Austin City Council approves small-business pitch competition with UT McCombs

September 28, 2026

Austin City Council voted Thursday to authorize Austin Economic Development to partner with TEXAS Entrepreneurship in the McCombs School of Business to develop a small-business pitch competition.

The contest will focus on early-stage local businesses, with particular attention to sectors such as hospitality, creative industries and health and wellness, according to the city agenda item that accompanied the proposal.

Participants will receive pitch coaching and mentorship before the competition selects 10 finalists. Those finalists will present at a live event where a panel of judges will choose winners based on the strength of their business ideas and their potential for success.

Winners will receive cash awards, although the council has not set the amounts. City funding for the program could total as much as $250,000 over the next two years.

Mellie Price, executive director of TEXAS Entrepreneurship, said the program’s eligibility rules, application timeline, award categories and specific format are still being finalized and will be announced once the program design is complete.

Xavier Zarate, manager of the small business division at Austin Economic Development, said the competition is intended to support businesses outside Austin’s established technology sector and to connect them with resources and funding to grow. He characterized the council’s action as a continued commitment to the city’s small business community.

TEXAS Entrepreneurship brings experience running pitch contests and an existing mentor and judge network, the program’s leadership noted. The new competition will build on that organization’s Small Business Impact Program, launched in 2024, which expanded from $100,000 in its first year to $250,000 this year and has served more than 68 small businesses.

At the council meeting, resident Philip Fitzgerald expressed concern that the competition might favor university-affiliated startups and ventures that need substantial capital, rather than neighborhood businesses such as barbershops and food trucks. He urged redirecting funds toward competitions and support specifically aimed at those kinds of small businesses.

City officials and program leaders say they will release final details after completing the program design process.