UNT & GSVlabs bring the world's largest virtual business incubator to North Texas
17th March 2020
The University of North Texas and GSVlabs, a Silicon Valley-based global innovation services company, have launched a technology platform intended to provide real world support for UNT students, staff, faculty and aspiring North Texas entrepreneurs who want to transform creative ideas into innovative businesses.
“Supporting entrepreneurs and equipping tomorrow’s leaders with the best tools and resources is critical for our investment in the region’s future,” said Jon McCarry, a UNT alumnus and senior director of the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
UNT Passport offers access to a global entrepreneurship community, venture capital firms and mentorship from DFW-based business owners, UNT alumni and international experts to further boost the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the North Texas area. The platform also includes a network of Denton and UNT alumni angel investors, along with programs offered through UNT’s Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The Murphy Center partners with a range of ventures, from entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to early-stage companies, while also building bridges with the investment community. The center currently supports students through mentorship opportunities with entrepreneurs who have decades of experience and success.
“Between our university and the Denton community, we have a rich environment for startups to access creativity, technology, educational support, economic growth and capital. With UNT Passport, we can support campus-based entrepreneurs and university students enabling them to communicate, collaborate and build thriving startups easily through a single seamless platform,” said Marilyn Wiley, Dean of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business.
Members of UNT Passport also participate in the world’s largest virtual incubator, GSVlabs Passport whichincludes access to a global community of more than 18,000 entrepreneurs from 140 countries, a network of more than 100 mentors and 450 investors and over $750,000 in discounts and credits from 100 leading technology service providers including AWS, IBM, Salesforce and Stripe.
“This is the type of innovation our students and our community can continue to expect from UNT as we find new ways to add value to the student experience and help them connect their ideas, creativity and talents to industry opportunities,” said Adam Fein, vice president of the Division of Digital Strategy and Innovation.
UNT is the first U.S.-based university to partner with GSVlabs, which powers some of the world’s top startup ecosystems with deployments in the United Kingdom, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. The platform will be integrated into the entrepreneurship curriculum in UNT’s G. Brint Ryan College of Business.
“Access to a global innovation ecosystem gives entrepreneurs an accelerated pathway to progress,” said Nikhil Sinha, CEO of GSVlabs. “We are excited to partner with UNT and the Murphy Center to create an enabling environment to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs in the North Texas region to realize their full potential and create breakthrough companies.”
About GSVlabs
Global Silicon Valley Labs – GSVlabs – is a worldwide innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley with over 18,000 members, 450 investors and 100+ enterprise partners in our network. Our mission is to create the world’s premier global innovation platform — empowering entrepreneurs and democratizing innovation around the world. We create powerful network effects by supporting entrepreneurs, connecting startups and investors and enabling innovation in the world’s largest companies. We catalyze the world’s innovation ecosystem and throughout innovation centers and our online platform Passport™, we connect Silicon Valley to the World and the World to Silicon Valley.