The enduring advice for business success, “identify a need and fill it,” remains valid, and presenters at the second annual Inter-Uni Pitch & Network event have created business concepts that do just that.
The March 26 event at the Naveen Jindal School of Management was hosted by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Council, which includes students from all UTD schools. Innovators and entrepreneurs are found in all UTD degree programs.
Entrepreneurship students from Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, and Dallas Baptist University were invited to attend and participate in the afternoon of startup business pitch practice and networking.
“The entire event was created by our students,” said Michelle Jones, I&E program director and advisor to the IIE Leadership Council. “In addition to inviting students from other universities, we also marketed the event to other student groups and invited others to participate. It is an opportunity for them to get feedback on their business concepts and their pitches. It is also a great way to meet new people and share ideas.”
Apart from the official presenters, several last-minute, impromptu presenters also volunteered to describe their ideas for businesses, all in the early stages of planning. They fielded questions from the audience and heard suggestions for moving forward.
Four official presenters showcased their startup ventures with each followed by a brief question and answer session. Formal pitches require a deck, a business presentation often in the form of a slideshow that outlines a company’s business plan, products, services, and financial projections with financial and marketing analysis for potential investors to persuade them to fund their venture.
Presenter Vishva Patel, an enterprise security administrator in the office of information technology at The University of Texas at Dallas, discussed his new concept, BioVape. Patel, who described himself as a serial entrepreneur, created the inhalable technology to make taking and keeping track of medications easier for users.
Similar to a tobacco vape pen, medications are loaded inside a BioVape device, which, rather than using combustion as vape pens do, works something like a humidifier. It can free users from painful injections, slow effects of ingested pills, low medication adherence, and inefficient absorption of medicine, among other things. It also adjusts dosages to guard against overdoses.
Patel has worked with Texas Instruments in developing his product. It currently works with medications such as insulin and he hopes to partner with pharmaceutical companies to allow the device to work with additional medications. He is also currently looking for technology professionals to join his team.
The next pitch focused on recycling plastics in a more efficient and affordable way. That is the aim of Jared Joseph Heymann’s startup, Ouraloop. The next-generation chemical manufacturing company uses biology, chemistry, and “a little bit of modern alchemy” to transform landfill-bound plastics and textiles into high-purity commodity chemicals.
According to Heymann, only 10% of the $700 billion global plastics market is recycled plastic. Ouraloop aims to improve that percentage without compromising quality, scalability, or economic sense. It touts a more efficient and affordable way to recycle plastics with proven technology. The company works with Goodwill, plastic manufacturers, and waste management companies in its quest to “turn waste into wealth.”
Heymann, who is in JSOM’s Executive MBA program, chose to participate in the pitch and networking event to practice his pitch and get feedback.
“I live in Houston, but I’m in Dallas for the Big Idea Competition semifinals (March 27) and I was asked if I wanted to participate in this event,” he said. “I decided to do it because I get valuable feedback from events like this, and I like to see the other pitches.”
Next up was Ansar Ullah Anas, an MS in Innovation and Entrepreneurship student at the Jindal School and founder of Z360.biz, an AI-powered business management system. The company simplifies business management for small and medium-sized businesses with an AI-powered platform that integrates customer support, sales, and communication tools, making advanced solutions affordable and accessible.
It is a single platform that integrates customer support, sales management, and business communications, reducing the need for multiple software tools. Anas’ presentation touted the platform’s user-focused approach and streamlined pricing, aimed at empowering small businesses to grow and operate more efficiently.
Finally, MedCeptor, an AI-powered program to improve training for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) was the focus of the next pitch by Ivan Tong, a biochemistry senior at UT Dallas, who has experience as an EMT.
“There are more than 1,000 EMT schools across the U.S.,” he said. “But these schools do not prepare students to work in the real world.”
In his presentation, Tong said that only 4% of EMT school graduates feel ready to take care of patients. Practical experience is also a concern since 44% of graduates wish they had more practical experience, which MedCeptor provides. Its training program includes AI patient interaction, treatment/skills assessments, easy 24/7 accessibility, and curated accurate scenarios. Its business model includes monthly subscriptions with price points tailored to class size.
The event concluded with a networking session that allowed more questions and discussion of business ideas.
Attendees Shreyasti Agrawal and Utkarsh Sarode were attracted to the event due to their interest in entrepreneurship.
“We saw this as an opportunity to meet new people and to exchange ideas,” said Agrawal, who earned a master’s degree in business analytics and artificial intelligence from the Jindal School in 2024.
Sarode, a graduate student pursuing an MS in Information Technology and Management at UT Dallas, echoed Agrawal’s comments.
“We saw information about this event, and it sounded like a good opportunity,” he said. “We are looking forward to talking with others about this topic.”
Innovation and Entrepreneurship program students who hosted the event said they hope it becomes as big a tradition at the Jindal School as the Big Idea Competition, a Shark Tank-style event in which presenters pitch their business plans to a panel of judges. Cash prizes are awarded.
Such events give innovation and entrepreneurship students at UT Dallas the opportunity to hone their skills and apply what they have learned about best practices when pitching to investors.
“We have several professors at this event who will give the students tips for improving their pitches,” Jones said. “Participating in this event is such a great opportunity for them.”
