Sam Loughlin
Founding Partner & CEO
JD 1998, School of Law

Paceline Equity Partners is a Dallas-based investment manager focused on value-oriented investments in special situations private equity, corporate debt, and real assets.

Michelle Davis
Director of Operations
BS 1998, College of Education, Life Member

Quality Research is an independent clinical research center founded in 1996. They conduct Phase 2, 3, and 4 clinical trials in a variety of therapeutic areas. 

Randell Martin
Managing Director
BBA 1997, McCombs School of Business, Life Member

IRSProb.com helps good people with IRS problems. Their tax advisory services include IRS audit representation, strategic tax planning, and IRS balance settlements.

Michael Hanna
CEO 
BA 1997, College of Liberal Arts

TrueSpot is a pioneer of Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) and location intelligence with AQFind, the most potent and cost-effective plug-n-play RTLS platform in the market. Their modern architecture and APIs offer location as a service to various industries. With numerous patents, and tracking more than 100,000 assets across 500 campuses, TrueSpot is continuously growing and evolving. TrueSpot excels beyond location, transforming operations directly for hospitals and auto dealers.

2024 Returning Winner

Calais Black
Owner
BS 2000, Moody College of Communication

Spirit Dress offers unique spirit wear for women, focusing on schools of the Big 12 and SEC, but it all started with burnt orange! 

Yeeland Chen
CTO
BS 2006, Cockrell School of Engineering, Life Member

CareerCraft helps school districts plan and implement college, career, and military readiness programs. They connect data and real-world experiences with pathways that lead to postsecondary education and careers. 

Carrie Stein
Co-CEO
BBA 1995, McCombs School of Business

Bridge Insights & Media is a media-focused advertising agency founded on research and strategy. They serve everyone from large, national brands to local and regional businesses.

Miguel Cardoza
Founder & President
BS 1989, Cockrell School of Engineering, Life Member
MS 1997, Cockrell School of Engineering

Trident Research is an applied research and systems engineering company specializing in the design, development, operations, and sustainment of military test and training instrumentation. 

April Willis
Director of Business Operations
BS 2008, MEd 2009, College of Education

April Willis Consulting is a full-service consulting firm serving clients nationwide. Their mission is to empower clients to maximize their potential and actualize their goals. With a team of experts, they provide the support necessary to action-plan, implement, and evaluate strategies that take big ideas and turn them into big accomplishments. Their core values allow them to serve their clients and maintain the high expectations they have set for themselves.

Steven Hobbs
CEO
BS 2001, College of Education, Life Member

Red River Payroll is a payroll service bureau specializing in the small business industry. They offer payroll processing, federal and state tax compliance, timekeeping, workers comp, and related services that streamline the payroll so their clients can focus on growing their business.