Nearly 30 UT San Antonio students expanded their entrepreneurial skills this fall in a hands-on program offered by the university’s Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement.
The effort required plenty of coffee.
The Start-Up Academy, a 10-week program in entrepreneurship fundamentals, gave the students an opportunity to learn the basics in real time as they built their own businesses.
Participants in this year’s Start-Up Academy formed seven teams and worked to develop a coffee business. Teams started out with identical materials, including a base coffee inventory and access to a digital sales platform to sell their product.
With that, the students then spent the semester developing a coffee brand, each with a unique backstory, branding and business plan.
To help jumpstart their coffee business, students attended weekly interactive workshops led by local business owners and entrepreneurs from various industries who led sessions in marketing, developing a business model and financial literacy. The teams applied these skills to their own budding businesses.
“From attracting customers and generating sales, to reinvesting profits and even dealing with setbacks, these students are gaining valuable real-world experience as they work together to create their own businesses,” said Najim Center Senior Program Manager Anna Almaraz ’22, MBA ’25.
In November, the teams debuted their coffee brands at the Side Hustle Market held at the Student Union. Hosted by the Najim Center, the event gave students a chance to showcase their original products and businesses in a pop-up marketplace alongside other students and alumni with entrepreneurial businesses.
Proceeds from coffee sales at the Side Hustle Market and throughout the semester, which came to $375, were donated to local nonprofit Autism Community Network.
“It’s really cool because we get to learn about entrepreneurship, how to build a business and what it takes to make a business, while helping our community,” said freshman Fiorella Samaniego, a Start-Up Academy participant.
Since the program debuted in 2023, more than 70 students have completed the Start-Up Academy.
As program manager, Almaraz led the growing program this fall. An entrepreneur and former participant in several Najim Center programs, the two-time UT San Antonio graduate brought her unique perspective and experience to meet the needs of current students.
“It has truly been a full-circle moment for me to lead the Start-Up Academy,” she said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how much our academy has grown, and it’s been such an honor to be able to pass my entrepreneurial knowledge to future entrepreneurs and innovators within our community.”
The Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement, a unit within Career-Engaged Learning, strives to make entrepreneurship accessible to students regardless of their background, academic major or previous experience.
The center’s extensive programming and network of community partners help promote students’ career readiness by providing real-world learning experiences that give them an advantage when entering the workforce.
