Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation

06/22/2026

🚀 ⭐️ Where RGV startups go to scale!

In the last two years, Startup Texas has successfully incubated and accelerated over 70 entrepreneurs.

🌟 Applications are now open for the next cohort: https://bcic.us/startup

If you're building a business in AI, aerospace, clean energy, cybersecurity, digital health, advanced manufacturing, logistics, software, or robotics, this program was built for you.

Serious applicants only. We're looking for founders with a proven idea with traction, a viable business model, and the drive to grow it.

Selected founders join a 12-week in-person program at the eBridge Center in Brownsville, Texas.

Every week, you'll work through specialized workshops, one-on-one mentorship sessions, financial projection refinement, and pitch practice. A select few will be ready for our closing Pitch Fest, where they get to present their startup to a panel of judges and a community willing to invest in them.

You'll get media exposure, access to investors, and direct feedback from industry specialists who've been where you're trying to go.

Startup Texas Accelerator is a free program powered by Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation , UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center, and the EDA.

Apply by August 10. You can start your application now and resume it later.

06/21/2026

¡Feliz Día del Padre from BCIC!

To the dads on our staff, our board, and behind the daily operations of small businesses and community organizations across Brownsville.

To the dads who opened a shop because they wanted their families to have a better future.

To the dads doing school drop-off in steel-toe boots.

To the dads on paternity leave figuring out how a baby works.

To the stay-at-home dads running the house like a full operation.

Para los papás que nos enseñaron a cambiar una llanta y prender el asador.

To the abuelos who came across with nothing and built the rest from there.

To the tíos, padrinos, stepdads, foster dads, and chosen dads who showed up the same. To the coaches, mentors, and teachers who became dads to kids who needed one.

To the dads making it work. We see you and we appreciate you.

Gracias por todo.

06/19/2026

Join us for the BCIC Board Meeting on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. CST at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization (1304 E. Adams St., Brownsville, TX 78520). This meeting is open to the public.

View the agenda, submit a public comment, or explore past meetings at brownsvillecic.com/meetings. Stream remotely at youtube.com/.

06/18/2026

A huge congratulations to Le Rêve in Brownsville and SSTASH Burger in Mission for earning spots on the World’s 101 Best Burger Places list 🍔

Two Rio Grande Valley restaurants – one from Brownsville - receiving global recognition is something our entire region can be proud of!

🍔 Two Valley restaurants just earned global recognition for world-class burgers.

Congratulations to Le Rêve in Brownsville and sstash in Mission for being recognized among the best burger destinations in the world by World’s 101 Best Burger Places.

For two RGV restaurants to make the list is a powerful reminder that this region has been building a food culture rooted in creativity – paradoxically also in tradition –, craft, discipline, and local pride.

The list goes far beyond naming a “good burger”; it looks at the full experience, from product quality and consistency to patty, bun, fries, service, cleanliness, atmosphere, hospitality, and the overall integrity of the concept.

Congratulations to both teams on this incredible achievement. The RGV is officially part of the global burger conversation. ¡Puro 956!

06/16/2026

Up to $30,000 for eligible applicants. Complete the business improvement project you have had in mind with BCIC's BIG Lift grants!

Eric Quintero, Director of Community Development, briefly explains what the program is, what's eligible, what's NOT eligible, and how BCIC can better support your businesses throughout !

Apply: https://brownsvillecic.com/lift

06/15/2026

¿Hasta $30,000 de apoyo para mi negocio en ?

✅¡Sí! Esta mañana estuvimos en Telemundo 40 hablando de nuestro nuevo programa BIG LIFT para el mejoramiento de fachadas.

Aplica aquí: https://grannegocio.com

06/15/2026

What kind of world are we building for the next generation? During RGV Startup Week 2026 at eBridge, Ruben Cantu shared a vision that goes far beyond entrepreneurship.
A world where opportunity isn’t limited by zip code. A world where leadership comes not only from the mind, but from the heart. A world that works for everyone.
This wasn’t just a conversation about business. It was a conversation about the future.
🎙️ Full episode of Brownsville The Podcast by Studio X Available Now!

06/12/2026

Brownsville hosted the 2026 TUNIE Conference at the eBridge Center this week, with university innovation leaders from across Texas in town.

Daniel Silva joined a four-person panel for "The Rio Grande Valley/University Landscape: Ecosystem of Opportunities," and Cori Peña sat down with Linda Ufland of UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center for "The eBridge Model" to discuss how eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization is building stronger pathways for RGV founders. 🚀

Learn more about our programs 👉 brownsvillecic.com

06/12/2026

¡El anuncio de desarrollo comunitario más grande del año ya está aquí!

👉 Aplica: https://bcic.us/bigliftESP

BIG LIFT es un programa de apoyo económico (grants) para mejorar el exterior de pequeños negocios de propiedad local en toda la ciudad de Brownsville.

BCIC reembolsa el 80% de los costos aprobados del proyecto, hasta un máximo de $30,000. Tú cubres el 20% restante.

Los trabajos elegibles incluyen mejoras de fachada, señalización, iluminación, paisajismo, repavimentación de estacionamientos, murales y más.

Para calificar, tu negocio debe ser de propiedad local, estar ubicado en Brownsville, tener al menos 2 años de operación y tener menos de 20 empleados en nómina.

El programa abre por distrito, así que revisa tu ventana de aplicación:
• Distrito 1: 1 de junio al 10 de julio de 2026
• Distrito 2: 1 de septiembre al 9 de octubre de 2026
• Distrito 3: 1 de diciembre de 2026 al 15 de enero de 2027
• Distrito 4: 1 de marzo al 19 de abril de 2027

Si tu distrito abre más adelante, llena el formulario de interés y te avisaremos cuando llegue tu momento: https://bcic.us/liftinterest

06/11/2026

What if success isn’t about choosing between purpose and making a living? During RGV Startup Week 2026 at eBridge, Ruben Cantu shared a powerful concept that challenges the way we think about work, leadership, and fulfillment.

What if your greatest contribution lives at the intersection of what you love, what you’re gifted at, what the world needs, and what allows you to build a life?

Full episode of Brownsville The Podcast by Studio X drops soon. Don’t miss this one! 🔥🥇