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Lab to Market Finals Celebrate Innovation at Rady School

written by Hallie Jacobs

Culminating a successful year of learning and growing, the most recent Rady School of Management Lab to Market FlexWeekend 2018 cohort wrapped up its final class with a pitch presentation event highlighting the top three teams of the cohort. The signature Rady School course sequence exposes students to every step of the entrepreneurial process, from idea development to compiling a go-to market strategy, culminating in the presentations as the capstone course.

Over the yearlong sequence, 12 teams were launched with companies ranging from medical diagnostic development to patient advocacy software. The top three teams were recently selected to pitch in front of a panel of experts to showcase the high caliber entrepreneurial efforts of the graduating cohort.

Panel experts included Tim Rueth, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UC San Diego and investor; Greg Horowitt, a co-founder and managing director at T2 Venture Capital; Richard E. Campbell, a partner at Procopio; Gioia Messenger, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Avaak Inc.; and Robert Sullivan, Dean of the Rady School of Management.

The three teams selected to pitch in the Lab to Market finals — Akira, Beggy and mezhAir — displayed the diverse talents of the graduating cohort. Akira was the first team to pitch at the event.

The medical diagnostic industry is booming, and a group of Rady School students are developing the next big thing – microneedle technology for drug delivery. Akira, developed by Shamal Mehta (MBA ’18), Ph.D. and Christpher Westropp (MBA ’18), M.D., has come up with a solution similar to the EpiPen to treat severe allergic reactions and drug overdoses. The Akira technology is painless, cheaper to produce and less susceptible to user error.

Inspired by being a working mother on the go, Rady School graduate Suvi Tanninen (MBA ’18) developed Beggy, a stylish and functional “smart” purse with wireless charging capabilities. The purse is designed to be customizable to fit the needs of each customer with inserts designed to charge a number of electronics, as well as a rechargeable battery fitted at the bottom of the purse to ensure connectivity.

The final group to present was mezhAir, a system that measures the amount of a microscopic and harmful pollutant, PM 2.5. Recent research indicates that excessive levels of the pollutant can lead to a number of respiratory problems and lung cancer. Colin Lober (MBA ’18) and John Walsh’s (MBA ’18) company mezhAir created a way to measure the level of PM 2.5 in a space, bringing awareness to the pollutant and encouraging solutions to eradicate the issue.

After each presentation, the panelists provided valuable feedback to the teams on potential product improvements, suggestions for reaching larger audiences and advice on how to address potential entrepreneurial pitfalls.

Although the Lab to Market sequence has come to an end for the FlexWeekend 2018 cohort, the marketability and profitability of their companies has inspired the recent graduates to continue working on their projects.

Del Foit, a lecturer at the Rady School of Management, shared his satisfaction with the recent graduated cohort.

“These three projects show the depth and breadth of our students’ capabilities to recognize a market need and create functional products and solutions to meet these needs,” Foit said. “Their commitment to their innovative ideas have resulted in some amazing companies that will have a positive impact on the way we live, work and play.”

June 20, 2018 0 comment
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Students

More than 300 Graduate from Rady School of Management

written by Hallie Jacobs

As the school year comes to a close at UC San Diego, another fantastic group of students crossed the commencement stage, earning Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance (MFin), Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) and Ph.D. degrees

Rady School Dean Robert Sullivan kicked off the momentous occasion by welcoming everyone to the event and honoring the friends and family present who helped support the graduates on their path to pursuing higher education.

“Today is a day of recognition and celebration,” Dean Sullivan said. “First I would like all of us – especially today’s graduates – to recognize the commitment, sacrifice, and hard work of the families and friends of today’s graduates. You’ve helped make this day possible! Congratulations to you, the family and friends.”

The largest graduating class of 2018 was the MFin cohort with 136 graduates. The MBA cohorts graduated 127 students and the MSBA cohort graduated 54 students. This year, there were also two students who received Ph.D.s in Management.

Before degrees were conferred to the graduates, Rafael Pastor – a celebrated force in executive leadership – delivered the keynote address to the graduates and attendees.

Graduates of the MBA program will head to companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, General Motors and Dexcom. Master of Science in Business Analytics graduates earned positions at stellar companies, including 21st Century Fox, Qualcomm and Expedia. Master of Finance graduates found success with leading organizations, earning jobs at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Encore Capital and Guided Choice.

In addition to joining prestigious companies, many graduates have found success launching their own startups. From breweries to medical devices to a product that brews the perfect cup of coffee on the go, graduates embracing the entrepreneurial skills learned at the Rady School are choosing to pursue their startups full-time after graduation.

George Bryan Cornwall, a graduate of the FlexWeekend MBA Class of 2018 was selected to give the student commencement address. In his speech, Cornwall celebrated the achievements of his cohort and lauded the Rady School for its commitment to honoring its mission statement.

“We have all emerged from this experience at the Rady School with new skills and new perspectives,” he said. “We also have a broader, extensive and growing family that we are part of. One of the most important factors was the chance to interact with an elite cohort of people. People I would be proud to call colleagues and comrades.”

An accomplished alum in the financial sector was invited to give the alumni address. Bosco Lujan (MBA ’12), a Vice President at Morgan Stanley, welcomed the newest graduating cohorts to the robust Rady School alumni network.

“You didn’t just obtain a graduate degree today, you are now official bearers of the Rady name,” Lujan said. “As you become successful, always look back to your Alma Mater, cherish what you’ve received, and assess all you can give back.”

The event concluded with remarks from Dean Sullivan honoring and congratulating the graduates on their hard work.

“To our graduates: today you join an elite group of approximately 1500 Rady alumni who continue to make measurable, positive impact both locally and around the world,” Dean Sullivan said. “Our entire Rady School community celebrates and congratulates you; we are so proud of all of your accomplishments.”

June 18, 2018 0 comment
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FacultyStudents

Rady School’s Master of Finance Program Ranked by the Financial Times

written by Melinda Battenberg

The Master of Finance (MFin) program at the Rady School of Management was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the top MFin programs in the world. The Financial Times ranking is the first major ranking for the Rady School MFin program, which launched in 2014 and was eligible to be ranked by the publication for the first time in 2018. The Financial Times used data from the school’s first MFin class for its 2018 ranking.

The program received high marks for its percent of female students (highest among U.S. ranked schools), international students (3rd highest among U.S. ranked schools) and international faculty (2nd highest among U.S. ranked schools). It the only MFin program ranked in California and it placed 14th in the U.S. and 65th globally.

“I am delighted the MFin program at the Rady School has been recognized for its excellence,” said Master of Finance Program Executive Director Michael Melvin. “Although it is still very new, it is clear the program has achieved excellence in a competitive global market. We look forward to growing the recognition of our program in the coming years.”

The Financial Times Master of Finance ranking is a highly-regarded ranking based on information provided by schools and a survey of school MFin alumni. The school survey constitutes 42% of the ranking’s total weight, while the alumni survey 58% of the ranking’s weight.

The Rady School MFin program provides rigorous, hands-on training to prepare graduates to immediately contribute in environments where quantitative and analytical skills are at a premium. Students learn leading-edge methods for analyzing big data for financial decision-making and risk management. The program’s emphasis on quantitative models and methods ensures graduates are equipped to develop innovative solutions to the complex problems facing the financial industry.

For more information about the Master of Finance program at the Rady School, visit the program website.

 

June 18, 2018 0 comment
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AlumniStudents

Supporting Veteran Students at Rady

written by Hallie Jacobs

From young and eager innovators with big ideas to career professionals looking to revamp their industries, entrepreneurs come in many forms. The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego is committed to fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship by making it accessible to all through a number of programs, accelerators and community partnerships. A recent event targeted a very specific audience and highlighted the new Veteran Ventures Accelerator housed in the Rady School of Management.

Throughout the years, a growing number of veteran students at the Rady School are embracing the entrepreneurial spirit, launching sustainable startup companies out of programs offered by the School, such as Lab to Market and the StartR Accelerator.

Sean Haggerty, founder and president of Protector Brewery, took advantage of the Lab to Market program to help his brewery get off the ground. Since completing the Lab to Market sequence and graduating from the Rady School, his brewery has grown significantly, launching a number of beers and securing a brick and mortar location in San Diego.

Haggerty recently spoke at an event highlighting veteran entrepreneurship at UC San Diego.

“The Rady School of Management was integral in the success of Protector Brewery,” Haggerty said. “There are a number of accelerators and incubators at the UC San Diego that serve veteran students and support their unique needs and abilities.”

Globier, a veteran-founded company launched at the Rady School, is also making waves in the food and beverage industry. Noticing a lack of beer in the nightclub industry, Joshua Schaffer (MBA ’17) worked with a fellow student to launch the world’s first glow-in-the-dark brew.

Another Rady veteran pursued a startup in the healthcare industry. Ryan Ruehl (MBA ’18), a Marine veteran, worked with fellow Rady alum Jon Wilensky (MBA ’17) to develop Braykion – a wearable sensor paired with technology that encourages healthcare workers to wash their hands, preventing spreadable infections.

The Rady School launched Veteran Ventures, an accelerator dedicated to helping veterans turn business ideas into functioning companies in 2017. The 10-week program supports veterans interested in learning more about the entrepreneurial process, introducing them to mentors and helping them scale their ideas into successful enterprises. The program is free and open to the community.

Recognizing the former military students bring specialized skills and experience to the School, the Rady School Admissions team worked to provide active duty and veteran students fee waivers for the application to the School as a thank you for their services.

“Veterans bring a unique set of experiences and leadership to the MBA classroom.  The insight they bring adds a great deal of depth and exposure to students who pursued a very different civilian career,” said Jay Bryant, Director of Admissions at the Rady School. “Rady Admissions offers application fee waivers and specialized one on one admissions advising sessions for applicants.  Once a current student, veterans have access to a tight-knit network and resources from UC San Diego’s Veteran Resource Center.”

As more veterans join the Rady School of Management community network, the School is eager to continue to cater to the population to support and grow their entrepreneurial skillset.

June 15, 2018 0 comment
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Rady SchoolStudents

Emphasis on Soft Skills at Rady School Develops Effective Leaders

written by Hallie Jacobs

Soft skills – social and communication skills, including team work, leadership and public speaking – have always been part of Rady’s MBA curriculum. As the School has grown, Rady has both expanded its soft skills-related curriculum for MBAs and has added such coursework to our specialized Masters’ programs.  An emphasis on leadership, teamwork and communication is a cornerstone not just for the MBA, but for the Master of Science in Business Analytics and the Master of Finance and of Professional Accountancy programs as well.

JoAnne Starr, Assistant Dean of Strategy, Curriculum and Rankings at the Rady School, emphasized the importance of soft skills in professional environments.

“Soft skill development is critical because every business professional needs to work in teams and communicate effectively,” she said. “You can do lots of analyses and compile crucial data points, but unless you can work with your team and can explain why the data is important and what value it has for business decision-making, your impact will be limited at best.”

Courses at Rady, including Management Communication, Strategic Communication and Storytelling, Leadership in a Crisis, and Negotiation, enable students to enhance their soft skills.

“From the beginning of our MBA program, we’ve offered courses focused on teamwork and leadership.  These enable students to gain self-awareness and improve their abilities as professionals and managers,” Starr said. “Teamwork requires speaking and listening, taking feedback, understanding roles and being flexible and adaptable. Teamwork is not simple – it’s a multi-faceted set of skills.”

Many soft skills courses center on teamwork, leadership and communication.  The addition of new courses in these areas has been driven both by student interest and by a recognition that these are among the top skills employers look for in new hires.  One very timely subject in which students have expressed increased interest is working with diverse groups.

“Our MBA students have long told us that the diversity of their class, particularly the international diversity of their classmates, is incredibly useful as a learning experience,” Starr said. “In response to these comments, we are adding an elective focused on diversity in the workplace. It will answer questions such as ‘What are companies really doing now?’ and ‘What is the business case for diversity?’”

“Everything about business is built on communication,” Starr said. “To have real impact, you want to develop the best possible skills for communicating up and down and inside and outside your organization. Rady really gives you the ability to do that.”

June 4, 2018 0 comment
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mystartupxxRady SchoolStartRStartupStudents

Rady Teams Sweep UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge

written by Hallie Jacobs

Each year UC San Diego hosts the annual Entrepreneur Challenge to celebrate innovation on campus. And each year, Rady School of Management students and alumni bring their brilliant startup ideas and launched companies to the stage to compete with fellow Tritons, sweeping the competition and earning thousands of dollars to continue developing the product or technology. The 2018 Entrepreneur Challenge was no different.

The majority of teams competing in the competition were affiliated with the Rady School and worked with one of the School’s many accelerator programs. The competition featured three tracks — Clean Technology, Life Technology and High Technology – and Rady School affiliated teams won first prize in two out of the three tracks.

Rady School affiliated teams swept the High Technology track, earning first, second and third place. StartR team GLXY – technology for weight training by preventing injuries and plateaus for athletes – earned first place. Family Proud – a mobile-application based patient advocacy software solution that provides hospitalized patients and their families easy and secure access to all their essential social, medical, and logistical resources – took second place. Beggy, mystartupXX and StartR team developing a new and trendy approach to convenient and functional Smart Bags, earned third place.

Navega – a mystartupXX team – took home first place in the Life Technology category. The company is developing technology to conquer the opioid addiction epidemic in the United States using addiction-free pain management. CReATE Medical,a StartR team, earned second place in the competition. CReATE is a patent-pending algorithm that analyzes routinely-collected patient data utilizing machine learning techniques to predict highly accurate patient-specific outcomes to pacemaker-related heart surgeries.

Green Stop won second place in the Clean Technology. The Green Stop is a mobile, solar-powered, waste-free refill station that can be used at the beach to reduce plastic pollution and provide filtered and chilled drinking water to beachgoers.

Pierre Sleiman (MBA ’13) gave the keynote address at the event, detailing how he was able to start his successful business, GoGreen Agriculture. He credited the Rady School for helping him develop the necessary entrepreneurial skills to launch and sustain a successful business.

May 25, 2018 0 comment
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StartupStudents

Lab to Market Team Receives Grant from NASA

written by Hallie Jacobs

A recent graduate team of the Rady School of Management’s Lab to Market program is heading for the stars with a $50,000 grant and partnership with NASA.

The Ateios team – which joined the Rady School Lab to Market program as part of the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur collaboration with the Jacobs School of Engineering – entered the Rice Business Plan Competition with help from finance students at the Rady School. The team is comprised of Kartik Sharma, Jennifer Miller, Carlos Munoz, Rajan Kumar, Karan Sheth, Keita Okuyama, Tom Yuki and Professor Ricardo Dos Santos.

Ateios developed a battery that is stretchable and printable and able to function when bending. The average battery loses up to 20 percent of functionality when it is bent, but the Ateios battery is able to operate at full capacity.

Eager to learn more about the business side of technology, Carlos Munoz, a graduate student at the Jacobs School of Engineering, and his team joined the fall 2017 Lab to Market cohort to maximize Ateios’ potential. Through the rigorous coursework, Ateios team members learned all about customer discovery, business model development, fundraising and more.

“The Lab to Market program been great for us,” said Munoz. “We entered the program as a group of engineers who started with a nice shiny object, but had no idea how to develop the business side of things. Working with Rady School professors and students helped us realize the marketability and profitability of our product.”

The IGE collaboration between the two schools enabled the Ateois team to submit their business plan to the prestigious Rice Business Plan Competition. More than 600 teams applied and only 42 were accepted to compete in the competition. Ateois made it to the semifinals of the competition, placing among the top 16. Although the company did not win, they received the grant from NASA which will allow them to collaborate with the space exploration giant in the future.

“Thanks to our time with the Lab to Market program, we were able to submit an exceptional business plan that represents the potential of our business,” Munoz said. “We stuck to what we knew, which is the technology, but left the business side of things to the experts. These competitions aren’t just focused on the technology – they want to make sure businesses are profitable. Lab to Market helped us prove that our business has a great deal of market potential.”

Moving forward, Munoz and his team are looking forward to continue developing the Ateois technology and secure funding to bring the product to market.

“This has been a very exciting experience for us because people are generally interested in our technology and the future of our business,” Munoz said. “They see potential in our product.”

May 16, 2018 0 comment
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FacultyStudents

Master of Finance Program Receives Designation From CFA

written by Hallie Jacobs

The Rady School of Management Master of Finance program was selected to participate in the esteemed Chartered Financial Analyst University Affiliation Program — a program that supports students pursuing degrees in finance through coursework integration, scholarships and networking.

According to Michael Melvin, Executive Director of the Master of Finance program, the CFA designation is held in high esteem in the industry.

“When I was at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management company, we recognized that someone with the CFA designation possessed knowledge that set them apart from other job candidates,” he said. “In addition, they were recognized for their diligence and hard work to pass all three levels of the CFA exam.  Many of our Master of Finance students pursue a CFA and it is great to now be a University Affiliate.”

Recognized for the program’s commitment to excellence, the Master of Finance program at the Rady School will have the opportunity to work with the CFA Institute to develop relevant and exciting curriculum into the coursework. The designation also provides student scholarships for the CFA exam, exclusive access to all three levels of the CFA Program® eBook curriculum, and access to sample exams for each level of the CFA Program.

In addition to scholarly and financial support, participation in the University Affiliation Program also gives students access to local Institute member societies to support student teams in the annual Research Challenge — an annual, global competition that challenges university students to research and analyze a local, publicly traded company and create a report detailing why they recommend buying, selling or holding the company.

Distinctions from revered organizations reaffirm what makes the Rady School Master of Finance program stand out from other competitive programs. In addition to the cutting edge quantitative finance curriculum, the Master of Finance curriculum offers CFA prep courses to help the students prepare for the Level 1 and Level 2 exams. To gain CFA University Affiliate status, a program must meet high standards with regard to accreditation and curriculum, offering courses that reflect CFA values with regard to ethics and finance topics.

May 8, 2018 0 comment
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Students

Rady School Students Selected to Participate in Prestigious MBA Conference

written by Chiara Dorigo

Chiara Dorigo (MBA ’18) shares her experience at a unique conference designed to connect business students with triple-bottom-line businesses in the food industry. 

The archetypal MBA graduate has historically taken his or her newly minted degree and (re)entered the workforce as a consultant, an investment banker or a venture capitalist, making the degree a professional maximizer of shareholder value. However, as Sarah Emerson from Conscious Capitalism communicated during her Spring 2018 seminar at the Rady School of Management, business is necessarily starting to prioritize stakeholders like employees, communities and the environment.

Enter MBArk (pronounced “embark”): a program centered around Expo West—the world’s largest natural products convention—and designed to immerse MBA students from around the country in the world of healthy, sustainable consumer packaged goods (CPG) for a weekend. Josh Sherman (MBA ’19) and I had the honor of being selected to participate in this annual program, along with 50 other MBA students from Yale, Sloan, Haas, Marshall, Kellogg, Stanford and more.

The scale of Expo West was staggering. Expo veterans we encountered throughout the weekend marveled at the relative quaintness of the conventions in decades past, during which it could hope to attract a couple thousand attendees per year, at best. This year, more than 3,500 exhibitors and 85,000 attendees descended upon the Anaheim Convention Center to secure distribution contracts, raise capital, build strategic alliances and sample thousands of products, as if they were walking through the world’s biggest Costco. Within the span of 100 meters, we tasted heirloom olive oil, cricket chips, vinegar cocktails and pulled pork-style jackfruit sandwiches. The future of food, in one giant building.

MBArk also built a program of unique learning and networking opportunities for its participants around this event. We heard origin stories straight from the entrepreneurs behind Califia Farms, Annie’s, Clif Bar and Honest Tea. We sat in on a dialogue between impact investors from a boutique firm and a large corporate venture arm regarding different approaches to funding innovation. There was “speed dating” where we had an opportunity to sit down with CEOs from the CPG industry over French toast. And finally, we dined with MBArk alums, several of whom have started their own ventures since graduating.

In addition to meeting these current and aspiring industry revolutionaries throughout the weekend, we had the chance to connect with fellow Rady School folks in the crowd. Rafael Cortes (MBA ‘18) built and ran the booth for his employer, Kona Red. Matt Mackenzie (MBA ’18) walked the floor with his employer, AFT Holdings. I even ran into Adam Evans (MBA’14), COO of Rady Made startup Ginger Shots, while he managed the company’s booth on founder Zeyad Moussa’s (MBA ’11) behalf.

After three days, I left MBArk and Expo West full, fully networked and optimistic about the role that MBAs—especially Rady MBAs—could play in reimagining the global food system. This is a call to action to use your business skills to do it, so contact me if there is any way I can support you in the effort, and/or to reach out with any questions on this awesome program!

May 1, 2018 0 comment
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Students

People of Rady: Robert Sweetman (MBA ’19)

written by Hallie Jacobs

Robert Sweetman

Program and Year: FlexWeekend MBA, 2019

Describe your professional background.

From the age of seven, I have been an entrepreneur. I have started many endeavors. I excelled in business in my 20’s. I built three businesses that were profitable. The first was an insurance brokerage. The second was a promotions company. The third was a food service business. At 29, I enlisted in the Navy to serve my country. I was medically retired this year.

What attracted you to the Rady School?

I love the idea of a business school next to Jacobs School of Engineering. The final decision was because of the Lab to Market courses. I want to take my business from Lab to Market.

What do you believe differentiates Rady from other business schools?

The proximity to San Diego is the number one reason. Not only because of how beautiful it is. San Diego is on the brink of a technological explosion in business. I want to be in the middle of it.

What is your favorite Rady School class?

The Lab to Market series is the reason I chose Rady. I am so excited about completing these three courses.

How has your MBA course work applied to your current work? Have you been able to use what you’ve learned?

Absolutely. I launched a company last year. I use each class to refine the business plan.

How do you feel a Rady MBA will affect your career? What do you hope to achieve after you graduate from the Rady School?

I want to scale a company that can reach people across the country.

What would you tell a prospective student about why they should attend Rady?

The experience of learning (in the beautiful La Jolla weather) with an internationally diverse environment from world class professors is delightful!

How does your chosen Rady MBA schedule work for you?

FlexWeekend was a great choice. It allowed me to finish my Naval career and transition into full-time school with a business.

Anything else you’d like to add about your experience at Rady?

Yes. There are lots of opportunities outside the classroom for pitching and building your business!

April 26, 2018 0 comment
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