Bryan-College Station

Startup Grind-Aggieland is a late 2018 spinout chapter from Texas A&M University, open to participants from the community and campus ages 18 and older. Our chapter is among the oldest chapters worldwide, originally launched in late 2014 at the globally ranked Startup Aggieland accelerator by freshmen at Texas A&M University. Startup Grind-Aggieland has been based in Bryan, TX since Nov. 2018. 

Some of our fun speakers at past Startup Grind-Aggieland's free meetups:

https://youtu.be/OntLcRuLNnU?si=c-0cBAo6p44QBwrb (Terrence Murphy)

https://youtu.be/EyVa93XfvzM?si=ShPgt0qomjy8ESoj (Emily Huskinson)

https://youtu.be/wiEdcW0Kcvg?si=bjOyJ4eqyUHtnTfC (John Hill/Techstars)

https://youtu.be/EnMVrVvqbq0?si=hCpIbzoPfmRe3SaR (Mark Bowles)

https://youtu.be/uqt13Xcoslo?si=zW7MCImg4JYgTNms (Ray Rothrock)

https://youtu.be/g-UR33swols?si=W774VvtCWPaQBnrr (James Benham)

https://youtu.be/rGImzRVdo4k?si=pYqCKDgdjiIVrGgE (Mike Francis)

https://youtu.be/jtc7stG3tTU?si=XRf9RWkytDk7Vzhb (William "Whurley" Hurley)

https://youtu.be/Nu6nZ3vlRsE?si=oLh7-IYY4jOoXR4J (Brevo from Belgium)

https://youtu.be/AikYA551QOA?si=wXRJAq408BKB-qTY (Jason Martinez)

https://youtu.be/zBhElsHuK28?si=O02Q7k0Dflt5ogYg (Blake & Brandon Shirk)

https://youtu.be/co3Un4cY0TE?si=gCGOoQAq7h7pUing (Mike Bray from England)

https://youtu.be/xZfMOkyA5Ms?si=ETDHtubuKymwi88v (Dana Rygwelski-Wildeboer)

https://youtu.be/Fze_w1FWqiw?si=zPOr4hScommQbmrj (Mike Troy)

https://youtu.be/aDkUSF8ro2E?si=TMPO0lT4HeugsVj6 (Michael Girdley)

Startup Grind Goes to Class - A sampling of fireside chats hosted for Texas A&M University students:

https://youtu.be/TVw99c3UPSA?si=cOmkQPC6jH7C2REc (Mark Bowles, Chris Westfall, Jonathan Samuel, etc.)

https://youtu.be/QquK_jUsYLw?si=j5P7gKxzNN5sA6ea (Matt Harris, Rene Graham etc.)

https://youtu.be/PgWdSxSrjxA?si=wYogoswuIRdFU3y8 (RaShaun Brown, Tom Jackson, Kerry Rupp, etc.)

https://youtu.be/tt1WL-fhgcU?si=tcQ3BzYwYYEKlHQ0 (Aggie Football Coach RC Slocum)

https://youtu.be/7h3jHpIT_FE?si=oVrlnBcr_ae0sfwt (Larry Warnock and Christopher Bybee)

____________

Startup Grind offers six to 12 events annually with featured guest entrepreneurs or venture capitalists, generally from the Aggie Network in the tech sector but not always. Meetups offer networking, free beverages and occasionally appetizers or desserts. Meetups feature a Fireside Chat, often moderated by Spencer Clements -- CEO of William Cole Co. William Cole Co. manages the Traditions Golf Club and other parts of the 1,000-acre Lake Walk, TX, mixed-use development at the heart of a QOZ in the Bryan Tech Corridor (surrounded by Texas A&M University on three sides). 

The live-work-play "community within a community" on the border between College Station and Bryan, TX, is designed for young adults and professionals who want a better quality of life near where high-paying jobs and tech startup resources are both readily available for Aggies and others at the heart of the Texas Triangle. The Tech Corridor is home to some of Brazos County's largest local employers, including FuiiFilm Diosynth Technologies. Also located in this area is the Texas A&M University Men's and Women's Golf Teams, as well as the Texas A&M University Parson's Mounted Calvary. The Texas A&M Equestrian Center is across FM 2819 from Tech Corridor and A&M's Easterwood Airport. The entire area is officially designated as "Aggieland" by City of Bryan with a road sign. 

____________

Startup Grind offers student internship and leadership opportunities but is now managed by a volunteer team of entrepreneurs led by Director Shelly Brenckman and Assistant Director David Smith. The Aggieland Chapter has grown so large that the global headquarters in Redwood City, California, has designated our chapter as a Startup Grind X Chapter. We bridge campus and community to the global startup and venture scene. Since 2013, Startup Grind HQ has grown to 650+ chapters worldwide and offers global conferences annually. 

Startup Grind's motto: Make friends, not contacts. Startup Aggieland graduates Matt Lohstroh and Grant Weston served as student co-assistant directors in Bryan-College Station for 2019-2020. Prior to 2019-2020, student co-assistant directors for 2014-2015 were McCalley Cunningham and Brooke Byrum. In 2015-2016, student co-assistant directors were Austin Tankersley and Christopher Bybee. In 2016-2017, student co-assistant directors were Christopher Bybee and Claire McDougall. In 2018-2019, Adam Valenta and Grant Weston served as student assistant co-directors. In 2018-2020, Taylor Curran and Alon Farkas served as student officers. Student officers have included Omar Guzman, Lauren Smith and Travis Pfleeger. 

____________

Our chapter hosts an average of 6-8 fireside chats annually plus a variety of events. All events and meetups are free. No membership dues required. Student interns may qualify for free trips to the annual Startup Grind Global Conference in Silicon Valley by volunteering their time to host events for the local startup community on and off campus (or other trips). Non-students are also qualified to attend the Startup Grind Global Conference in individually or with the chapter based on attendance and participation in events. More than 75 Aggies have attended the conferences as our guests from Startup Grind-Aggieland. 

Startup Grind is available in most metropolitan cities, although many chapters charge admission. Our chapter meetup videos are available on the parent organization's YouTube channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/StartupGrindLocal/videos