DENTON (UNT), Texas — G. Brint Ryan College of Business students at the University of North Texas are invited to put their entrepreneurial creativity to the test, thanks to funding from Oklahoma business leader and UNT alum, Jerome “Bruzzy” Westheimer. 
 
The Westheimer New Venture Competition gives students the chance to pitch their original business ideas – including enterprises, products and services, whether conceptual or developed – to a panel of established venture capitalists, consultants, entrepreneurs and executives. 
 
“We are thrilled to offer this special opportunity to help identify, showcase and award some of our emerging entrepreneurs, while giving them access to personalized feedback from respected business leaders in the DFW community,” said Marilyn Wiley, dean of the UNT G. Brint Ryan College of Business. 
 
First-, second- and third-place winning teams will receive $10,000, $5,000 and $1,000, respectively. Remaining finalists will take home $100 per individual. 
 
The competition is similar to ‘Shark Tank,’” giving students valuable experience with presentation and business development skills in an authentic, professional setting. 
 
Westheimer earned his bachelor’s degree in administrative management in 1965 and went on to have a lucrative career. He is currently president of Valbel West, an oil and gas producer and geology business in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and president and CEO of 
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the Jerome Westheimer Family Foundation. For his professional prominence, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the university, and he was inducted into the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame as a Fred McCain Honoree, both in 2016. In 2019, he received the university's highest honor, the Wings of Eagles Presidential Award. Westheimer is also a life member of the UNT Alumni Association, a lifetime member of the UNT Kuehne Speaker Series and a member of the university’s President’s Leadership Board. 
 
The Westheimer New Venture Competition is open to all UNT business students in teams of three. Up to five teams will be chosen to pitch their plans to a panel of judges during a 10-minute presentation on Saturday, April 25. 
 
To participate, UNT students must be classified as sophomores or above and all team members must be currently enrolled as Ryan College of Business students. Teams are required to submit their five-page written summary of their proposal to the Ryan College of Business Dean’s office by Monday, March 16. Finalists will be announced in April.  
 
For questions, please email westcomp@unt.edu.  For more information, visit: https://cob.unt.edu/WESTCOMP.