Entrepreneurial Surge
Summer Program Sees 4X Growth in Fellowship Applications
the startup Energy Umbrella. The team is working on a portable battery pack with solar panels to
provide an independent power source for families facing unreliable sources of electricity.
After seeing how frequent power outages were affecting her relatives in India, McCombs junior Sahana Raj was determined to find a solution. She created the Energy Umbrella startup and was joined by three other students committed to the project.
“We were all united in our understanding of power outages in India and passionate about solving for energy inequality and reliability,” she says. Besides Raj as CEO, the team is made up of Chief Operations Officer Sahas Chinni, Chief Technology Officer Avinash Namachivayam, and technical team member Pramod Nittala. Raj is studying management information systems; Chinni is a finance senior; Namachivayam is a master’s student in electrical engineering; and Nittala is a mechanical engineering sophomore.
The Energy Umbrella is a portable battery pack with solar panels that open for charging and close for storage or transportation. The pod has five USB ports for charging phones or laptops, or for running lights and fans.
The students’ project was one of 11 that received a McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship for 2024. The fellowships, totaling $24,750 this year, are funded by alumni donors and the Harkey Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. The prize of $1,250 to $3,000 helps innovative students to continue building their startups during the summer.
Colin Ellis, assistant director of the Harkey Institute, notes that the number of applicants for the fellowship had jumped from eight in 2023 — its inaugural year — to 31 in 2024. There were five winners last year. That big increase in student interest mirrors the continuing growth of entrepreneurship activities across campus, he says.
The projects also represent a remarkable variety of business ideas, he says, and he pointed out that students had presented strong proposals, regardless of their stage of development. “This highlights the quality of our student body, their intellect and creativity, as well as their work ethic,” Ellis says. “These qualities combine to build a strong entrepreneurship community among the undergraduates at UT, one that is only getting better.”
The funds for the awards came from the Thomas S. Smith Excellence Fund in Entrepreneurship and the Joel and Anna Bauman Family Endowed Excellence Fund in Entrepreneurship. Judges were selected from Harkey Institute mentors and community members.
To be eligible to apply, undergraduate students must attend school full time, must have completed four semesters of coursework, and must be actively engaged in startup development, spanning from ideation to scaling. They can be from any college or major.
Applicants are required to prepare a five-minute pitch video, to find a faculty adviser for the summer, and to complete the online application. Projects are judged on their stage of development, their viability or the creation of a prototype, milestones for the summer, the allocation of funds, and the impact of the fellowship on the venture’s development. Applicants are encouraged to have a well-thought-out business plan, a persuasive pitch, attainable goals and metrics, and an infectious passion for their vision.
a junior in finance, and her mother started the company during the pandemic in 2020.
They intend to use the prize for expansion.
Another winner for 2024 was the online clothing retailer Coco de Chom. Chomtale Chitsakul, a junior in finance, and her mother, Hathaichanok Thunyawikai, started the company during the pandemic in 2020. They intend to use the prize for expansion.
“We’re more than just a mother and daughter, though,” Chitsakul says. “We are also best friends.” And that bond was strengthened while they were in Dallas during the COVID-19 lockdown. They wanted to put that time to good use and created a business that sells artisanal beach maxi dresses, tie-dye kimonos, kaftans, and resort wear, as well as accessories.
The company emphasizes its commitment to sustainability through small-batch production, minimal packaging, fair wages to their Thai workers, and support for the Foundation for Children in Thailand. A portion of each sale goes toward funding vegetable, mushroom, and chicken farming, as well as other local projects.
McCombs students were also involved in five other projects that received funding this year:
Sups
Rehan Rupawalla, BBA ’23, and his team describe their project as an AI college admissions tutor squeezed into a website. It helps keep track of college application essays, among other things.
Gazelle
Amod Daherkar, a management senior, and his team are working on a platform that will allow easy access to and analysis of geospatial data and Earth observations, as well as the creation of reports.
Thrive Education
Rohan Patel, BBA ’24, and his team are working on a health care service to help diabetic patients, doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies with education.
Cura
Aakriti Kama, a business analytics senior, is working to help caregivers who care for family members with a lifestyle tracker, personalized health plans, and other resources.
Bloom Technologies
Ruthvik Jonna, a senior in management information systems, and his team are working to fundamentally change sustainability management for businesses worldwide.
