Causes: Business & Industry, Microfinance, Small Business Development, Technology

Mission: Tech fort worth encourages the development of the technology business community by helping regional entrepreneurs commercialize innovative technology.

Programs: Core client programs: during 2014, 16 clients participated in the incubation workshop and about 30 clients participated in the acceleration program. Both programs are for companies that own proprietary technology. In the acceleration program, there are further requirements that the founder must be working full-time in the business and that the tech fort worth staff believe in the company's plan and believe they can help the founder to achieve the plan. The goal of incubation workshop is to develop the best business model to move the technology to market: the goal of acceleration is to make it happen, through customized efforts to refine the plan, refer the company to appropriate management, consultants, or others, help the company find appropriate funding, etc. Acceleration clients are allowed to lease space during times when they need that space to implement their plans. Some clients may also lease wet lab space and utilize other resources at the unt health science center.

impact awards: 2014 was the 6th year for this program, which recognizes "new companies with new technologies that are going to change our world. " this program serves to make more entrepreneurs aware of the services we offer to help them start and grow their technology-based businesses and give many of them visibility in the business community, which we hope will result in more resources being made available to them. At the luncheon event, a keynote speaker spoke and videos of the three highlighted tech fort worth clients were shown to the audience. The publication about the event was seen by about 50,000 subscribers of the fort worth business press. In 2014, we had about 300 luncheon attendees.

cowtown angels: this program was started in september 2012 to create a mechanism whereby local technology-based businesses can gain access to local funding by private investors. In 2014, 32 credited investors paid an annual fee, which entitles them to participate in monthly meetings where the investors hear pitches from local companies. Tech fort worth coaches the applying companies so that they present their business plan well, provides feedback to the applying companies before and after their pitches, and facilitates all of the meetings for the members of the angel network. Each investor makes his or her own investing decisions.

attendance fees for miscellaneous luncheon speaker events, usually $10 per person.