Through a partnership with Riipen, teams will work remotely with organizations on business technology projects. Client introductions as well as the nature and scope of each project will be established early in the semester. The outline for each project as well as a timeline will be vetted between teams and respective clients. The instructor will serve as a consultant on all projects, and the Riipen platform will facilitate the experiential learning opportunities.

It is expected that teams will spend time on the projects outside designated class periods. Weekly or bi-weekly meetings should be scheduled with clients and progress should be evident. Each team will elect a project manager, identify goals for each week and deliver brief (2-3 minute) 1-page status reports which are to be shared with clients as well. Final reports are due at the end of the semester and should also be shared with clients. Oral reports (10-15 minutes) will be delivered at the end of the semester and the rule of 7 x 7 in Power Point should be used. The limit is 8-10 electronic slides, and it is acceptable if 1-2 students from each team present.

It is anticipated that the projects will be mutually beneficial—students will gain valuable experience, hone their skill set and expand their network base; and, clients will complete marketing tasks and serve as informal mentors to students.

Students will work on a project related to go-to-market solutions that revolve around customer centricity, untapped markets and new technologies for either a startup or existing company. The specifics will be outlined by the client companies and potential areas of focus will include:

• Extensive situation/SWOT analysis
• Market and competitor analysis
• Target market strategy
• User experience data
• Branding and messaging
• Social media strategy