Posted on January 19, 2011 by Christi Fish
To help solo entrepreneurs and established companies commercialize new technologies, the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE) will host the Jackson Walker Technology Entrepreneurship Boot Camp from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 29 in the Business Building University Room (2.06.04) on the UTSA Main Campus.
The daylong boot camp will offer participants an intensive crash course on the commercialization of new technologies. Throughout the day, experts will discuss fundamental technology entrepreneurship topics such as identifying an opportunity; securing start-up funds and organizing a new business; business planning and pitching; protecting intellectual property; and marketing an innovative idea.
UTSA alumnus and entrepreneur Vinicio Montes ’04 will be the keynote speaker at the boot camp. Montes is the founder and CEO of NERD Beverage Corp., which offers the NERD focus beverage throughout the United States. Montes created the beverage while he was a UTSA pre-med student and commercialized it by raising initial capital from family members and further developing its formula. In 2009, NERD was ranked the year’s best-tasting and best-performing energy drink by EnergyFiend.com.
The CITE Entrepreneurship Boot Camp is co-sponsored by the UTSA College of Business, College of Engineering and Office of the Vice President for Research, and Startech.
Registration is free for UTSA students, faculty and staff as well as students and faculty from other higher education institutions. The cost for the general public is $95 and can be paid by cash or check the day of the event.
To register, visit the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship website or call 210-458-5782.
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About Vinicio Montes
While taking 17 college credits, working 40 to 50 hours a week and studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), UTSA alumnus Vinicio Montes had trouble balancing his workload, which would often take him deep into the late-night hours. Montes began formulating NERD in his apartment to help him focus on his studies.
After letting a few friends taste NERD, word got out. The demand became so high that Montes began manufacturing the focus beverage and started selling it from the back of his pick-up truck. Within three years of the company’s conception, NERD Beverage Corp. topped $1 million in revenue. Concurrently, the company awarded 15 scholarships to college students as part of its commitment to give back to the community.
About the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship
The UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE) is an interdisciplinary center in the College of Business and College of Engineering. The center fosters the growth of entrepreneurs and new technology-based ventures through education, experiences, resources and support.
— Christi Fish
