MBA 585: Current Topics in Biosciences Management

MBA 585 is an overview course that examines the underlying forces guiding some of the most recent business trends in the biological sciences. The course dealt with a variety of topics including advanced medical technologies, cell and drug therapies, vaccines, diagnostics, combination products, agriculture, nutrition, and industrial products. Throughout the course guest-lecturer's in the top of their field were invited to come and speak. They also hung around to participate in the case studies and class discussions on the topic at hand.

As part of the coursework, I was also part of a cross-discipline team that included full-time MBA students. Our semester project was to investigate the current and future business trends associated with personalized medicine. The culmination of our efforts came in the form of a 50-page report detailing market overview, current challenges, and future directions. A twenty minute presentation was also given based on our findings, and the slide deck used for that presentation can be found below.

MBA 576 and 577: Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization I (and II)

MBA 576/577 is a two-course series at the core of the Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (TEC) program at Jenkins. In MBA 576, we (the students) were placed into teams of six and given the task of developing a novel business idea around a host of technologies. These technologies are provided by the University's Tech Transfer Office as well as outside organizations such as the Navy or NSA. Ultimately, the semester is centered around an iterative process in which students create a product idea that utilizes the technology and then perform the initial scoping work to identify whether the idea has a compelling value proposition. As part of the coursework, my team and I developed the idea for an automated sports coaching platform that utilizes a unique video technology. The artifact below is a slide from our final presentation to the class that highlights the product's value.

During the second semester (MBA 577), I had to join a different team due to losing most of my teammates to graduation. My new team and I pursued a medical device/therapeutic combination for much of the semester. Most of our efforts were focused around building the business model needed to bring the product to market. However, the project was ultimately stopped due to concerns over market adoption and a lengthy regulatory process. At that time, we returned to my first teams' sport coaching product idea. Unfortunately, it was discovered that Intel had  announced a technology nearly identical to ours during the period of time I was not working on the product's development. As an end result of the two late-stage roadblocks, the final deliverable for my TEC program experience was two due diligence reports and presentations given to the Office of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, only the table of contents from one of those reports is shown below.

MBA 590: Venture Opportunity Analysis Analytics

MBA 590 is a analytical consulting course that partners students with real clients to help students practice concepts of technology commercialization and opportunity analysis. The class is treated as an entire consulting firm and students are responsible for organizing themselves in whatever way they believe will work best for the projects. For my class, I was part of a team working with an early-stage technology for protein production in plants. My team decided to scope out our projects in the way we thought contributed the most value to our client, opportunity identification and research. As a team, we provided ranked opportunities for the client's technology to be applied for commercial success. The client has said that our work will be put to use in Summer of 2018, when he attempts to fund raise for his venture. Shown below is a slide from an update presentation given to the class at the semester halfway point.