Key Takeaways from the Texas MSTC Class of 2015

Just over a week ago, The University of Texas at Austin’s Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) Program’s Class of 2015 walked across the stage to collect their diplomas from program director, Dr. Gary Cadenhead, and Dean Tom Gilligan of The McCombs School of Business.

Whether you ask our students, our faculty members, or our program staff, there is one answer that is identical across the board: MSTC is a whirlwind. Students start classes in early May, and just one year later they’re celebrating their completion of the program to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance”.

Throughout our one-year business master’s degree program, our students learn a lot: a lot about business, a lot about innovation, a lot about each other, and–to be just a bit trite–a lot about life. With that in mind, we asked a handful of the members of the Class of 2015 to share with us their biggest takeaways from the Texas MSTC Program. We hope you enjoy their advice as much as we do!

MikeTulkoff“It is hard to believe that one year ago, I was waking up on a Sunday morning after launch week and thinking about how much there was to do. Now I’m up on Sunday morning thinking about how much we all have done. The best part of this program is all of the interaction between the students as well as between students and the fantastic faculty. I have learned a lot from all of them both inside and outside of class.

My key takeaways from the program are; recognize a market pain, figure out how to ease it, plan, plan, plan, and be persuasive. Throughout this year we have learned quite a few processes, tools, and frameworks that will suit us well going forward.”

-Mike Tulkoff, Independent Technology Consultant

Karyl

“The MSTC program was tailored directly to my interests and within the team structure, we were able to hone those interests even further. I am now leagues more confident in my business knowledge and can speak about concepts both abstractly and tangibly with confidence. With the curriculum, classmates, faculty and the McCombs brand behind me, new opportunities have presented themselves, and I have been equipped to take advantage of them. Now I have a new job fusing technologies together to help other companies see their innovations to fruition in the market, and it is incredibly fulfilling. I think I appreciated my degree a thousand times more after talking through a product manufacturing flow a client on my first day at work and likewise as I help formulate the stories we will tell to market to prospective clients. It was a marathon of a year, but I am so glad I did it.”

-Karyl Fowler, Business Development Specialist, Novati Technologies

 

Jonathan Cartmill
“Reflecting on how I have changed over the past year, I recognize my presentation, oral and written communication skills have dramatically improved. I am a very outgoing individual and have no fear of public speaking but this program definitely expanded on my communication skills. I also notice I approach problems much differently than before. I have learned how to ask the right questions and how to think about challenges in ways that will help drive a positive outcome. The best part of the program, however, has been my classmates because they come from many walks of life and have different professional experiences that truly enriched my MSTC experience.”

-Jonathan Cartmill, Technical Sales Representative, National Instruments

 

RainyaMosher-HeadShot-BlackAndWhite“I did accomplish what I set out to do and have successfully transitioned from Engineering Management to Product Management. This program certainly helped me reposition my personal brand and make the transition far more easily than it otherwise would have been. The conversations I am able to have today regarding markets, pricing, and general “the idea is great, but will anyone pay for it?” (with accuracy, gusto, and confidence) would not have been possible a year ago. The network of my fellow MSTC Class of 2015 is the real gem, of course! I am thankful to have grown my network by 70 or so amazing people.”

-Rainya Mosher, Product Manager, Rackspace

 

Britt2“The Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) program was a significant game-changer for me. I retired out of the Navy with a solid grounding in risk assessment, operations, and execution – both at the tactical and strategic level – but quickly realized I did not have the vocabulary and foundation that my civilian counterparts had regarding how the corporate side functions. The MSTC program was a perfect bridge to creating that foundation. The conversations, questions, and concepts that I partake in today would absolutely not have been possible without the focused, rigorous curriculum that The University of Texas McCombs School of Business assembled in the MSTC program. It is hard to believe the difference between how I approach problems now and how I approached problems on day #1 of the program.” 

-Britt Talbert, Senior Program Manager, GM

 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Texas MSTC Program, we invite you to explore our website and visit a class. We hope to see you on campus soon. Hook ’em!

UT Austin Fuses the MBA with a Master’s in Technology

Originally published on TechCocktail by Will Schmidt 

Lisa Deluca, an Omni-Channel Technology Strategist and Master Inventor at IBM, first heard about an interesting program at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) through her colleagues at work. As one who was trying to decide between pursuing an MBA or a Master’s in Technology, DeLuca was delighted to hear that The Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) fused these two worlds tougher.

UTUT Austin has, in effect, built their MSTC program to combine business, technology, and innovation into a one year program at The McCombs School of Business. Specifically, it focuses on preparing participants for the intersection of these worlds in their future careers.

Students like DeLuca meet on alternating weekends, either in person or telecommute in video software like Skype, to learn the business skills needed to compete in a global economy while continuing their full time jobs. Fusing entrepreneurship with education, the MSTC Program’s main aim is to help their students create innovative ventures and products.

“This program is like an MBA for more technical people,” says DeLuca. “It’s helped me in my day job to understand the market I inhabit. In my day to day I’m normally a developer, so I do coding and am not always exposed to the business side of things. Now I know why we make the decisions we do.”

Officially launched in 1996, the MSTC program has remained committed to the idea of getting a relevant degree into the hands of their students for 18 years at this point. The hope is that these students, in turn, might one day drive innovation on their own terms.

Students are taught how to identify and evaluate technologies with market potential, develop and present business plans, and profitably launch innovative products into the market. On average 80 students are accepted every year, with 50 percent coming from entrepreneurial backgrounds, 40 percent are corporate innovators, and 10 percent inhabit the tech commercialization space.

As a remote student out of San Francisco, DeLuca would join the class every other weekend with about 20 percent of the other students, who were also remote. It was just like a real classroom where she had to be on time and participate, lest her grade suffer.

Despite telecommuting, she was still able to tap into the best parts of the program, one of which, according to DeLuca, was that she could find the right people to ask her questions to. Traditionally, that’s a tough thing to do, but when DeLuca got access to an entire network of mentors and faculty through the MSTC program, the problem was all but diminished.

“It’s a lot of work, it’s a huge time commitment, but you learn a ton,” says DeLuca. “I got to spend time with some of the best professors I’ve ever known, and the time absolutely flew by.”

Of the class participants that graduate in May 2014 there have been 14 ventures launched. Two graduates even went on to be in the Texas Venture Labs incubator, based at UT Austin, and another graduate founded Beyonic to bring mobile payments to Africa.

Sure, there’s homework and you have to be engaged during class time, but as DeLuca says this is a unique experience you can’t get from other university programs. You’ll get to interact with different people, hear different stories, and embed yourself into the lives of people you might never have otherwise met.

“In life, it’s crucial to understand why things are more important than others and why a problem might be interesting to you over your colleagues,” says DeLuca. “The MSTC program gives you a different approach to looking at entrepreneurial life.”

Applications are currently open for the program, but they’re close on February 18, 2015. So, if you’re anything like DeLuca and you’re considering an MBA, a Master’s in Technoloyg, or anything similar, you might want to consider getting on board with the MSTC program.

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Donna Kidwell, MSTC 2007

Dr. Donna Kidwell is a member of the Texas MSTC Class of 2007. We invite you to read on to learn about her experience in the Texas MSTC Program.

DonnaKidwell

Name: Dr. Donna K. Kidwell
Year of MSTC Graduation: 2007
Education Background:
BA History, UT Austin 1992
Doctorate Business Administration, Grenoble Ecole de Management, Grenoble, France, 2012 on the commercialization of science and research out of universities into industry.
Pre-MSTC Job:
Innovation Manager, Keller Williams Realty International
Post-MSTC Job:
Co-founder and President, Webstudent International AS, a Norwegian based startup creating innovative eLearning solutions between universities and industry.
Favorite MSTC Class:
Just one?! Kate Mackie’s Marketing course.
What technology did you work on during the program?
Virtual worlds and virtual world currencies.
How did the Master of Science in Technology Commercialization change your outlook on entrepreneurship and business?
The MSTC gave me systems and processes that I employ daily to develop my business. From learning and validating markets, creating new revenue models to launching international businesses: I use those lessons daily.
What is the most valuable thing you learned in the MSTC program?
There is systemic work behind entrepreneurship. It isn’t magic or happenstance – it’s actual work that you can do: decisions you can make, risks you can analyze, and models you can prove and build.
What advice do you have for prospective MSTC students?
As an MSTC student, you have a unique opportunity to explore areas of interest and open doors. That is much harder to access and create time for later on. In each trimester you have a framework for developing expertise and insight into a technology field you are passionate about. Plunge in and dive deeply!

Improving Health Care with New Technology

Originally posted by Madison Hamilton on McCombs Today.

MSTC-Alul-Adrienne-RobinsonAdrienne Robinson, MSTC ’10, is a pioneer in the health care industry. The McCombs School of Business graduate has been working for Merck, a leading health care company, for nearly 19 years. Recently Robinson had the opportunity to spend three months in India working with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. The IVR device, much like a cell phone, uses pre-recorded messages to teach women in India about maternal care. “We were educating them about what is respectful treatment, cleanliness standards, services they should expect, and lastly, how long they should wait for any of these services,” says Robinson. Furthermore, Robinson taught these women about government entitlements such as cash benefits and free transportation to the hospital.

Robinson spoke with us about her project in India, her time at McCombs, and her advice for students. 

What drew you to the MSTC program?

I am fascinated by the concept of enabling innovation. I was originally searching for a master’s program purely about the science of innovation, and then I found the Masters in Technology Commercialization program.The MSTC program appealed to me not only because of The University of Texas at Austin’s reputation, but I [also] found the curriculum to be practical for my professional needs. I was also very drawn to being in a program that was for seasoned professionals from multiple industries. I thought this would lead to more diverse dialog and interactions. Lastly, from a personal standpoint, I wanted both a classroom experience as well as the web interactive mechanism since I live in the Northeast and couldn’t fly down every other weekend but could [attend classes] monthly.  

What advice would you give to McCombs students?

Your time with MSTC goes fast, and it’s a safe place to really grow your expertise. Pick as many projects as you can to expose yourself to the different industries and technologies and try to apply the knowledge you’ll be gaining in MSTC.

You will do a fair amount of team project work. In that project work, be sure to take different roles than what you normally might choose. You’ll get more horizontal knowledge by learning other areas that you aren’t as comfortable with. 

Networking isn’t just for the workplace. While you are in MSTC, you not only have access to great teachers, but your fellow students [also] have a wealth of information. Make sure you develop as many relationships as you can so you can learn from those around you.

When did you start working in the health care industry? And what influenced that decision?  

I decided I really wanted to work in pharmaceuticals because of its mission. I’ve been at Merck now for 19 years, and I’ve really loved being part of a company that puts applying innovation to the patient at the center of its mission. 

How do you think new technology is affecting the pharmaceutical industry?   

We are striving to expand from purely a pharmaceutical company to a healthcare company. We’ll be looking at the full range of preventive options, as well as diagnosing, treating, and managing disease. This means diagnostics, monitoring, personalized medicine, healthcare services, etc. These will all be new technologies and we’ll have to figure out how they fit into our long-term strategy. 

What project are you currently working on? 

I was selected as a Richard T. Clark Fellow for a program established by our previous CEO. Its intent is to offer seasoned experts to help solve world health problems. I spent three months in India testing an innovative technology that was developed by a small startup company to address the significant problem of maternal mortality in India.

I was on loan to an NGO (non-governmental organization), called CEDPA (Centre for Development and Population Activities). I was working with the small startup, Gram Vaani, to conduct a feasibility study and implementation plan for using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Much like a mobile phone, this new technology is already in use for educating the rural poor about social change issues and government corruption complaints. In this particular case, my project was to modify this technology for a slightly different approach and use it as a mechanism to educate, empower, and activate women in maternal care. Not only would these women be educated via this communication method, but they would also be able to leave their feedback.

Since we went live with the system in November, we’ve found that the women are able to use the system and they really love it. I conducted focus groups with patients who are using the system and it was so neat to see their excitement [in response to] how this is improving their lives. Also, the government is very interested in seeing the feedback about their public hospitals. The real measure, of course, is if the death rate due to childbirth will be reduced, which will be measured over time. 

 It was a life-changing experience, and I can also say I absolutely applied skills I learned in the MSTC program.