DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas’ Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation helps students transform ideas into startups.

Through mentorship, competitions and connections with entrepreneurial leaders and alumni, the center gives students practical experience in entrepreneurship and supports them in developing as creative problem-solvers and future business leaders.

Housed within the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, the Murphy Center is led by Executive Director Jon McCarry and Academic Director Marcus Wolfe, professor of entrepreneurship. Together, they provide hands-on opportunities that help students test ideas, navigate challenges and build the skills needed to launch their own ventures.

“When I came to UNT, the dean wanted to move the Murphy Center in a more industry-facing direction,” McCarry said. “We’ve built relationships with venture capital funds, the startup community and alumni who are eager to help our students succeed.”

McCarry said the center’s approach to mentoring students depends on their level of experience. Alumni founders also turn to the center for advisory support as their ventures scale.

“For graduate students, I often encourage them to start forming companies. For undergrads, I usually recommend interning or working at a startup first,” he said. “It’s a way to learn fast, build a network and find out if that environment fits them.”

One student who recently experienced the center’s programs firsthand is Mariam Athumani, a senior biomedical engineering major who submitted her senior design team’s business plan to the Murphy Center’s Breakthrough Venture Competition last semester.

“I don’t have a business background, so I was nervous about the presentation,” Athumani said. “But it pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me build adaptability and confidence. It showed me that entrepreneurship is possible, even without prior business experience.”

Athumani said participating in the competition encouraged her to continue exploring entrepreneurship and helped her see the potential in her team’s ideas.

In recent years, McCarry has seen a surge in startup activity across the North Texas region — the fastest growing economic region in Texas. He attributes this change to increased investment and a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“Five years ago, you could count fewer than a hundred startups in North Texas,” he said. “Now, that number has exploded. Venture funds, angel investors and corporations are all getting more involved, and that’s opening doors for our students.”

Looking ahead, McCarry envisions an on-campus accelerator that nurtures startups in focused sectors such as life sciences, advanced materials, quantum computing and regenerative health.

“Each area needs its own ecosystem of mentors and advisors,” he said. “Over the next three to five years, we want to build that support structure here at UNT.”

The Murphy Center also plays a key role in UNT’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. Established in 2000 with an endowment from Dallas-based serial entrepreneur Ken Murphy, the center has hosted more than 80 mentoring sessions annually, awarded tens of thousands of dollars in competition scholarships and helped launch numerous student-led startups.

“UNT has a lot of talent and ambition,” McCarry said. “Our role is to help channel that into opportunities that create real-world impact.”