Events across Valley announced for RGV Startup Week 2025

The eight-day, free and open to the public RGV Startup Week 2025 kicks off April 25-27 in Harlingen with a three-day Startup Boot Camp at the Texas State Technical College Welcome Center.

Sponsored by Methodist United Healthcare Ministries and VelocityTX, a San Antonio-based bio-science-innovation nonprofit, the event will feature intensive training for new entrepreneurs, providing hands-on learning in business fundamentals and startup-business acceleration.

On April 28, a “fireside chat” with former president of Mexico Vicente Fox takes place at 10 a.m. at the Texas Performing Arts Center in Brownsville. The moderators conversation will focus on “broader forces shaping entrepreneurship along the U.S.–Mexico border,” according to the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, of BCIC, which launched Startup Week last year

Although Startup Week sessions and events are free, registration is required, and the Vicente Fox talk requires an additional ticket that can be purchased via chatwithfox.eventbrite.com.

The evening of April 28, the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization in Brownsville will host two Signature Sessions, featuring talks by Jean Claude Tissot, president of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, and Irving A. Perez, senior apparel designer for Adidas. The day ends with The Failure Institute Vol. 4, presented by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, which collaborates with BCIC on the eBridge Center and Startup Week, at Pluton Brewery in downtown Brownsville.

“This unfiltered and impactful session invites experienced business owners to share candid stories of setbacks and resilience, offering valuable insights to current and aspiring entrepreneurs,” BCIC said.

On April 29, the eBridge Center will host Insights Unplugged, a special edition of the eBridge Talks panel series, focused on “social media and influencers.” Later that evening, “2 Minutes for $2,000” open pitch competition makes its debut, sponsored by eBridge program graduate Supply Pay, which has raised more than $20 million in capital and has turned around to support “early-stage founders” through the high-energy pitch competition, according to BCIC.

On April 30, McAllen and Weslaco will host $2 Million Cups,” co-hosted by McAllen and Brownsville in partnership with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. Next comes an E-Commerce Express workshop centering on “actionable strategies for scaling online businesses,” BCIC said. The day ends in Weslaco with a Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase at the UTRGV Center for Innovation and Commercialization.

International trade, logistics and cross-border commerce are the focus of sessions taking place in Pharr and Mission on May 1. The Pharr Global Business Hub and the Mission Center for Education and Economic Development will host events featuring discussions on trade strategies and logistics operations.

Also, Mission’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent and Trademark Resources Center will be inaugurated on May 1, with lunch sponsored by Harmony Insurance. The center will offer resources for “innovators seeking to protect their intellectual property and expand their global reach,” according to BCIC.

The eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization’s logo greets visitors Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Brownsville. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)

On May 2, Startup Week returns to Brownsville to close out the week with a day of events at the eBridge Center.

“HER Texas returns with a powerful series of sessions and tools aimed at supporting women-owned businesses in the RGV, building on the overwhelming success of last year’s programming,” BCIC said.

Harmony Insurance will sponsor a lunch and official inauguration of Brownsville’s own USPTO resource center, followed by sessions led by USPTO experts. The week concludes with the Frontera Leadership Institute Demo Day, a chance for young innovators and “change-makers” to showcase skills learned through leadership and product-management training, and pitch business ideas they have developed throughout the program.

Dozens of panels, sessions and pop-ups will take place during the week in addition to the flagship events, according to BCIC. Go to rgvstartup.com for more information and to register.

RGV Startup Week 2025 is being presented by Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages.

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