-profits to startups to publicly traded companies to state government.

Price, an eight-time entrepreneur, is also well known as a co-founder of the nationally recognized startup accelerator program and entrepreneurial hub, Capital Factory. In 2015, Mellie launched SoftMatch, a tech-enabled corporative innovation consulting firm, to help Fortune 1000 companies connect with the emerging technologies, startups, and talent that can help navigate this era of digital disruption. Formerly, Price was the Founder & CEO of Front Gate Solutions/Front Gate Tickets, one of the largest privately held primary market ticketing software platforms in the US/Canada from 2002 to 2015 when it was sold to Live Nation/Ticketmaster. Mellie is currently a Partner at Notley Ventures and Senior Advisor to Ecliptic Capital.

In her cross-disciplinary roles supporting entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin, Mellie currently enjoys a dual appointment as the executive director of the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs at the McCombs School of Business which supports emerging entrepreneurs across all industries and as adjunct assistant professor of the Longhorn Startup entrepreneurship course which has course numbers in most Colleges across the campus.

Mellie Price is a widely respected thought leader on disruptive innovation and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker. She serves on the Technology Advisory Committee for Austin Mayor Steve Adler and has been honored with the prestigious Profiles in Power (2015) and Tech Titan (2014) awards. Price is also a current member of the Board of Directors for PBS Austin (KLRU-TV), Leadership Austin, SAFE Alliance, Medical Informatics Corporation, and the National LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Mellie holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from The University of Texas College of Natural Sciences and a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization from the McCombs School of Business.