UTRGV CIC hosts fourth annual Startup Resource Expo

By Amanda Alaniz

WESLACO, TEXAS– UTRGV’s Center for Innovation and Commercialization held its fourth annual Startup Resource Expo, offering local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to network and connect with resource-providing organizations.

The expo, free and open to the community, was held June 14 at the CIC facility in Weslaco.

Participants heard from professionals during a variety of training sessions on topics like access to funding, mentorship, marketing, legal, manufacturing, social media and app development.

The goal of the expo was to offer accessible resources and to serve as an inspirational hub for local business owners and community members interested in beginning their own projects.

Stephanie Mendez, UTRGV CIC manager, said she hopes people who visit the expo take away the knowledge that there are many readily available resources in the Rio Grande Valley.

She views the expo and the CIC as an opportunity for economic development and necessary in the Valley.

“When our community grows, and when we have more businesses open, that in turn attracts more jobs and our talented people don’t have to leave to find opportunities,” she said. “It’s a great thing. Businesses succeed, we all succeed, the economy succeeds.”

Mendez wasn’t the only one to note the potential of the Valley’s economic growth. Francisco Aldape, a UTRGV professor of economics who will start teaching at the university in the fall, said the expo was the perfect opportunity for him to begin networking and meeting colleagues.

It also was a chance for him to gather the resources available not just to the community, but to students, as well.

“I can help my students better understand what the economic opportunities are and what the drivers of the local communities are,” he said. “I was able to take away some insights into what the experts are doing, to know what they see for 10, 20 years as the potential for the community.”

The CIC’s mission is to support all individuals, including students, faculty, staff and the broader community, in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Business owner and UTRGV mathematics major Julian Jimenez understands well how helpful the CIC can be to entrepreneurs: The center helped him launch his own social networking app after attending the Pitch Academy at the CIC in 2021.

His “Meet Texas” app helps users network, matching them with other users with similar interests to create quality interactions at networking events.

Jimenez was a presenter at the expo specializing in “How to NOT Launch a Mobile App.” He said he wanted to share the mishaps and mistakes he made while working to launch Meet Texas.

“I hope I can help people not make the mistakes I made and help steer them in the right direction,” he said. “I would like to help grow the tech community in the Valley. That is my goal. I wish there was a centralized way we could come together, and I think the CIC has the potential to be that hub.”

The events hosted by CIC are focused on providing support, fostering innovation and space for people entrepreneurial aspirations. Local business owner Christie Gonzalez said she is thankful for events like the expo hosted by the CIC, as it has helped her grow her own small business.

“I’m always looking for ways to level up my business. For me creating a frictionless experience for my customers is important,” said Gonzalez, a UTRGV legacy alum and owner of mobile dance studio InnerSpark Performing Arts.

“Thanks to the services offered by the SBA, UTRGV and the Small Business Development Centers that are available, they provide excellent resources I can tap into to make my business better.”

More information about UTRGV’s Center for Innovation and Commercialization and future events visit https://www.utrgv.edu/cic/.