MAV ROUNDUP

Pitch Perfect

MavPitch boosts promising student businesses

From matching ice cream lovers with mobile ice cream vendors to offering prefabricated home design to producing hydrogen-powered drones for powerline inspection, the 2021-22 MavPitch winning ideas run the gamut of creativity and imagination.

Ten student-led startup firms were awarded a total of $185,000 at the Maverick Entrepreneur Program and Award Fund’s MavPitch Phase II grand finale, held at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Innovation (CEEI) in August 2022.

The student entrepreneurs were recognized at one of MavPitch’s preliminary events, where they received initial funding. To be eligible for Phase II, students participated in EpICMavs Deep Dive, an initiative that incorporates other programs and community resources. With Deep Dive, the students received guidance from experienced mentors.

“It was intimidating at first to be the only woman in the program,” says Luz Lopez (’22 BFA, Art), one of the grand prize winners for her startup, Vicious Creatures, an online shop selling original designs printed on gender-neutral clothing. “The CEEI leaders helped me a lot.”

Since its establishment in 2018 with an anonymous gift from a UTA alumnus, UTA’s MavPitch has awarded over $1.4 million to 115 distinct businesses. More than 1,100 students have participated in the program.