In 2017, faculty conversations began circulating about a new kind of capstone experience, one driven by student discovery and entrepreneurial thinking rather than predetermined client requirements. The idea intrigued Omojokun.
“I remember thinking, this is really different from anything I’ve ever taught,” he said.
In his previous courses, Omojokun took pride in providing the structured, rigorous framework students needed to master complex concepts. While those interactions were dynamic, the curriculum required a specific, focused trajectory. CREATE-X offered a different kind of challenge: the "X" of the program, representing undefined, endless potential.
“CREATE-X is full of unknowns. You don’t know what industry the students are diving into, what roadblocks they’ll run into and navigate out of, or what small- to large-scale successes they’ll achieve throughout the semester. It really had my blood pumping,” he said. As someone who loves the challenge of academia, it was an invigorating way to help the next generation apply what they’ve learned in a new context.
Omojokun co-taught the first CREATE-X Capstone section with College of Computing students in fall 2018 alongside Craig Forest, associate director of the Invention Studio. While the initial computer science cohort was small, the experience was immediately powerful.
“It was humble beginnings but deeply eye-opening,” he said.
In this new environment, students weren't just solving problems; they were seeking them and sometimes pivoting. Traditional client-driven capstones offer students invaluable experiences in delivering high-quality products, responding to clients’ often evolving needs, and adhering to professional standards. CREATE-X added a layer of venture-validation, requiring students to identify a gap in the market and build something with commercial viability.
As the semesters continued, CREATE-X grew from a program with an interesting capstone course Omojokun enthusiastically co-taught to a professional inflection point for him. He found himself talking about it frequently, with colleagues, with students, even with prospective undergraduates who may not see a capstone for years.
He began encouraging prospective and incoming students to take CREATE-X pathways.
“I would tell students, down to first-year students, when you get that opportunity to engage with CREATE-X, take it. You don’t even have to wait until capstone, as there are multiple pathways; in fact, Startup Lab has no prerequisites. Whatever path you take, you’ll remember it for years to come. Whether you officially take a problem solution to market or not, the entrepreneurial confidence gained is priceless.”
By 2020, when the first Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship cohort opened, applying felt natural. He had already become an unofficial ambassador for CREATE-X, helping students navigate options, promoting programs in classes, and rallying colleagues to engage.
“It was an opportunity to become more connected to this thing that I felt was changing the game on campus,” he said. “It cemented my affiliation with CREATE-X.”
The fellowship gave name and weight to the work he was already doing, while also expanding what was possible.
The Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship provides faculty with $15,000 in discretionary funding, which can support a one-semester break from teaching, along with structured training in evidence‑based entrepreneurship, dedicated mentorship, and the opportunity to work closely with students launching startups.
The fellowship also equips faculty to become entrepreneurial instructors and mentors through the CREATE‑X ecosystem, giving them tools to integrate entrepreneurship into their coursework and curricula. Each cohort of fellows is trained to embed entrepreneurial methods, develop new innovation‑focused assignments, and serve as advisors within programs like Startup Lab, Idea‑to‑Prototype, and Startup Launch.
For faculty across Georgia Tech, the fellowship offers something rare: institutional backing, resources, and formal recognition for bringing entrepreneurship into their teaching and shaping how students learn to become problem‑solvers.
Omojokun said he sees CREATE-X as the apex of applying technical fundamentals.
As part of the fellowship, Omojokun brought the program’s ethos into his courses, even a foundational course like CS 1331: Introduction to Object Oriented Programming, where he created a CREATE-X–branded final project. Students built a “problem database” application as their final homework assignment, cataloging real issues they encountered in daily life, assessing their skills to solve them, evaluating markets and metrics, and then deciding potential pathways forward.
“It’s an innovation diary,” he said. “A tool that can get them closer to thinking like a founder.”
The response from students, including many non-computing majors who take his section each semester, has been overwhelmingly positive. While the project is challenging, the open-ended nature and real-world relevance motivate deeper engagement.
“When students believe their work will solve a meaningful problem for a meaningful population, they bring passion to it,” he said. “They start observing the world differently.”
The more Omojokun saw, the deeper his enthusiasm grew.
Even as he stepped into the role of inaugural chair of the School of Computing Instruction in 2022, CREATE-X remained at the forefront of Omojokun’s conversations. Interest in the program continued to grow significantly. Students stopped him in the hallways to talk about their ideas. Faculty reached out to ask about mentorship opportunities. And he continued championing the program in the many settings he entered.
“It turns out that the most engaged group of students in CREATE-X is computing undergraduates,” Omojokun said. “I wanted to make sure that high involvement continued, no matter what size we are,” he said.
Over time, Omojokun strengthened the partnership between the College of Computing and CREATE-X, weaving entrepreneurship deeper into the College's curricular fabric.
Last January, Omojokun was appointed as the associate dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Computing. One of his priorities was highlighting CREATE-X’s curricular impact. In coordination with key stakeholders — including Kelly Ann Fitzpatrick (computing), Craig Forest (mechanical engineering), and Raul Saxena (CREATE-X) — he nominated the program for the ABET Innovation Award. The award honors programs that challenge the status quo in technical education and demonstrate a measurable impact on student learning in ABET-accredited disciplines, such as natural sciences, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. CREATE-X won.
When faculty are considering something like the Jim Pope Fellowship, Omojokun said the biggest barrier he hears about from them is time. With courses that can enroll 300 students per section and extensive responsibilities beyond the classroom, time is a scarce resource.
He could relate.
“There are always lots of things on my physical and virtual desktop. I always warn people before they enter my office,” he said.
However, Omojokun argued that participating in the fellowship program was time well spent because it helps them rediscover the most exciting parts of teaching.
“It’s worth the time. One of the goals of teaching is to see students passionate about what they’re learning, and CREATE-X makes that happen consistently,” he said.
As AI reshapes industries, Omojokun believes that CREATE-X equips students to navigate the unknown and forge new paths as existing ones shift, providing a versatile skill set that transfers to employment, potentially self-employment, and beyond.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with AI in the workspace, but CREATE-X gives students the confidence and skills to succeed at whatever comes,” he said. “We are putting students through this process of finding a problem that’s meaningful and matters to the world; mastering that allows them to lead in any environment.”
The 2026 Jim Pope Faculty Fellowship is now accepting applications. For faculty who want to explore integrating entrepreneurship into their teaching, mentoring student founders, and helping shape a culture of innovation across campus, this fellowship offers resources and a supported pathway to begin. Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply to the Jim Pope Fellowship. Priority deadline: July 1; final deadline: Aug. 11.
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“It was frustrating, but it showed me how many people were being left out of the digital world,” Espinosa said. “In Colombia, only about two out of 10 people have a credit card. Cash is the main form of payment, but everything online requires digital access.”
That gap sparked the idea that would evolve into Loto Punto, a fintech startup building self-service kiosks to bridge the physical and digital worlds for unbanked communities.
Espinosa began his startup as an online platform for buying lottery tickets. He saw that customers didn’t trust the idea of a digital receipt because they were used to a printout, so he pivoted to a kiosk similar to the ones in U.S. grocery stores. Customers could walk up, insert cash, and print a lottery ticket instantly.
“It worked, but it had a ceiling,” Espinosa said. “It only served people buying lottery tickets. We knew it wouldn’t scale.”
To address this, he expanded the kiosks to handle mobile phone top-ups, bill payments, and basic banking services. Then, in 2024, the company incorporated advanced technologies such as biometric recognition and blockchain. Stellar Blockchain, first a partner, later became an investor of the startup, which helped Loto Punto to enable low-cost, real-time digital transactions and remittances.
Now, users can convert physical cash into digital value or withdraw cash from digital wallets through a single machine.
Espinosa is the sole founder of Loto Punto, supported now by a 10‑person team of highly specialized engineers, designers, and manufacturing experts. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at Georgia Tech while leading the company through its next chapter as part of the CREATE-X Startup Launch Spring 2026 cohort.
Espinosa learned about CREATE-X during his first semester at Georgia Tech. In 2024, CREATE-X widened its Startup Launch program to include a spring cohort to give founders, particularly graduating seniors, another chance to go all-in on developing their startup.
Espinosa admits he didn’t expect much when he first learned about the program.
“I didn’t know universities had programs like this. In Colombia, we don’t have accelerators embedded inside universities with venture support and dedicated staff,” he said. “So, I assumed CREATE X would be small, maybe one office helping a few students.”
“They’re leveraging every resource that Georgia Tech offers. They can help with any challenge by tapping the doors of the network they already have established,“ he said. “It’s an ecosystem.”
As a part of the Startup Launch program, CREATE-X brings in founders from its ecosystem to speak to participants and give them actionable insights — founders who have raised funds, been acquired, and have had other successes as entrepreneurs.
“That’s different,” Espinosa said. “They’ve brought successful founders who have walked the talk. It’s different to interact with somebody who was already successful in doing what you’re doing.”
Even as a remote participant, Espinosa has connected well with his mentor, who meets with him weekly, and his mini-batch. During the program, startup teams are grouped together. They share their strategies, successes, and struggles as they develop throughout the program. Teams have weekly sprints where they focus on one or two activities and then measure those activities, which Espinosa said is helpful for maintaining focus and actually executing on ideas.
“If you, as an entrepreneur, start thinking of the whole world of activities that you must do to get somewhere with your startup, you won’t start,” he said. “By creating attainable goals, step by step, that’s how it compounds to reach bigger goals. But, you have to begin with something.”
Teams are also encouraged to take calculated risks.
“CREATE-X gives us a safe environment to test ideas,” Espinosa said. “As an entrepreneur, it’s a lonely road, but having someone who has been in your shoes before, it makes you brave to try things.”
One of the first major tests he shared with the cohort was an ad campaign timed around the Super Bowl. In Startup Launch, Espinosa learned how to structure the experiment: defining KPIs, iterating audiences, and evaluating performance compared to industry benchmarks.
“We got around 45,000 views and above-average click-through rates,” he said. “But the biggest lesson was that brand awareness alone can’t be our only marketing strategy.”
Espinosa said his mentor helped open doors for him and kept him accountable, and the program itself kept him from being overwhelmed by all that a founder has to do.
“In Startup Launch, you see how different approaches fit different phases,” he said. “They’re creating a path to grow and execute on your goals as a founder.”
Espinosa also emphasized that the tools to build and test ideas have never been more accessible.
“When I started, we didn’t have AI. You had to do everything by hand. It was harder, and it took more resources,” he said. “Right now, it’s a matter of prompting. In one hour, you can file for a grant. Before, it took at least a week to get your documents together.”
He said the ability to test quickly and learn has also become inexpensive.
“You don’t need millions of dollars to do this,” Espinosa said. “It's very cheap to fail, right? If that doesn't work, you can just try again in the morning.”
Above all, Espinosa encouraged budding founders to take advantage of the opportunities around them.
“As a founder, you must tap every door that you have available to you. You have to explore different paths,” he said. “Some of those are networking, some are physical space, some are interest. Get your hands on every single resource that comes your way.”
As he thinks about where the finance world is going, Espinosa said the payments industry is rapidly converging toward blockchain, stablecoins, and faster, frictionless user experiences.
“We’re seeing a lot of movement around stablecoins. We’re seeing resource flow from one country to another. We believe things are converging to leverage blockchain and driving down the cost of moving money,“ he said. “That’s how we see the future of our industry.”
Espinosa will travel to Atlanta for the first time in May to present Loto Punto at the CREATE-X Spring Startup Launch Showcase, where the public can meet founders and see their ventures firsthand. The event will be held in The Biltmore Ballrooms on Thursday, May 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The showcase will feature dozens of startups built by Georgia Tech students and alumni. Tickets are free but limited. Register for the showcase today to grab your spot.
Marketing Strategist
]]>The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) in Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization announced two of its health technology (HealthTech) portfolio companies, Nephrodite and OrthoPreserve, earned the designation.
Achieving this rare milestone underscores the caliber of founders, science, and support in ATDC’s 30-company HealthTech portfolio, the incubator’s largest focus area. It’s also a win for Georgia because it reflects the strength of the state’s health innovation ecosystem.
“This designation is one of the strongest signals the FDA gives that a technology could change the standard of care,” said Greg Jungles, HealthTech catalyst at ATDC. “For ATDC to have two in the same year is remarkable.”
The Breakthrough Device Program doesn’t waive evidence requirements, but it accelerates learning with the FDA, ATDC’s Jungles said. “That means shorter response times, more frequent meetings, and prioritized review. Teams avoid dead ends and align earlier on study designs and endpoints.”
For the founders of both startups, their technologies come one step closer to moving their innovations to market. Nephrodite’s technology improves the lives of dialysis patients. OrthoPreserve’s device addresses challenges faced by those who suffer from chronic knee pain.
Nephrodite: Advancing Continuous Artificial Kidney Technology
Dr. Nikhil Shah and Dr. Hiep Nguyen, cofounders of Nephrodite, aim to improve care for dialysis patients with end-stage kidney disease who need transplants. These patients often spend three to four hours in a dialysis clinic up to three times a week. Being tethered to stationary machines with needles drawing blood via arm grafts complicates everyday activities — from work tasks to the ability to travel.
Dialysis addresses chronic kidney disease, which means kidneys no longer work properly. The treatments filter out toxins, waste, and other fluids in the blood. Kidney disease costs Medicare $124.5 billion every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And those costs are expected to rise because of increasing rates of kidney failure and chronic kidney disease.
“Dialysis, while lifesaving when it was pioneered in 1952, is incredibly burdensome,” Shah said. Besides being a long process that keeps the patient in a fixed location, it’s physically tiring. “Taking out your blood continually many, many times over, and over the course of four hours is the equivalent of running the Boston Marathon, hitting the finish line, and then someone saying, ‘You're not done; go do it again,’ ” he said.
A surgeon by training, with expertise in transplantation and oncology, Shah is also an adjunct associate professor in Tech’s School of Interactive Computing. He worked with Nguyen to develop a continuously functioning mechanical artificial kidney, leading to Nephrodite’s formation.
The FDA’s breakthrough designation on its artificial kidney allows the company to pursue approvals to begin tests in human trials.
The company traces its beginnings to a German aerospace facility outside Munich, where Nguyen and Shah watched engineers demonstrate a pediatric artificial heart — the Berlin Heart.
“That’s how we got started,” Shah said. “Seeing an artificial heart that led us to think about doing this for kidneys — because the kidney space has been largely ignored for 70 years.”
Backed by a German federal grant, Nephrodite grew, moving from Germany to Boston, Massachusetts, then to Austin, Texas, before calling Atlanta home. The company joined ATDC and tapped into other Georgia Tech programs. This included the Center for MedTech Excellence and the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Nephrodite also drew on student talent as the researchers quietly worked on their continuous mechanical artificial kidney.
Nephrodite began interviewing patients to find out what they wanted the artificial kidney needed to solve.
They learned patients want the ability to be mobile. Patients also desire an alternative therapy to large needles being inserted into arm grafts because the injection sites are prone to infection and the grafts can fail. In addition, the process can be painful and disfiguring. Finally, patients want a quality of life independent of machines.
“Those quality-of-life needs, especially being free and mobile, were absolutely universal,” Shah said.
Nephrodite began developing the technology to build its device — a filter surgically implanted in the pelvis area.
“We developed an implant designed to run constantly, connected to larger blood vessels in the pelvis to avoid arm graft failures, and paired with an external interface that lets patients sleep at night while the system removes toxins and excess fluid,” Shah explained.
The device also has built-in sensors, with data uploaded to the cloud, enabling medical care teams to remotely monitor their patients while freeing patients from frequent in-clinic visits.
Shah said Nephrodite’s device could restore everyday independence, while potentially lowering infection risk.
“It's like having an actual kidney, but without all the issues of an unhealthy one,” Shah said.
OrthoPreserve: Innovating a Minimally Invasive Meniscus Implant
OrthoPreserve’s technology aims to address issues from people have with their meniscus, the C‑shaped piece of cartilage in a knee joint that acts as a shock absorber between the thigh bone and shin bone.
Though patients undergo a now-routine surgery to address it, incomplete recoveries are also common. An estimated quarter of patients later experience recurring knee pain. No FDA-approved implant currently exists for this population. Now, OrthoPreserveis developing a minimally invasive, artificial meniscus implant to restore cushioning, relieve pain, and delay — or even prevent — knee replacement for some patients.
“There are a million meniscus surgeries every year, and 25% of those patients still live with recurring pain,” said Jonathan Schwartz, OrthoPreserve’s founder and CEO.
Patients can face daily pain from ordinary activities, such as prolonged standing or walking a dog. Other activities like jogging and recreational sports can trigger flares that can lead to swelling and prolonged discomfort, Schwartz said. “Those patients have no reliable options today,” he said. “We’re building a minimally invasive implant to restore cushioning and help people get back to the activities they love.”
OrhoPreserve’s durable implant restores cushioning, and it could help people return to normal activities and delay invasive knee replacement. Along with this comes potential cost and recovery benefits for the healthcare system.
Schwartz created the implant as his Georgia Tech master’s thesis in the lab of David Ku in the Lawrence P. Huang Endowed Chair for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Regents' Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. After industry experience, Schwartz returned to further develop the technology, building on Georgia Tech’s translational expertise
OrthoPreserve has completed mechanical testing and a successful study. The company is raising a $2 million seed to complete validations and begin human trials, which Schwartz expects to start in 18 months.
“The FDA breakthrough designation validates that nothing like this technology exists, and that it has the potential to disrupt the standard of care,” Schwartz said, adding the U.S.’ market opportunity is roughly $1.5 billion. “We finally have a minimally invasive option to bridge the gap between meniscus surgery and knee replacement.”
What FDA Breakthrough Designation Means for ATDC’s HealthTech Startups
Having a faster and clearer path is a derisking milestone for investors who are evaluating capital intensive medical device technologies, Jungles said.
“This breakthrough device designation is a really big deal for medical device companies,” Jungles said, adding that startups often fear navigating the FDA approval process. “But this designation adds to the legitimacy of their technologies and the problemsthey are solving. The designation will help them get to market faster, assuming their data continues to meet expectations.”
ATDC launched its HealthTech vertical in 2018, which is now sponsored by Catalyst by Wellstar ATDC’s HealthTech portfoilo companies include medical devices, biotech, and digital health, among other segments.
ATDC’s Role in Accelerating HealthTech Innovation
Nephrodite and OrthoPreserve’s founders noted ATDC’s coaching and programming as critical in navigating fundraising and regulatory milestones. Another factor, they said, was ATDC’s connection to Georgia Tech’s labs and facilities and prototyping support and clinical advisors from across metro Atlanta.
“We meet with ATDC coaches every two to four weeks to troubleshoot and plan,” Schwartz said. “Having that level of seasoned guidance, all without consultant-level costs, has been huge.”
Jungles added that two Breakthrough device designations in the same year reflects ATDC’s selection rigor, noting he’s evaluated hundreds of technologies since the HealthTech vertical launched.
“It reflects the caliber of the companies in ATDC, specifically in the medical device space,” Jungles said. “It’s the strength of their teams, the persistence of the founders, and the collaboration of the ecosystem in Georgia and Atlanta.”
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Applying what she’d learned along the way, Sizer started Growth Impact to support startups and stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. As a part of her business, she created partnerships and networks between the U.S. and South Africa, bridging the gap between startups and corporations to encourage co-creation and pilot projects. During this time, she saw how much early‑stage founders needed clear frameworks, honest guidance, and hands‑on support.
“I started Growth Impact to support startups and stakeholders such as venture studios, investors, and accelerators. I support early-stage startups in finding product-market fit, customer understanding, go-to-market strategy, and business model development,” she said. “I also help startups with fundraising readiness and enterprise readiness. I support stakeholders by helping to assess viability, and de-risk new ventures, as well as connecting startups to enterprises.”
Eventually, her work brought her in contact with Georgia Tech. She was working with a South African innovation lab to enable pilot projects between startups and enterprises with the goal of facilitating the co-creation of digital solutions, which led her to Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X.
Sizer said she reached out to see if any potential CREATE-X startups or enterprises would want to connect to the companies she was working with in South Africa.
“Over the last few years, there's been quite a lot of interest in Georgia Tech and Atlanta in terms of a tech and innovation hub in the U.S., and there's a lot of investment happening too, in both the city of Atlanta and in Georgia Tech, in entrepreneurship and innovation and technology,” she said. “I think it's an interesting market.”
Once connected, she kept meeting Georgia Tech founders, many from CREATE‑X.
Quietly, she began helping where she could, making introductions for CREATE-X founders outside of Atlanta. For Augment Health, she made investor and potential partner introductions. For the founder of Strapt, she made introductions to investors, shared market insight, and highlighted the company in her own newsletter, which has an audience of innovation ecosystem stakeholders, including more investors. And for ZenVR, she made a connection to WeFunder for funding, which resulted in $250,000 raised.
Collaborating with CREATE-X on a webinar, Sizer also taught Startup Launch alumni about customer understanding and segmentation, value proposition, and other topics for health and wellness founders. Beyond connecting, Sizer shaped mindsets.
In her business, one founder she worked with was building non‑toxic performance apparel for women — a product selling through Amazon, REI, and even the U.S. military. The founder had ambition but struggled to balance DTC (direct to consumer) sales, retail, and B2B opportunities. Sizer helped her analyze her data, identify her real early adopters, and rebuild her value proposition and messaging. With a clearer customer understanding and stronger brand direction, the founder revamped her website and refined her pitch.
“I love that thrill of them being excited about implementing some of the ideas and things we talk about, seeing the growth in their business, and the positive change in their business. That really excites me,” she said.
Atlanta is an enterprise-heavy city with Fortune 500 companies, SaaS (Software as a Service) companies, and a growing biotech sector. The startup ecosystem is growing in Atlanta, and with that comes advantages.
“I have noticed that there's a lot of strong support for Atlanta and Georgia entrepreneurs from other Atlanta and Georgia entrepreneurs,” she said. “They all support each other.”
Over the years, Sizer has advised or mentored over 100 startups and built investor connections.
“My business is Growth Impact, because growth and impact are part of my core values. I'm glad to give back and support early entrepreneurs, sharing knowledge, tools, and resources,” she said.
As a founder, Sizer went through her own learning curve. When she first launched her company, she assumed her target customers would be venture capital firms and spent months talking to pre‑seed and seed investors, only to discover that VCs either didn’t fund the kind of operational support she offered or they expected founders to pay for it themselves. Meanwhile, the founders she spoke with said they needed her help but didn’t have the budget. She said it was a classic chicken‑and‑egg problem.
“I said, OK, this is not my target customer. The target customer is the startup,” she said. “That's where the pivot point was for me.”
That shift reshaped her entire business and reinforced the same advice she now gives students: Talk to customers, listen deeply, and don’t be afraid to adjust when the data points you in a new direction.
She officially joined the CREATE‑X mentor community last year to help more founders, guiding them in finding product-market fit, and understanding who needs this solution and why.
One thing Sizer emphasized, however, is the need for founders to continue to take initiative and be resilient in the face of challenges.
“A mentor can guide you or ask the right questions, but the founder has to find the path,” she said.
Meet mentors like Alison Sizer in Startup Launch, where you can develop a startup to solve real-world problems and build entrepreneurial skills. Apply to Startup Launch today; applications close Tuesday, March 17.
Interested in mentoring?
Fill out our engagement form to join CREATE‑X’s mentor network.
]]>Marketing Strategist
]]>“Arts organizations contribute so much to the vibrancy of a community,” said Caley Landau, program manager for GAIN and marketing strategist at EI². “They help create a sense of place and provide the ‘something to do’ that small cities and towns want to offer residents, new workers, and prospective businesses. Our hope is to enhance the arts and cultural ecosystem in Middle Georgia by providing training and technical assistance to the organizations that produce art in the region.”
Perry was selected as the pilot location in part for its active downtown revitalization work and commitment to placemaking. Through the Georgia Economic Placemaking Collaborative, Perry city staff partnered with EI²’s Center for Economic Development Research to develop strategies for arts‑based community development.
“Working alongside the Georgia Tech team has been a wonderful experience,” said Alicia Hartley, downtown manager for the City of Perry. “We hope that participants walk away from the cohort inspired and empowered to activate their organizations in creative and meaningful ways.”
The program will begin with a listening session to understand participating organizations’ needs. EI² will then design tailored workshops drawing from experts at Georgia Tech and beyond. Every other month, cohort members will meet for sessions on business practices, digital tools, operational efficiency, marketing, placemaking partnerships, and other areas that support long‑term sustainability.
“They sound like great ideas — murals, pop‑up exhibits, outdoor performances — but how do you really get down to the nuts and bolts of making them happen?” Landau said. “And how do you bring the right partners to the table? That’s what we’ll explore together.”
As Georgia Tech’s economic development arm, EI² administers programs that support entrepreneurs, manufacturers, communities, and municipalities across the state and around the world.
“GAIN represents an important part of EI²’s comprehensive approach to economic development,” said David Bridges, vice president of EI². “It gives us another way to create impact in Georgia by applying our expertise to serve arts organizations that are vital to Georgia communities.”
Jason Freeman, associate vice provost for Georgia Tech Arts, noted that the pilot aligns with the Institute’s broader commitment to supporting arts, culture, and creativity statewide.
“Through GAIN, I’m excited to learn more about the arts ecosystem in Middle Georgia,” Freeman said. “The lessons we learn will inform both statewide collaborations and new initiatives emerging through our Creative Quarter innovation district on campus.”
The pilot is funded through the NEA’s Our Town program, which supports projects integrating arts, culture, and design into community development. The Georgia Council for the Arts is partnering with EI² on cohort recruitment, curriculum development, and arts‑based placemaking strategies.
Recruitment has begun. Arts nonprofits and arts‑based businesses in Middle Georgia may apply at innovate.gatech.edu/gain/.
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GAIN PROGRAM CONTACT
Caley Landau
caley.landau@innovate.gatech.edu
The Georgia Institute of Technology and Augusta University have launched a collaborative effort to boost the city’s medical device innovation ecosystem.
The Augusta region is already a major hub for health and life sciences, boasting five hospitals and the Medical College of Georgia, the nation’s 13th oldest medical school and one of its largest.
Additionally, the advocacy nonprofit Georgia Life Sciences designated the region a BioReady Gold community. This ratings system recognizes its existing bioscience assets and its commitment to expanding infrastructure and commercialization, marking Augusta as a desired choice for biotech companies looking for suitable sites to expand.
Leading the work at Georgia Tech are the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) and Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).
GaMEP is a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Tech’s chief economic development arm. It brings a dedicated team with the unique skills required to help innovators clearly understand the requirements needed to bring medical devices to market.
“When entrepreneurs gain insight into the regulatory and quality requirements early in development, they can make informed, strategic decisions that can significantly reduce both time and cost,” said Sarah Jo Tucker, industry manager for GaMEP’s medical device group. “We partner closely with innovators throughout the process and bring deep expertise in the regulatory requirements while they bring expertise in their technology. Together, we can move products efficiently and confidently from concept to commercialization.”
ADTC, part of Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization, is the state’s premier technology incubator and the oldest university-based incubator in the country. ATDC provides guidance and resources for entrepreneurs and founders to successfully launch and scale their technology companies.
Since its founding in 1980, ATDC’s startup graduates have attracted more than $6.2 billion in investment and generated over $14 billion in revenue in Georgia. Through the partnership with Augusta University, ATDC uses its expertise to serve entrepreneurs in the medical device field.
"Medical innovation across the state of Georgia is critical for our health tech industries to thrive,” said Chris Dickson, ATDC’s startup catalyst in the Augusta region. “We identify investment-ready medical technology startups and provide the support needed while they are scaling their businesses.”
A major hub for the life sciences, Augusta University is home to a wealth of researchers in the biomedical and related fields. This makes the institution ideally situated to help facilitate medical device commercialization.
Guido Verbeck understands this dynamic firsthand. A professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Augusta University, he is also an entrepreneur and medical device innovator.
“Academia is a fantastic platform for launching ideas, but there must be an understanding of how to bring a device to market,” said Verbeck. “Physicians and practitioners who are also academics are solving problems in real time, but they often lack the resources and support to get their ideas to production and commercialization.”
Lynsey Steinberg, director of innovation for Augusta University’s strategic partnerships and economic development team, summed up collaboration’s goal.
“When we tap our depth of talent, innovation, and community collaboration, this region has what it takes to become a launchpad for medical device startups — a place where bold ideas find the purpose they need to succeed to solve real-world problems,” she said.
The half-day event is being presented in partnership with the Advanced Technology Development Center, Augusta University, the Augusta Economic Development Authority, and the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.
To learn more and register, click here.
]]>Consumer forecasts were among the least accurate.
“Consumer confidence started the year at low levels,” says Samuel Bond, associate professor of marketing in the Scheller College of Business. Many analysts expected households to pull back, particularly on discretionary spending. Instead, consumers kept spending — especially on travel, dining, and entertainment.
Bond notes a persistent gap between sentiment and behavior. “People expressed worry, but they did not significantly reduce spending.”
He also points to a major 2025 shift: the rise of AI “shopping assistants.” Rather than using search engines or retailer sites, consumers increasingly turned to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other bots that consolidate search, comparison, and advice.
Supply chain automation was expected to leap forward in 2025, but progress came in targeted pockets.
“2025 did not deliver a broad, step-change leap in automation performance,” says Chris Gaffney, professor of the practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE). “Instead, it delivered selective progress.”
Automation delivered the most value in tightly scoped environments with clear ownership, particularly in new distribution and manufacturing facilities. Semi-automated systems that supported human judgment and stabilized throughput outperformed complex retrofits that promised full automation.
Forecasts missed by assuming technology alone could overcome workforce readiness, data gaps, and organizational complexity. “The gap between expectation and reality was less about technology and more about readiness to operate automated systems day-to-day,” Gaffney says.
Still, Gaffney gives 2025 a B-, calling it “a healthy, if humbling, outcome” that reset expectations and clarified what actually matters heading into 2026.
No trend attracted more hype in 2025 than AI, and predictions routinely overshot reality.
“There’s been so much hype around AI that keeping track of specific forecasts is difficult,” says Jorge Huertas, a researcher in the ISyE. “AI has grown in many different areas and scopes, but not at the pace it was hyped.”
Some applications matured quickly, particularly code generation and AI tools embedded into existing platforms. “Claude has grown very well with code generation, and Gemini has grown by integrating across the Google ecosystem,” Huertas says.
Other highly touted areas lagged. “Agentic AI was hyped, only to see many cases where engineers spent two or three times longer fixing errors from AI-generated code,” he adds.
AI delivered the most value when narrowly applied to the right problems. Looking ahead, Huertas points to accuracy, guardrails, and regulation, rather than model capability, as the key constraints shaping AI’s 2026 trajectory.
Alex Hsu, associate professor in the Scheller College of Business, notes that business adoption is accelerating regardless. “The AI revolution is here to stay,” he says. “Tech companies are investing hundreds of billions in large language models and data centers, while companies outside tech are using models to improve margins. This will heighten competition and put downward pressure on the labor market.”
Economic predictions faced unusual turbulence in 2025, driven largely by rapid policy shifts.
“2025 was a difficult year to forecast gross domestic product (GDP) growth given the immense number of changes in policy at the federal level,” says Danny Woodbury, lecturer in the School of Economics.
Early forecasts projected solid growth in the first quarter, but GDP instead contracted slightly as government spending fell and imports surged following tariff announcements. “Forecasters did not foresee the magnitude of the shift in trade policy,” Woodbury says, noting that projections only converged with reality weeks before official data releases.
Later in the year, export growth pushed GDP forecasts sharply higher, again catching analysts off guard.
Hsu adds that inflation and unemployment will be the key indicators to watch in 2026 as the Federal Reserve balances price stability with employment amid rising bond yields and global fiscal pressures complicating the outlook.
Across sectors, 2025 revealed a common blind spot: Predictions assumed smoother execution than reality allowed.
For 2026, experts point to discipline over hype, operational readiness over technology promises, policy risk over static models, and actual behavior over stated intentions.
As Gaffney puts it: “2026 will reward operators who treat automation as a system to be run, not a solution to be bought.”
]]>That opportunity is here again. Applications for the 2026 Summer Startup Launch cohort are now open.
If you’ve identified a meaningful problem, have begun talking to real users, or feel a pull to build something bigger than a class project, this is your moment. Startup Launch gives you the structure, support, and ecosystem to take your idea further than you ever thought possible.
A Launchpad With a Proven Track Record
In the past year alone, CREATE‑X founders have:
The ability to identify a problem, validate real user needs, build something that works, and communicate that value — that combination makes students stand out in a competitive job market. Employers notice it. Graduate programs notice it. And investors notice it.
This is why Startup Launch isn’t just a summer project.
It becomes a defining career asset.
What You Get in Startup Launch
Startup Launch is intentionally built to give students every advantage while they build their venture. This year, we’ve expanded support even further.
Participants receive:
You’ll spend the summer fully immersed in your startup, surrounded by peers also tackling ambitious problems.
And you’ll leave with something real to show for it.
Applications for the Summer 2026 cohort close March 17. Apply to Startup Launch today.
]]>Marketing Strategist
]]>The showcase featured a diverse mix of innovators: Startup Launch alumni, returning I2P students refining earlier concepts, and first-time participants stepping into the entrepreneurial arena.
First Place: Gorginea Care
A cross-institutional team from Georgia Tech, UGA, and Kennesaw State introduced an at-home cervical cancer screening kit, designed to give women privacy and control over their health.
Team Gorginea Care started their journey at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College, where they participated in the MESA program (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) — a dedicated study and research space located on Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus. The team was sparked by a simple question: Why isn’t there a better way to test for cervical cancer? The founders were planning on getting pap smears themselves, but they had heard about painful experiences from other women.
“We were hesitant to go through the process since it seemed uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.
So, Tesfassellasie, Bereket, and Ejiwunmi decided to consider alternatives to the plastic speculum used during standard exams and develop a tampon-like device.
“It's just giving women a choice basically to be able to take the samples and solve without having to be so vulnerable and uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.
The team joined the summer I2P and continued to develop their prototype in the fall semester course. Bereket said CREATE-X gave them resources and space without taking ownership.
“The point of us being engineers is to make a difference in the world,” Tesfassellasie said. “CREATE-X gives you the chance to do that, and they don't take any intellectual property. You might be really passionate about whatever you're majoring in, but this is where you can start implementing what you learn in classes in real-life projects. CREATE-X is allowing you to do this without limiting you by Schools or where you're coming from.”
Initially, the team hesitated to enter the InVenture Prize competition, worried they weren’t ready.
“We thought we could work on more things and find more ways to improve,” Bereket said. “We can give ourselves a year. By next year, maybe we'll be ready to do Inventure Prize.”
But I2P changed that. Bereket said she was shocked by the win, as the team had thought they’d try Startup Launch first.
“Now it's the other way around,” she said. “We're excited to be part of the InVenture Prize, and we're going to see how everything works out as well.”
“If you have an idea, or even if you don't have an idea but you feel very strongly about working on something, go to showcases like this and talk to teams and professors. Half the time, teams are looking for somebody to help,” Ejiwunmi said.
Additional winning teams include:
Second Place: PedalSwap
This team reimagined guitar effects pedals by creating one main pedal case with interchangeable magnetic parts, reducing cost and increasing flexibility for musicians looking to experiment with new sounds.
Third Place: Matareal
Tackling inefficiencies in mural painting, Matareal developed a paint estimation tool that cuts planning time from two days to two minutes, saving artists thousands of dollars in wasted materials.
Beyond recognition, winners earn a golden ticket into CREATE-X Startup Launch, Georgia Tech’s summer accelerator program. This includes:
Registration for Spring 2026 I2P is open. Whether you have a fully formed idea or just a spark, I2P offers a $500 reimbursement, mentorship, and research credit to support you in making your ideas real.
]]>I2P Showcase Winners
Shalom Ejiwunmi – Applied Biotechnology, Fourth-Year, University of Georgia
Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Third-Year, Georgia Tech
Sophia Bereket – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year, Kennesaw State University
Wylam DeSimone – Electrical Engineering, Third-Year
Zephyr Smith –Music Technology, Third-Year
Lily Chisholm – Computer Science (Media and Systems), Fourth-Year
Nicholas Castles – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year
Megan Liu – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Second-Year
Gloria Goudjinou – Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity), Second-Year
Greptile, founded by three current and former Georgia Tech students, has quickly emerged as one of Silicon Valley’s most promising young technology companies. The startup, led by Daksh Gupta, CS 2023; Soohoon Choi, CS 2023, MTH 2023; and computer science major Vaishant Kameswaran, builds artificial intelligence tools that help engineering teams review, analyze, and improve their code.
Since its launch in 2023, the company has gained traction with more than 2,000 customers, including Brex, Whoop, and Substack. In 2024, Greptile raised $25 million in Series A funding from Benchmark, bringing its total capital raised to $30 million and valuing the company at $180 million. That same year, Greptile was also accepted into the winter 2024 cohort of Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that helped launch Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe.
For Gupta, the road to building Greptile began at Georgia Tech. The founders entered Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X Startup Launch program with an entirely different idea: an AI shopping assistant called Tabnam. But through the program’s customer-discovery process — an intensive cycle of testing, feedback, and rapid iteration — the team realized their technology had stronger potential when applied to software development. That pivot became the foundation for Greptile.
“CREATE-X did two things without which Greptile would not exist,” Gupta said. “It introduced me to my co-founder, Soohoon, and it gave us the confidence to consider starting a company as a real career path.”
The founders credit the program with shaping their entrepreneurial thinking, but they describe Y Combinator as the force that helped propel their company to the next stage. Gupta says Y Combinator’s value mirrors some of what they found at Georgia Tech. “Like Georgia Tech, a lot of Y Combinator’s value comes from three things: being surrounded by ambitious people, gaining credibility, and having smart, accomplished people believe in you before you fully believe in yourself,” he said. “That combination does wonders for your self-esteem, which in turn has enormous compounding effects.”
The company’s recent fundraising experience reflects this momentum. Gupta describes their investor pitches as “fast and painless,” noting that they entered the process with compelling metrics and a refined story. Today, the team is supported by an impressive roster of founders-turned-investors — including partners from Initialized Capital and Benchmark — who have helped the company hire talent and make key strategic decisions.
Looking back, Gupta says the lessons from CREATE-X continue to guide their approach to building technology and scaling a company. “Y Combinator helped us scale, but Georgia Tech is where it started,” he said.
Applications for the next CREATE-X Startup Launch cohort are now open, with limited spots available. Early applicants receive priority consideration and feedback.
Internal Contact:
Breanna Durham
Marketing Strategist
A mobile fishing app created by Georgia Tech graduate Matthew Steele, CS 2025, has become an international success story, reaching the top of App Store charts in multiple countries before being acquired earlier this year.
The app, Catchr, uses image recognition and gamified features to help anglers identify fish, estimate size, track catches, and compete on global leaderboards. The app climbed as high as No. 13 on the U.S. App Store sports charts and reached No. 1 in France and Croatia, with nearly 200,000 downloads in more than 170 countries.
“The idea was to make fishing feel like a real-life version of Pokémon, something fun, soxacial, and competitive,” said Steele. “We launched with just a few basic features, and it grew far faster than I expected.”
Before developing Catchr, Steele had already experimented with several products, including HairMatch, an AI-powered app that won $25,000 as a global finalist in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup competition, and UPic, Purrpulse, and Better Call Santa (now known as SantaCalls). Those experiences gave him insight into customer behavior, app deployment, and business operations — lessons he brought with him into Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X Startup Launch program.
CREATE-X provided him with seed funding, mentorship, and a framework for validating ideas through real-world feedback. For Steele, those resources made it possible to move from experimentation to a scalable product.
“CREATE-X was a time of innovation and exploration,” he said. “It gave me the structure and confidence to test assumptions, get real feedback, and pivot quickly — all critical steps in developing Catchr.”
Those earlier products helped Steele learn how to test assumptions about customers, navigate App Store requirements, manage support requests, and handle the operational demands of running a small software business.
“By the time I started Catchr, I knew what level of product quality was needed, how many hours support would take, and what the revenue expectations might be,” he said. “Even so, the speed at which Catchr captured users and grew in revenue was unbelievably fast compared to my expectations.”
After Catchr’s explosive growth, Steele faced another challenge: deciding whether to sell the company. While many startup founders view acquisition as a goal, Steele said selling Catchr was one of the hardest decisions he has made. “Monetizing something you built is appealing, but selling is different,” he said. “Your creation becomes someone else’s job. You spend so much time with it that it becomes an extension of yourself.”
Steele said he spoke with multiple interested buyers, asking each about their long-term plans for the app before moving forward. “I wanted to make sure the buyer’s vision would improve the product and be positive for users,” he said. “I wouldn’t have sold if I didn’t trust them.”
He ultimately found a buyer who committed to expanding Catchr’s capabilities and investing in its continued growth. “I don’t think I’d change anything about the decision,” Steele said. “Catchr is in capable hands, and I can return to what I enjoy most, which is building things I believe will be part of a better future for consumers.”
With the sale complete, Steele says he is returning to new ideas and the early-stage development process he prefers.
“If there’s one thing I’d tell other Georgia Tech students,” he said, “it’s that you’re already in one of the best places in the world to build something meaningful. Don’t wait until you feel ready. Just start.”
Apply to Startup Launch by March 17. Limited spots available.
Internal Contact:
Breanna Durham
Marketing Strategist
Led by School of Computing Instruction faculty member and Georgia Tech alumna Jennifer Whitlow, the course gives students a founder’s perspective on building technology that meets real user needs.
Unlike the traditional CS Junior Design course where teams work with sponsors, students in the entrepreneurial track act as their own clients. They begin the semester with no predetermined problem and follow a structured process, which is anchored by deliverables that reflect professional expectations.
“Students come in with nothing,” Whitlow said. “They identify a problem, conduct customer discovery, realize which assumptions were wrong, refine their direction, figure out what to build and then build it. And they own it 100 percent.”
Customer-discovery interviews ensure every idea is grounded in real user needs, and the semester culminates in a fully functioning prototype paired with a written justification of the decisions behind it. This combination of development and reflection gives students a framework that mirrors startup practices.
To further simulate a startup environment, Whitlow recruited alumni coaches with startup or executive experience. Coaches were paired with teams based on their areas of expertise, advising anywhere from one to four groups. The roster includes a former chief technology officer and longtime startup advisor, along with alumni startup founders.
Students also incorporate AI tools into development, accelerating early prototype work while still making critical decisions themselves.
“AI can accelerate the early stages,” Whitlow said. “But students have to understand their design well enough to guide it. AI doesn’t replace their decision-making.”
Sixteen teams completed the entrepreneurial capstone this fall.
The top two scoring projects earned automatic acceptance into CREATE-X Launch, Georgia Tech’s startup accelerator:
These teams showcase the program’s ability to quickly bring student ideas to a level that’s ready for real-world startup incubation.
One team that exemplifies how the capstone’s structure supports innovation is LunchBox. Created by computational media major Abigail Rhea and her teammates, LunchBox helps parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children navigate limited safe-food options.
The idea evolved after early customer discovery revealed that the original concept had too much competition, so the team narrowed its focus.
“During research, one of our teammates came across a testimonial from the mother of an autistic child,” Rhea said. “It spoke to all of us and helped us shift toward a truly underserved demographic.”
The team conducted more than 20 interviews with caregivers and special education teachers, reshaping its approach. “We realized families didn’t need another daily task,” Rhea said. “They needed personalized guidance that runs in the background. Everything we built came directly from those conversations.”
The team's biggest technical challenge was engineering a dynamic, emotionally supportive roadmap for food-exposure therapy. While AI accelerated development of SwiftUI code, all core decisions remained human-driven.
At the Capstone Expo, attendees connected strongly with the project. “So many people told us how applicable LunchBox is to their lives,” Rhea said. “Most joined the waitlist. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.”
Whitlow sees the pilot already fulfilling its purpose: giving students the tools and confidence to turn ideas into real ventures. Teams can continue work by applying to CREATE-X programs or building on their prototypes after the semester.
“This course shows students they can create something real,” Whitlow said. “That’s the goal: empowering them to innovate.”
Led by School of Computing Instruction faculty member and Georgia Tech alumna Jennifer Whitlow, the course gives students a founder’s perspective on building technology that meets real user needs.
Based on data collected at the Scheller College of Business, Calmon’s research demonstrates how AI models like Llama 4 Maverick 17B—equipped with optimized prompts, data-sharing rules, and guardrails—can outperform human teams in managing complex supply chains. Using the classic MIT Beer Distribution Game as a testbed, the authors benchmarked AI agents against more than 100 Georgia Tech students. The results were striking: AI-driven systems reduced total supply chain costs by up to 67% compared to human performance.
Traditional automated systems rely on rigid, human-designed rules. Calmon and his co-authors employed autonomous agents that learn, adapt, and coordinate across functions in real time. The study highlights four critical factors for success: selecting capable reasoning models, implementing guardrails to prevent costly errors, curating data through orchestration, and refining prompts for optimal performance.
“This breakthrough positions the Scheller College of Business as a thought leader at the intersection of AI and supply chain innovation,” said Calmon. “World-class supply chain management is becoming a plug-and-play capability. Businesses that understand how to guide generative AI agents with the right data and policies will gain a decisive competitive edge.”
The implications extend beyond cost savings. By delegating operational decisions to autonomous systems, human managers can focus on strategic priorities such as network design and supplier relationships. In an era of global volatility, this research emphasizes how future supply chain success depends on the strategic use of AI-driven technology.
Read More: Harvard Business Review
]]>Tech College of Engineering alumni Chad Pozarycki, Ph.D., CHBE, 2022, and José Andrade, AE, 2025, are on a mission to make biochemical monitoring more accessible — with a focus on preventing disease. Today, their startup Deleon, using NASA’s technology (originally designed to search for life on Mars) and metabolomics, provides a system that uses daily urine sampling to track metabolites related to overtraining, stress, and recovery. Future applications will be aimed at early disease detection.
“Something that frustrated me about metabolomics was its lack of focus on preventive care,” said Andrade. “We created Deleon by combining these ideas and tracking the human metabolome to optimize for healthy lifestyles.”
The Deleon founders began the company shortly after Pozarycki completed his graduate studies at Georgia Tech, with Andrade moonlighting and Pozarycki working a part-time job at Georgia Tech’s bike shop to keep the project afloat. In the beginning, funding was a major challenge.
“I finished my Ph.D., was working on Deleon, and didn’t have any income. CREATE-X gave us $5,000 in funding, which motivated us to keep going on this project,” said Pozarycki.
CREATE-X, Georgia Tech’s campus-wide initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence and help students launch startups, provided more than funding. Through the program, Deleon received guidance on finding potential customers.
“The one-on-one advice from expert CREATE-X entrepreneurs and organizers like Rahul [CREATE-X director] and Margaret [LAUNCH associate director] was super valuable and helped us focus on launching our minimum viable product and getting our first customers,” said Andrade.
The program’s culminating event, Demo Day, gave Deleon a platform to present to investors and the public. Among dozens of student-led startups, Deleon’s data-driven approach attracted strong interest. The exposure led to an eventual $850,000 investment, partially funded by Georgia Tech's early-stage fund, GTF Ventures. This investment allowed the founders to work full-time on the company, hire a team, and build a lab space.
“I would recommend the CREATE-X program to anyone,” Pozarycki said. “Even if you don’t think you want to start a company, there’s a lot you can learn about commercialization in this program that may change your mind and give you more control over your own fate.”
Deleon’s path from concept to launch highlights the growing role of Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurial ecosystem in supporting student innovation. Programs like CREATE-X not only help students build companies but also contribute to regional economic growth by keeping talent and investment in the Southeast.
“CREATE-X is the best environment on campus to learn by doing,” Pozarycki said. “You are encouraged to build something real, not just talk about it. You’ll leave knowing how to talk to customers, how to pitch, and how to think like a founder.”
Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
Students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X’s Startup Launch. The early admission deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Nov. 17. Spots are limited. Apply now for a higher chance of acceptance and early feedback.
]]>Internal Contact:
Breanna Durham
Marketing Strategist
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That was the question posed to Scheller College of Business Evening MBA students Katie Bowen (’25), Ellie Cobb (’26), and Christopher Jones (’26) in a marketing practicum course that paired them with Creature, a brand, product, and marketing transformation studio.
For 10 weeks, the students worked as consultants in a project that challenged them to rethink the role of artificial intelligence in creative industries. Course instructor Jarrett Oakley, director of Marketing at TOTO USA, guided the student project as they developed strategies to help Creature navigate the evolving landscape of AI-driven marketing.
Business School Meets Real Business
“Nothing accelerates the value of a business school education like applying it in real time to real businesses,” Oakley said. “This course mirrored a consulting engagement, turning classroom learning into actionable expertise through direct collaboration with local firms. It was designed to spark creative thinking, build confidence, and bridge theory with practice.”
What began as a traditional strategic analysis quickly evolved into a forward-looking exploration of AI’s impact on branding, user experience, and performance creative. “Our team realized early on that AI wasn’t a threat but a powerful tool,” the students shared. “We found that AI’s real impact lies not in replacing creativity, but in reshaping expectations, accelerating timelines, and redefining performance standards. It also gives forward-thinking agencies like Creature the opportunity to guide clients still catching up to the AI curve.”
Creature’s founders, Margaret Strickland and Matt Berberian, welcomed the collaboration. “We solve creative challenges across brand, product, and performance,” said Strickland. “AI is transforming each of these areas. The students helped us see how to stay ahead of the curve.”
Students applied frameworks like SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and the G-STIC model to diagnose challenges and develop actionable strategies. Weekly meetings with Creature allowed for iterative feedback and refinement.
One of the team’s most surprising insights came from primary research: many agencies hesitate to disclose their use of AI, fearing clients will demand lower prices. “We recommended Creature define and share their AI philosophy,” said the students. “Clients want transparency and innovation, and they’ll choose partners who embrace AI, not hide from it.”
Creature took the advice to heart. Since the project concluded, the firm has launched a new AI consulting offering, SNSE by Creature, and implemented automation across operations, resulting in a 21% boost in efficiency. They’ve also adopted an AI manifesto to guide future initiatives.
A Transformative Student Experience
Katie Bowen, Evening MBA '25
“This project let us apply MBA concepts to a real-world business challenge. We dove into Creature’s business and tailored our analysis to their needs. It pushed us to think critically about how companies stay competitive when AI tools are widely accessible. Using strategy, innovation, and marketing frameworks, we bridged theory and practice to deliver forward-looking recommendations.”
Ellie Cobb, Evening MBA ‘26
“This project strengthened my ability to use AI effectively in both personal and professional contexts—not just knowing how to use it, but when not to. Exploring such a fast-evolving topic made me more agile and open-minded, ready to follow where research and emerging trends lead.”
Christopher Jones, Evening MBA ‘26
“The Marketing Practicum with Creature was an eye-opening experience that deepened my understanding of AI’s impact on business. It sharpened my critical thinking as I navigated conflicting information about AI, and gave me practical insight into business strategy, from integrating new technology to managing innovation and diversifying product offerings.”
Education With Impact
Oakley believes the practicum will have lasting impact. “These students now understand how traditional marketing strategy integrates with emerging AI capabilities. They’re ready to lead in a rapidly evolving industry.”
As AI continues to reshape marketing, partnerships like the one between Scheller and Creature demonstrate the power of collaboration, innovation, and education in preparing future leaders for whatever comes next.
]]>The event marks the culmination of the semester-long I2P course, where undergraduate students develop functional prototypes aimed at solving real-world problems. Prototypes this semester include a smart military drone, a gentler device for cervical cancer screening, a rotating espresso station, tools to keep AI safe, compact data centers, systems that simulate cyberattacks to help companies strengthen their defenses, and many more.
The showcase is free and open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community.
Winning teams will receive prizes and a “golden ticket” into CREATE-X’s Startup Launch, a summer accelerator that provides optional seed funding, accounting and legal service credits, mentorship, and more to help students turn their prototypes into viable startups.
This is a free event, and refreshments will be provided. Register for the Fall 2025 I2P Showcase today!
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