Valley Tech Lab · Rio Grande Valley, TX

The Valley builds. This is where you start.

El Valle construye. Aquí empiezas.

A free program for founders in the Rio Grande Valley. No fee, no equity, no obligation, convened by operators who live and build here. Valley Tech Lab is the venture-community arm of Greenridge, headquartered in McAllen.

12Weeks
FreeNo equity
6Disciplines
RGVIn person
The premise

The talent is already here. The infrastructure isn't, yet.

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas: young, bilingual, entrepreneurial, with a cross-border economy and a cost of living that turns a small runway into a long one. It has strong universities and deep domain expertise in healthcare, energy, and trade.

What it has lacked is a place to channel that into companies. Valley Tech Lab is that place: operator-led, community-first, and built to be the somewhere you no longer have to leave to start something.

Greenridge is headquartered in McAllen. We are not visiting.

LowerCost of building here vs. Austin or SF
1.4M+Rio Grande Valley metro population
BilingualHispanic-majority, largely bilingual talent base
RisingAmong the fastest-growing Texas metros
Regional context is directional. Metro population per U.S. Census Bureau estimates (approx. 1.44M, 2025).
The program

Twelve weeks. Four phases.

Saturday sessions in person, plus team work through the week. From a raw idea, or no idea at all, to a public showcase in front of the Valley's founders, operators, and business community.

Weeks 1–2
Phase one

Ideation & team formation

Problem discovery, founder matching, and market-sizing workshops. Solo applicants meet their co-founders and commit to a concept.

Weeks 3–6
Phase two

Build sprint

Commit and build. Weekly stand-ups, mentor office hours, design and cross-border workshops, and a mid-program pivot-or-persevere checkpoint.

Weeks 7–10
Phase three

Validation & traction

Customer discovery, pricing, financial modeling, and storytelling, built into working sessions with operators who have done it.

Weeks 11–12
Phase four

Showcase

Final polish, then present what you built to the Valley's founders, operators, and business community. The beginning, not the end.

Who we are looking for, across six disciplines
Software engineering Finance & math Entrepreneurship Medicine & health Energy & infrastructure Legal & regulatory
What it costs

Nothing.

No feeNo equityNo revenue shareNo right of first refusalNo obligation to raiseNo obligation to work with us after

Valley Tech Lab is convened by Greenridge Ventures, which does invest in companies. Participating here does not make you a candidate and does not put you under any commitment. If we ever want to invest, that is a separate conversation you are free to end.

Founders, sponsors, and partners: start a conversation.

Cohort applications, founding-sponsor invitations, and venue partnerships all begin the same way. Tell us who you are and what you are building, and the Greenridge team running the Lab will follow up.

  • A free seat in a twelve-week, operator-led founder program
  • Co-founder matching, mentorship, and workspace in the Valley
  • A public showcase in front of the Valley's builders and leaders
Start a conversation