MBA returns from Experiential Trip to UC Berkeley
50 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students took part in the Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Development Programme at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley (Berkeley-Haas), from 14th to 23rd of July as part of the CityU MBA Global Experiential Learning programme.
Prof Kevin Chiang, Director of MBA programme of the College of Business at CityU, led the students to site visits, networking events, and lectures.
The group visited Galvanize, an education institution specializing in teaching tech skills, and toured the Ferry Building to learn about the different business models in the city's famous landmark. Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall, and an office building.
The students also visited Alphabet Energy, a leading innovator in the field of waste heat recovery. During the visit, they met with Dr Matthew Scullin, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, and Mr Adam Lourimer, Co-founder and VP of Engineering, to learn about their company story and path to success.
Another highlight of the experiential trip was the opportunity to network with a group of entrepreneurs from San Francisco. The entrepreneurs shared their business challenges, triumphs, and future ventures with the students. The students not only found the discussion fruitful and informative, but also learned the skills of storytelling in attracting venture capital.
Course leader Mr David Charron, Senior Fellow of Lester Center for Entrepreneurship at Berkeley-Haas, introduced the innovation and entrepreneurship culture of the Silicon Valley and explained the essentials of the innovation process: business hypothesis, opportunities recognition, and validation in formal lectures.
The students formed 11 teams to develop comprehensive business plans based on the innovative environment of the San Francisco bay Area. The teams conducted intensive research and surveys to better understand the consumer needs. Their findings were presented in the final presentation to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs. Among the 11 teams, the Red and Green Team and Big Four Team received The Best Customer Understanding Award and The Best Storytelling Award, respectively.
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Red and Green Team members:
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Big Four Team members:
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About the MBA Global Experiential Learning programme
The Global Experiential Learning programme offers a privilege opportunity for CityU MBA students to widen global learning experience on the UC Berkeley campus. Participants will learn from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in the areas of Innovation and Management, Communication and Negotiation, and Entrepreneurship & Business Plan Development.
For more information on the MBA programme, please visit MBA website.
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