News - Southwest I-Corps

April 23, 2026

I-Corps SW Hub Startups Shine at 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition

HOUSTON, TX – The NSF I-Corps Southwest Hub is proud to announce that two of its participant teams achieved top-tier success at the 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC), held April 9-11 at ...

April 20, 2026

From a Rice University Lab to a Global Award-Winner: The Solidec Story

When an idea moves from a college laboratory to a multi-million dollar business, it’s a big deal. That is exactly what is happening with Solidec, a Houston-based startup that began in the research ...

March 25, 2026

Aurum Tech Advances Sustainable Soil Solutions for Arid Environments Through NSF I-Corps

Through NSF I-Corps, Aurum Tech evolved from a technical concept into a market-informed venture with real-world potential. Founded by Dr. Joshua Ortiz and Gabriel Garcia and supported by the ...

January 8, 2026

Innovation to Commercialization Through NSF I-Corps

Through the NSF I-Corps program, the Virtual Lung Solutions team at Texas A&M won two national awards and took significant strides toward commercialization while sharpening their entrepreneurial ...

June 3, 2025

Empowering the Future of Neural Interfaces: Dr. Ifana Mahbub’s Team Completes NSF National I-Corps with Wireless Neuromodulation Innovation

The University of Texas at Dallas is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of Dr. Ifana Mahbub and her research team, who recently completed the National Science Foundation’s prestigious National ...

May 26, 2025

Soft Exosuit Technology Advances to NSF National I-Corps Program

Drs. Nicholas (Nick) Fey and Ross Neuman, an associate professor and postdoctoral scholar, respectively, in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Texas Robotics Consortium at The ...

April 11, 2025

Dr. Gabriel Cossio’s Team Selected for Prestigious NSF National I-Corps Program

[caption id="attachment_25942" align="alignright" width="152"] Dr. Gabriel Cossio - Entrepreneurial Lead[/caption] Dr. Gabriel Cossio, founder of Nanoscale Labs and a current Activate Fellow, has ...

December 19, 2024

Oil Spill Prevention System Shaped by I-Corps Training

Early on the morning of Aug. 29, 2005, the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina cascaded into the Murphy Oil Refinery in Chalmette. An above-ground storage tank holding 65,000 barrels of oil stood in ...

November 20, 2024

I-Corps Leads to New Business Path

Startup pivots from biodegradable plastic to nutraceuticals LSU Biological Sciences Associate Professor Naohiro Kato never intended to go into the nutraceutical business. He created a business, ...

November 20, 2024

Innovating Beyond Challenges: How I-Corps Helped One Researcher Pivot to Success

One of the hardest lessons researchers learn from the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps (I-Corps) training is that their brilliant invention, the sector-disrupting innovation they spent ...

October 28, 2024

UT Austin Professor Dr. Wei Li Accepted into NSF National I-Corps Program for Innovative Dysphagia Monitoring Wearable Device

Dr. Wei Li of UT Austin has recently been accepted into the prestigious National Science Foundation's National I-Corps™ program, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of healthcare ...

September 18, 2024

Texas Proof of Concept Awards Program Deploys Over $1 Million in UT Austin Innovations, Supporting NSF I-Corps Teams

The University of Texas at Austin continues to be a powerhouse for innovation, thanks in part to the Texas Proof of Concept Awards program, which plays a pivotal role in advancing cutting-edge ...