Texas State University launched BobCatalyst to transform research into startups, aiming to boost innovation and create high-tech jobs.
SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State University (TxST) is launching a new initiative called BobCatalyst to help turn campus research into real-world products, startups and high-tech jobs.
BobCatalyst is a university-wide program designed to help faculty, staff and students transform research discoveries and novel ideas into market-ready innovations, offering training, mentoring and funding along the way. The initiative comes as the university posted more than $183 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2025 -the strongest research year in its history- and saw a 147% jump in patent applications.
TxST’s Office of Innovation, Commercialization and Engagement director Matthew Sorenson leads the initiative, which is meant to be an accessible first stop for anyone on campus with an idea — even one that exists only on “the back of a napkin.”
“It is meant to be accessible for anyone here on campus,” Sorenson said.
Program leaders say the surge in research has brought a wave of new ideas in areas such as energy, construction, water, artificial intelligence, software and pharmaceuticals, but many are still early-stage and need technical development and business validation. Sorenson said those innovations often require prototyping, field testing and scaling work on the technical side, as well as customer discovery, market research and business model testing on the commercial side, before they’re ready for either a startup company or a partnership with an established firm.
BobCatalyst is launching with two main components: the BobCatalyst Innovation Accelerator and an internal proof-of-concept grant program.
The Innovation Accelerator offers phased entrepreneurship training, starting with an introductory three-session virtual seminar where participants learn how to interview potential customers about the problems they face, report back what they learned and decide whether to move forward, pivot or start over with a new idea.
A second, more advanced phase helps teams prepare for non-dilutive funding opportunities from federal and state programs, including grants such as the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
The proof-of-concept grants allow faculty-led teams to apply for up to $30,000 to build prototypes, conduct field testing or reach other commercially relevant milestones that make technology more attractive to investors or corporate partners.
Sorenson said funding is designed to “de-risk” both the technology and the business opportunity so outside partners can see a clearer path to market.
Beyond its internal training and grants, BobCatalyst will connect Texas State researchers with alumni, corporate partners, development offices and college-based engagement teams, as well as external accelerators and investors.
Sorenson said the initiative is as much about workforce and culture as it is about launching companies.
“Through our programs, we’re training future workers here in Texas and beyond, so it’s definitely workforce development,” he said. “Training people for whether they’re going to be an entrepreneur, start their own company, or do this within an existing company and just have that mindset of identifying a problem and seeking to solve it in a meaningful way.”
In the near term, TxST leaders say they want BobCatalyst to foster a more inventive, entrepreneurial culture on campus and increase the commercial and societal impact of university research. Longer term, they hope the initiative will help create new startups, expand partnerships with existing companies and fuel economic growth in Central Texas through new high-tech jobs and technologies.