Tech Launch 2025
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TechLaunch: From invention to impact
TechLaunch 2025 kicks off this September 2025, with the first cohort of entrepreneurial teams already selected.
Over two months, participants will take part in an intensive, hands-on training experience that combines online workshops, weekly feedback sessions, and a fully funded in-person Closing Week at The University of Texas at Austin.
Highlights:
- Advanced training program inspired by the NSF I-Corps™ model:
Certified U.S. instructors guide participants through deep customer discovery, helping them test the market potential of their research-driven technologies. - Fully funded week at UT Austin:
Teams will travel to Austin for the program’s final stage, where they’ll present their work, connect with mentors and stakeholders, and refine their commercialization strategies.
TechLaunch’25 – Portugal
Schedule At-A-Glance | Fall 2025
September 19 – November 14, 2025
Please note : All sessions will be held virtually, except the Closing Workshop. All times are in Western European Summer Time (WEST) until 26 October, and in Western European Time (WET) after.
Friday, 19 September 2025
4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Lisbon time)
- Log in and connection check-in
- Introduction & Welcome
- Preparing for Interviews
- Logistics & Tools Tutorial
From 4:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Log in to Zoom and check your connection
From 5:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. – Introduction and welcome remarks
From 5:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Preparing for interviews
From 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Tools and logistics tutorial (LPC & Google Drive)
Monday to Friday, 6–10 October 2025
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Lisbon time, WEST)
Monday, 6 October 2025
• 2:45 p.m. – Zoom check-in
• 3:00 p.m. – Opening Remarks and Team introductions
• 4:30 p.m. – Break
• 4:45 p.m. – Lecture: Business Model Canvas
• 5:30 p.m. – Workshop: Best practices for customer discovery
• 6:45 p.m. – Q&A
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
• Interview Day (minimum 5 interviews per team)
• Office Hours: 20 mins/team
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
• 2:45 p.m. – Zoom check-in
• 3:00 p.m. – Opening Remarks and Team Presentations (10 mins/team)
• 4:20 p.m. – Break
• 4:45 p.m. – Lecture and Workshop: Customer Segments & Ecosystems
• 6:45 p.m. – Q&A
Thursday, 9 October 2025
• Interview Day (minimum 7 interviews per team)
• Office Hours: 20 mins/team
Friday, 10 October 2025
• 2:45 p.m. – Zoom check-in
• 3:00 p.m. – Opening Remarks and Team Presentations (10 mins/team)
• 4:45 p.m. – Lecture and Workshop: Value Propositions
• 6.30 p.m. – Q&A + Prep for Webinars
Fridays: 17, 24, 31 October & 7 November 2025
4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Lisbon time, WET)
Weekly Webinars – Fridays: 17, 24, 31 October & 7 November
Time: 4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Lisbon time, WET)
Format: Each session includes team presentations and a themed lecture/workshop led by one instructor.
October 17
• Team Presentations (Breakout Rooms)
• Workshop: Customer Relationships
October 24
• Team Presentations
• Workshop: Channels
October 31
• Team Presentations
• Workshop: Revenue Streams
November 7
• Final Presentation Overview
• Team Presentations
• Storytelling Workshop
Monday to Friday, 10–14 November 2025 (In person at UT Austin)
Closing Week at UT Austin
In-person, Austin, Texas (CST)
Monday, 10 November 2025
In-person – Austin, TX (Texas Innovation Center – EER Building)
• 10:00–11:00 a.m. – Welcome Breakfast (hosted by UT Austin Team)
Google Maps Location
Website
• 11:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. – Kick-off: Customer discovery activities & site visits (tentative)
Tuesday–Wednesday, 11–12 November 2025
Ongoing
• Customer discovery activities
• Site visits with local stakeholders
Thursday, 13 November 2025
• 1:00–1:30 p.m. – Welcome back
• 1:30–2:30 p.m. – Communicating your story
• 2:30–3:00 p.m. – Break
• 3:00–6:15 p.m. – One-on-one team meetings with instructors
• 6:15–6:30 p.m. – Closing logistics
Friday, 14 November 2025
• 10:00–10:30 a.m. – Welcome back
• 10:30–11:50 a.m. – Final presentations (12 min + 3 min Q&A per team)
• 11:50–12:45 p.m. – Lunch
• 12:45–2:05 p.m. – Final presentations (continued)
• 2:05–2:20 p.m. – Break
• 2:20–3:00 p.m. – What’s next
• 3:00–3:30 p.m. – Official program closing
Overview
The UT Austin Portugal Program encourages entrepreneurial thinking in academic research and supports the development of a strong innovation environment across Portugal.
TechLaunch is an advanced, hands-on entrepreneurship bootcamp that helps researchers and innovators explore how their technologies can create real-world impact.
Participants go through two months of online training, workshops and weekly presentations. They carry out over 100 customer discovery interviews and receive focused feedback from experienced instructors trained under the U.S. NSF I-Corps model.
The program ends with a fully funded, in-person week at UT Austin. During this final stage, teams present their work, reflect on lessons learned and engage with the U.S. startup and innovation community.
TechLaunch helps participants understand the value of their research, test its relevance in the market and take practical steps toward commercialization.
What can you expect from this advanced training program
Nine out of ten startups fail.
More than 40% fail because there’s no real market need for what they built.
TechLaunch is here to help you avoid that.
Through hands-on training and live customer discovery, you’ll learn the ropes of entrepreneurship by doing the work founders do. Each week, you’ll pitch, gather feedback, refine your model, and build a clearer picture of how your research can solve real problems.
By the end of the program, you’ll walk away with:
- A tested and refined value proposition
- Deep insight into your target customers and markets
- A realistic path toward commercialization
- And the mindset to think beyond the lab and into the real world
This isn’t just about learning, it’s about proving your idea belongs out there.
Instructors
Executive Director, Southwest I-Corps Hub
The University of Texas at Austin
Aprille leads the Southwest I-Corps Hub and teaches in NSF’s national I-Corps programs and U.S. SBIR bootcamps.
Before joining UT Austin, she served at the U.S. Department of State, supporting global science and tech cooperation.
Her career spans roles as senior counsel in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and as a foreign affairs officer.
Aprille also serves on the boards of SXSW Pitch and TUNIE, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across Texas.
She holds a JD from Tulane University and a BA in Communication from Saint Mary’s College, with a Peace Studies focus from Notre Dame.
Program Manager, Southwest I-Corps | Director, TEXVMS
The University of Texas at Austin
Weston is a certified NSF I-Corps instructor and experienced startup founder with multiple exits. He has helped guide over 1,800 teams through the I-Corps program and has supported early-stage commercialization across DeepTech, life sciences, and renewables.
He’s also an investor and commercialization reviewer for NSF’s SBIR/STTR program, and has trained teams across multiple I-Corps Hubs. Weston holds both an MBA and BBA from Texas Tech and is fluent in Mandarin.
Teaching Assistant, Southwest I-Corps Hub
The University of Texas at Austin
Jessica Fleenor is a leader in venture acceleration and startup program design. She directs OwlSpark, Rice University’s tech and small business accelerator, where she oversees strategy, operations, and founder support.
She also founded BlueLaunch, Rice Alliance’s first initiative for non-tech entrepreneurs, which she later integrated into OwlSpark as a dedicated track to expand its reach.
Jessica plays a key role in delivering the NSF I-Corps™ program across Texas, training research teams in customer discovery and commercialization. With a strong background in strategic planning, ecosystem development, and operational execution, she helps entrepreneurs build sustainable, high-impact ventures.
Eligible Applicants:
To join TechLaunch, you must apply as a team of 2 to 4 people based in Portugal and affiliated with:
- University
- Research lab
- Interface institution
- Company conducting R&D
Your team must include at least:
- 1 Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)
- 1 Technical Lead (TL)
You may also include a:
- Team Mentor (TM)
- Co-ELs, Co-TLs or Co-TMs if needed
Who fills each role?
Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)
- Usually a PhD student, postdoc, or staff member with a deep interest in exploring the market for your tech.
- They’ll lead the business discovery process.
Technical Lead (TL)
- A faculty member or senior researcher with expertise in the technology.
- The TL serves as the team’s Principal Investigator.
Team Mentor (TM)
- An external advisor with entrepreneurial experience and familiarity with startup ecosystems.
- The TM supports the team with strategy and real-world perspective.
Other Team Requirements:
Commitment
TechLaunch is fast-paced and intensive. All team members must be available to:
- Attend every session (no absences unless due to force majeure)
- Complete a minimum of 100 customer discovery interviews
- Dedicate time outside of sessions for research, interviews, and team syncs
There are no tuition fees, but the real cost is your time and focus. Make sure your full team can commit.
Deep Tech Innovation
Your business idea must be based on:
- A technology emerging from research, development or innovation (R&D&I)
- A clear plan to explore real-world application or commercialization
- Sufficient technical knowledge within the team to explain and iterate on the innovation
Intellectual Property
Your team must have the right to work with or explore the market potential of the technology, including:
- Permission to apply, test, or modify the solution
- No outstanding IP issues that block discovery or future development
Application Period
Applications for the 2025 edition of TechLaunch are now closed.
The selected teams will begin their journey in September 2025, with virtual sessions followed by an in-person Closing Week at UT Austin.
Want to join a future edition? Stay tuned for updates on our next call.
Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn to be notified when applications reopen.
Success Stories
Check out the latest success story of a UT Austin Portugal team admitted into NSF’s I-CorpsTM program: Advancing Cancer Treatment: UT Austin Team Pioneers Real-Time Proton Therapy Monitoring
Curious about other success cases? Click here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
(Click on the left side boxes for an overview of each FAQs’ content)
Deep technology (deep tech) describes technologically based enterprises that work to overcome scientific and/or engineering challenges through fostering innovative solutions and approaches. Deep tech centers research and development focused on the successful commercialization of innovative ideas and valuable intellectual property.
Each team should have 2 to 4 members. There are three types of team members: Entrepreneurial Lead (EL), Technical Lead (TL), and Team Mentor (TM), plus any additional co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs), co-Technical Leads (co-TLs), or co-Team Mentors (co-TMs). At least one EL and one TL are mandatory for a team to be elegible.
Entrepreneurial Leads should be a postdoctoral scholar, graduate, or other student or other personnel with relevant knowledge of the technology and a deep commitment to investigate the commercial landscape surrounding the innovation. This role is responsible for the transition of technology should the project demonstrate the potential for commercial viability.
The Technical Lead will typically be a faculty member, senior research scientist, or postdoctoral scholar with technical expertise in the team’s technology. This role also serves as the proposal Principal Investigator (PI).
The Team Mentor will typically be an experienced entrepreneur with proximity to the institution and previous experience in transitioning technology out of academic labs and into the commercialization process; they must be a third-party resource. This role is responsible for advising the team through the TechLaunch process and helping the team navigate the business ecosystem.
In most cases, teams perform better if they have a TM. Hence, TMs are highly recommended but not mandatory. Teams do not have to identify a mentor prior to program application. Teams can apply with one EL and one TL and try to find a TM before the bootcamp’s kickoff.
If a faculty member does not have the time to participate in the TechLaunch bootcamp, they can consider involving a co-investigator or collaborator who can take on the role of the Technical Lead (TL) or Principal Investigator (PI). The TL/PI is responsible for representing the academic/research institution/company and overseeing the project. It is crucial to identify someone who has the necessary time availability, expertise, and commitment to fulfill the responsibilities of the TL/PI role.
TechLaunch teams will have 2-4 members who can participate in all interviews, office hours, and online sessions workshops, and customer discovery efforts; proficiency in the research or innovation, with an idea to incorporate it into a product or service; and the rights to practice intellectual property. Teams must have at least one EL and one TL.
The innovation or research should be R&D&I-based intellectual property; demonstrate promise for commercialization; and/or be a “deep tech discovery” from fundamental STEM-based research.
Past Info Session
The UT Austin Portugal Program organized an Online Info Session on October 23, 2024.
Contacts
Have a question about TechLaunch?
Marco Bravo
Co-Principal Investigator and Executive Director at UT Austin
bravo@austin.utexas.edu
Feel free to reach out – Marco and the team are happy to help.