For over 35 years, the Texas Research Technology Foundation (TRTF) has been successfully promoting and developing emerging technologies and the life science industry in the San Antonio area. In that time, it has established strong relationships within and become an integral part of the innovation ecosystem.
In 2010, TRTF established the McDermott Pre-Seed Fund to provide early stage funding to small and startup ventures and the McDermott Legacy Fund to continue investing in emerging technology ventures. To date, the Fund has invested in 31 small, growing bioscience and technology ventures, either through direct investment, or through investment in local venture capital funds.
In 2017, TRTF purchased the five-acre Merchant Ice complex which is located near Ft. Sam Houston. The Merchant Ice complex is being developed as an innovation center and includes an accelerator/incubator
TRTF’s primary purpose and objective is to establish a strategy centered around propelling economic growth in biotechnology especially focused on local start-ups and entrepreneurial development. A robust and growing life science industry is critical to San Antonio’s future economic success and is dependent on the community’s support of a thriving entrepreneurial culture and the ecosystem we invest in.
Our flagship initiative will be the development of physical space – the VelocityTX Innovation Center. Through VelocityTX, a subsidiary of TRTF, this innovation superhub will create a nexus of expertise designed to facilitate access to local resources which launch, accelerate, and incubate innovative technologies, especially those related to the life sciences and military missions. The ultimate desire is to have a world-class superhub of innovative activity as a part of an innovation district for science and technology that benefits the San Antonio community, the life science ecosystem, the military, and the network of partners.
The purposes of VelocityTX are to: (1) stimulate company research, development, and formation; (2) encourage economic development and attract companies in the high-tech, life sciences and biotech industries (3) improve and diversify the economy; (4) create high-paying and high-tech jobs; and (5) leverage life science, high-technology and biotech assets within the city of San Antonio and across the region.
1. Be honest 2. Provide Fair Treatment 3. Demonstrating Strong Moral Principals 4. Building Trust Through Every Interaction 5. Placing Our Collective Interest Above Ourselves 6. Being Reliable and Delivering on Expectations 7. Being Unified and Cohesive
1. Having a Bias Toward Action 2. Demonstrating Skip Counting 3. Delivering Impactful Results with Speed 4. Working in Parallel
1. Accelerating New Ideas 2. Every Experience is a Learning Opportunity 3. Sustaining Momentum for New Innovations 4. Being Creative 5. Initiating Change