{"id":49678,"date":"2023-06-20T09:30:59","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T13:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=49678"},"modified":"2023-06-20T09:31:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T13:31:43","slug":"jenkins-mba-students-win-big-at-nc-state-egames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/06\/20\/jenkins-mba-students-win-big-at-nc-state-egames\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenkins MBA Students Win Big at NC State eGames"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jess Clarke<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need financial and mentoring resources to launch a business idea, where do you find them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins MBA<\/a> student Hunter Brown didn\u2019t have to look far. He pursued Poole College\u2019s Technology Entrepreneurship Commercialization (TEC) certificate<\/a>, a program that propelled him to success in NC State University\u2019s annual eGames competition<\/a> this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? His team won $5,000 \u2014 and ongoing guidance from seasoned businesspeople \u2014 to bring their product to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe TEC course is real life. You pick intellectual property that\u2019s sitting on the shelf at NC State and try to commercialize it. We partnered with mentors,\u201d Brown says. \u201cIt\u2019s the most practical class I\u2019ve been a part of at NC State.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop WOLFSPIDER, an innovative crop disease management system, Brown\u2019s TEC team combined patented genetic testing with a robotic device, invented by NC State professors Lina Quesada and Lirong Xiang respectively. After a video pitch and then a live pitch for the university-wide eGames on campus in April, the team snagged its prize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hunter Brown outlines the concept behind WOLFSPIDER.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Through the TEC curriculum, Brown used evidence-based decision-making to refine his idea and develop a solid value proposition to support commercial viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTEC provides a quantitative framework for how to make a product more successful\u2026There\u2019s a flow for how you bring things to market. Critical-thinking skills are what I\u2019ll take away from TEC,\u201d says Brown, a scientist with the NC State Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its entrepreneurial ecosystem, TEC has a history of preparing students to excel at the eGames. This year, current and former TEC students fielded four teams, which won a total of $20,000 of the $50,000 awarded in the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eGames are \u201ca great opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to articulate their vision for a problem and who they\u2019re solving the problem for\u2026so they can get funding to move their venture forward,\u201d TEC Director Lisa Chang says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC\u2019s volunteer executives-in-residence, mentoring business leaders, also help students move their ventures forward. \u201cThe amount of nurturing that\u2019s done with students is critical,\u201d Chang says. \u201cMentors are crucial in the constant shaping of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaping ideas through TEC helped MBA student Malhar Shah bring a novel business to the eGames, where he won $3,000 for microWatt Energy, a rooftop solar energy system for apartments. He\u2019s founder and CEO of the Raleigh-based LLC. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Melhar
Melhar Shah at NC State’s eGames competition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoing through the process of taking something so raw and figuring out what\u2019s the market for this product, going through the business analysis, I found that to be very valuable,\u201d says Shah, a John Deere assistant program manager. \u201cEventually you have a shoot-for-the-moon goal. You have to start somewhere, and that\u2019s what the TEC program helped me put together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shah is in a peer support network of fellow eGames winners with diverse business plans. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a new company, it\u2019s always valuable to hear what other new companies are doing because we\u2019re at a similar stage,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cross-disciplinary aspect of the eGames competitions is an important dynamic with the events.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEntrepreneurship is highly interdisciplinary,\u201d Brown says. \u201cYou bring in different partners who can do different things. Having this free flow of ideas is how you ultimately commercialize something … Making sure students see how interconnected everything is, is a great way to foster innovation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC and NC State alumni overall have had a leading role in fostering innovation in entrepreneurship off campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC alumni, through startups and other business activity, have generated more than $750 million in capital and employed more than 500 people regionally over the years, Chang notes. \u201cThe bottom line is that small businesses fuel the American economy, and we\u2019re certainly part of that locally and nationwide,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most TEC alumni, instead of starting a business, excel at adding value at their current company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey use skills they learned in the TEC program to do opportunity analysis and innovation management in their own organizations. They\u2019re finding good, high-paying jobs. We have a big impact in that area,\u201d TEC technology professor Steve Barr says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown uses skills he\u2019s gained from the MBA and TEC programs to add value in his BTEC work developing biomanufacturing training courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s definitely enhancing how I convey materials to industry professionals,\u201d he says. The eGames offered \u201ca different way of marketing science\u2026where you\u2019re trying to make this highly technical field accessible to everyone to get people excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate goal with WOLFSPIDER is to develop real-time genetic testing in the field to meet the need for more sustainable and cheaper management of crop diseases like downy mildew. Brown believes his team has found a solution, with NC State\u2019s help.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much on campus to support innovative research, departments that really want researchers to commercialize their technology,\u201d Brown says. \u201cIf you have a cool idea and the energy to bring it to market, they\u2019re there to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Jess Clarke<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need financial and mentoring resources to launch a business idea, where do you find them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins MBA<\/a> student Hunter Brown didn\u2019t have to look far. He pursued Poole College\u2019s Technology Entrepreneurship Commercialization (TEC) certificate<\/a>, a program that propelled him to success in NC State University\u2019s annual eGames competition<\/a> this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? His team won $5,000 \u2014 and ongoing guidance from seasoned businesspeople \u2014 to bring their product to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe TEC course is real life. You pick intellectual property that\u2019s sitting on the shelf at NC State and try to commercialize it. We partnered with mentors,\u201d Brown says. \u201cIt\u2019s the most practical class I\u2019ve been a part of at NC State.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop WOLFSPIDER, an innovative crop disease management system, Brown\u2019s TEC team combined patented genetic testing with a robotic device, invented by NC State professors Lina Quesada and Lirong Xiang respectively. After a video pitch and then a live pitch for the university-wide eGames on campus in April, the team snagged its prize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hunter Brown outlines the concept behind WOLFSPIDER.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Through the TEC curriculum, Brown used evidence-based decision-making to refine his idea and develop a solid value proposition to support commercial viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTEC provides a quantitative framework for how to make a product more successful\u2026There\u2019s a flow for how you bring things to market. Critical-thinking skills are what I\u2019ll take away from TEC,\u201d says Brown, a scientist with the NC State Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its entrepreneurial ecosystem, TEC has a history of preparing students to excel at the eGames. This year, current and former TEC students fielded four teams, which won a total of $20,000 of the $50,000 awarded in the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eGames are \u201ca great opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to articulate their vision for a problem and who they\u2019re solving the problem for\u2026so they can get funding to move their venture forward,\u201d TEC Director Lisa Chang says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC\u2019s volunteer executives-in-residence, mentoring business leaders, also help students move their ventures forward. \u201cThe amount of nurturing that\u2019s done with students is critical,\u201d Chang says. \u201cMentors are crucial in the constant shaping of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaping ideas through TEC helped MBA student Malhar Shah bring a novel business to the eGames, where he won $3,000 for microWatt Energy, a rooftop solar energy system for apartments. He\u2019s founder and CEO of the Raleigh-based LLC. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Melhar
Melhar Shah at NC State's eGames competition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoing through the process of taking something so raw and figuring out what\u2019s the market for this product, going through the business analysis, I found that to be very valuable,\u201d says Shah, a John Deere assistant program manager. \u201cEventually you have a shoot-for-the-moon goal. You have to start somewhere, and that\u2019s what the TEC program helped me put together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shah is in a peer support network of fellow eGames winners with diverse business plans. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a new company, it\u2019s always valuable to hear what other new companies are doing because we\u2019re at a similar stage,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cross-disciplinary aspect of the eGames competitions is an important dynamic with the events.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEntrepreneurship is highly interdisciplinary,\u201d Brown says. \u201cYou bring in different partners who can do different things. Having this free flow of ideas is how you ultimately commercialize something ... Making sure students see how interconnected everything is, is a great way to foster innovation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC and NC State alumni overall have had a leading role in fostering innovation in entrepreneurship off campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEC alumni, through startups and other business activity, have generated more than $750 million in capital and employed more than 500 people regionally over the years, Chang notes. \u201cThe bottom line is that small businesses fuel the American economy, and we\u2019re certainly part of that locally and nationwide,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most TEC alumni, instead of starting a business, excel at adding value at their current company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey use skills they learned in the TEC program to do opportunity analysis and innovation management in their own organizations. They\u2019re finding good, high-paying jobs. We have a big impact in that area,\u201d TEC technology professor Steve Barr says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown uses skills he\u2019s gained from the MBA and TEC programs to add value in his BTEC work developing biomanufacturing training courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s definitely enhancing how I convey materials to industry professionals,\u201d he says. The eGames offered \u201ca different way of marketing science\u2026where you\u2019re trying to make this highly technical field accessible to everyone to get people excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate goal with WOLFSPIDER is to develop real-time genetic testing in the field to meet the need for more sustainable and cheaper management of crop diseases like downy mildew. Brown believes his team has found a solution, with NC State\u2019s help.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much on campus to support innovative research, departments that really want researchers to commercialize their technology,\u201d Brown says. \u201cIf you have a cool idea and the energy to bring it to market, they\u2019re there to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Jenkins MBA students bring their bright ideas to life at NC State University\u2019s annual eGames competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":49685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":false,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":1814}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1814,468,286,9],"tags":[1857,164,55,826],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-49678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entrepreneurship-stories","category-mba","category-newswire","category-students","tag-awards-and-recognition","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-students","tag-technology-entrepreneurship-and-commercialization-course"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":1814,"name":"Entrepreneurship Stories","slug":"entrepreneurship-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1814,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":9,"count":26,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49678"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49841,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49678\/revisions\/49841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49678"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=49678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}