Texas Tech University is hosting “Discoveries to Impact” this week. The best of the best in innovation will be displayed during the week. “Discoveries to Impact” is a week full of innovations, business startups, and research at Texas Tech.
 According to The TTU Innovation Hub’s website "Discoveries to Impact" is a week of fun to showcase research, innovation and business startups at Texas Tech. Conference participants will have opportunities to compete for prize money for the best innovations and startup ideas and hear from numerous leaders, intriguing panel discussions and dynamic entrepreneur speakers.

The week began with the YEA! Investor Panel Presentation Event. 15 students ages 11 to 18 will had the chance to present business plans they have been working on all year and seek funding from a panel of investors. The week also started off with the TTU Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), which is one of the largest interdisciplinary undergraduate research conferences in the nation, with more than 300 students sharing their knowledge and ingenuity through poster and oral presentations, artistic performances, and visual art exhibits. URC presenters and performers represent a broad range of fields, including the humanities, performing arts, biological and chemical sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences.

Keynote speakers and panelists will be featured throughout the week. The Lubbock Chamber’s very own Executive Vice President, Norma Ritz Johnson will be a panelist during the “It Takes a Village to Raise a Start Up” discussion on April 4. Conference attendees are invited to hear Sherwin Greenblatt's keynote presentation offered at 4 p.m., April 3 at the Innovation Hub. Greenblatt was Bose Corporation's first employee and served 15 years as its president, will share his journey of assisting Amar Bose in creating a multibillion-dollar company.

According to the TTU Innovation Hub’s website on April 4 and 5, the Spark Conference highlights innovation and business startups with numerous panel discussions and networking opportunities. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn the secrets of successful startups and how to overcome struggles. The iLaunch Competition is a unique component of the Spark Conference. The Hub's own Shark Tank™-like experience is an investor-pitch event designed to identify, grow and launch startup companies. iLaunch finalists will present their pitch to a real investor panel at the Innovation Hub for a chance to win $10,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place or $1,000 for third place. Spark Conference attendees will see firsthand how startup founders make their pitch and the tough questions investors ask.