What began as a flurry of ideas on a Friday afternoon became polished business pitches by Sunday evening, as Texas Tech University’s Innovation Hub hosted its annual Red Raider Startup, a three-day entrepreneurship event that drew more than 50 participants.
The program, held Sept. 26–28, guided students, alumni and community members through brainstorming sessions, team formation and mentoring workshops before culminating in 12 finalist presentations to a panel of judges. A $1,000 top prize, sponsored by the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, went to the first-place team.
Among those reaching the final round was David Graziano, a senior agricultural and applied economics major in Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. Graziano’s team, Healthy Heard – Revolutionizing Pig Health Monitoring, proposed a wearable patch equipped with heart, gyroscopic and temperature sensors to track swine health in real time. The technology aims to detect disease before visible symptoms appear, giving producers a critical window for intervention.
“I’m not the most technical guy in the world, but I met someone who was able to help me make my ideas become reality,” said Graziano, a Southlake, Texas, native. “The Innovation Hub made me realize that the impossible is possible when you have people behind you who truly want to see you grow. I look forward to coming back in the spring and hopefully winning.”
Cele Stone, senior director for strategic partnerships and innovation at Davis College, said Graziano’s work illustrates the importance of supporting early-stage ventures. “The economic impact of agriculture, natural resources and landscaping industries is $10 billion in West Texas alone,” Stone said. “Programs like Red Raider Startup spur innovation geared toward preserving our way of life.”
Founded in 2015 to anchor Texas Tech’s entrepreneurship initiative, the Innovation Hub has since become a hub for regional economic development. By offering resources, mentorship and space for collaboration, it serves as a proving ground for ideas with the potential to shape industries across West Texas and beyond.
CONTACT: Cele Stone, Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships & Innovation, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-6266 or Cele.Stone@ttu.edu
1007NM25 / Editor’s Note: Davis College will host its inaugural Industry Innovation Challenge on Friday, Oct. 10, bringing students and agricultural industry leaders together for a full day of collaboration, competition and creative problem-solving. The event, set for 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the university’s Innovation Hub at Research Park. For more information on registration, please click here