UT Will Host Annual SEED Challenge Final Pitch on April 10

The Austin community is invited to watch student-led impact ventures vie for $15,000

The Global Sustainability Leadership Institute (GSLI) at The University of Texas at Austin invites the public to the sixth annual SEED Challenge Final Pitch on April 10 at Robert B. Rowling Hall on the UT campus. Registration is free.

The event will showcase six startups founded by graduate and undergraduate students tackling real-world social and environmental challenges as they compete for $15,000 in awards. The winning team also earns a spot in the City of Austin’s Circular Economy Accelerator and a trip to the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge in May for a chance to win more than $65,000.

2025 finalist ventures are Panacea, Solar Max, Austin Carbon Exchange, Brazo, Caelus, and Cura.

These finalists represent a larger pool of 21 ventures that participated in this year’s Sustainability Education and Enterprise Development (SEED) program. SEED empowers UT student innovators to create and commercialize solutions to some of the world’s toughest sustainability challenges. Since its inception in 2020, SEED has launched several successful student ventures, including Gazelle Ecosolutions, Verified Carbon, Ethicarat, and Merge Conflict Studio. SEED alumni companies have raised more than $1 million in investment funds.

The program provides workshops, online materials, and mentorship to all who sign up, regardless of their eligibility to compete for funding. Students who choose not to continue their ventures can use their new systems thinking and human-centered design skills in almost any career.

Final Pitch event organizers encourage investors and entrepreneurship mentors to attend for networking opportunities with the companies’ founders. Dinner will be provided for the first 75 guests, and attendees may vote for an Audience Choice winner.