UT Dallas Startups Enter the Marketplace
Alumni of the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas who received grants from the school recently presented their companies for Texas Instruments (TI) executives. Alejandro Jacobo (MS’13) and Matt Hinson (MBA’13 MS’15) presented their company Rollout, a product for accessing portable blueprints, and Nicole Mossman MS’15 presented EverThread, a company that allows users to design custom fabrics. The alumni received the grants from UT Dallas while they were still students at Jindal.
“The JSOM Startup Launch Track provides up to $25,000 in funding, but the amount is tied to completion of milestones associated with the business they are validating or launching,” explained Madison Pedigo, the director of UT Dallas’ innovation and entrepreneurship program.
To receive the funds, Hinson and Jacobo and Mossman had to convince a panel of JSOM professors that their business ideas were valid. They then had to meet specific milestones to receive additional funding.
EverThread is Mossman’s fourth startup. One of her other startups has reached $10 million in sales. EverThread aims to connect designers who want customized fabric with suppliers who will provide customized, high-end fabric in small quantities. Mossman aims to offer the service for retail as well as wholesale, giving everyone access to personalized fabrics.
Rollout plans to offer a portable blueprint product for builders and architects that allows architects to make last-minute blueprint changes that can instantly be accessed by every member of a design team.
The Startup Launch grants at the Naveen Jindal School of Management were funded in part by TI. “I really think this presentation should motivate other companies to make an investment like we did,” said Steve Lyle, the director of university and engineering workforce development programs at TI. “From a TI perspective, this investment was money well spent.”
