{"690671":{"#nid":"690671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumni Advisory Board Panel Discussion Highlights \u0022The ISyE Advantage\u0022 ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s men\u2019s basketball team was struggling during \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-mast\/\u0022\u003EChris Mast\u003C\/a\u003E\u2019s sophomore year. He thought the Yellow Jackets needed to make better decisions and that better data could help. So, when he spotted then-head coach Brian Gregory at a fraternity event, Mast walked up and made his pitch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey kept losing in the same way, every single time. I thought to myself \u2018if coach just had really good data, maybe we\u2019d win some games,\u2019\u201d Mast (IE 2015) jokingly said. \u201cI met Coach Gregory at the front door of that fraternity event, pitched him my idea, and he liked it. I did everything in Excel with \u2018Moneyball-Style\u2019 lineup optimization. It worked, they changed their style, we started winning games, and we beat North Carolina that year.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMast\u2019s scrappy beginning in sports analytics eventually led to work with the Atlanta Hawks from 2017-2021 and to his current role as a sports scientist for the Detroit Pistons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMast shared his story during a recent Georgia Tech ISyE alumni entrepreneurship panel moderated by Advisory Board Chair \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/evrenozkaya\/\u0022\u003EEvren Ozkaya\u003C\/a\u003E, PhD IE 2008, Founder and CEO of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/supplychainwizard.com\/evren-ozkaya\/\u0022\u003ESupply Chain Wizard\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscw.ai%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjoshua.smith%40isye.gatech.edu%7C257127e7343f4354c24808deb1000f42%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639142811234333544%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=J8%2BT5jHwsvpUX4XUooOXfqF7oP8mmffZzlx%2B2O7x%2BFc%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022\u003ESCW.AI\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey were joined by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frederick-grimm-5510ba36\/\u0022\u003EFred Grimm\u003C\/a\u003E, IE 2014, co-founder and COO of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fixd.com\/\u0022\u003EFIXD\u003C\/a\u003E; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ibbotson\/\u0022\u003EAndy Ibbotson\u003C\/a\u003E, IE 1998, founder of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ratings.md\/\u0022\u003ERatingsMD\u003C\/a\u003E; and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jeff-anderson-5aa61a\/\u0022\u003EJeff Anderson\u003C\/a\u003E IE 1991, co-founder and chief growth officer of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kaizenanalytix.com\/\u0022\u003EKaizen Analytix\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETogether, the panelists offered a candid look at the grind of building a company and the systems-minded discipline that gives ISyE graduates a distinctive edge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Scrappy Era: Learning by Doing\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Grimm and two of his Georgia Tech classmates, the founding idea behind FIXD started with a common frustration: most drivers did not know why their check-engine light was on. And finding out was expensive and inconvenient. Their answer was a plug-in diagnostic device paired with a smartphone app that put that information directly in a driver\u2019s hands.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat began as a senior project launched on Kickstarter in 2014 would raise $37,000. It was grown into one of the nation\u2019s most widely used automotive apps.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFIXD\u2019s early days were far from glamorous. Grimm remembers working from a windowless \u201ccloset\u201d in the basement of a campus building and looking for customers anywhere they could find them. The team would even go to Piedmont Park and stop strangers to pitch their concept.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe realized that if we talked to people, we could sell to about 60% of them,\u201d Grimm said. \u201cIt wasn\u0027t scalable, but it taught us how to talk to customers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIbbotson described a different kind of test during the panel discussion: surviving the \u201cnuclear winter\u201d after the dot-com bubble burst.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy business partner and I stopped taking salaries. We both were paid $2,000 a year for two years, while continuing to pay six-figure salaries to our remaining employees,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were betting that things would be good on the other end. Our competitors were going out of business, but we just kept persevering.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe ISyE Advantage: Systems Thinking in Action\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA recurring theme during the discussion was that ISyE graduates are trained not just to solve isolated problems, but to understand how the pieces fit together. Ozkaya noted that many entrepreneurs focus on a single feature or narrow pain point. The stronger opportunity is often broader: designing the operating system around the problem: the data, incentives, workflows, decisions, and people that must work together for a solution to scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMast connected that idea to what he learned at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA fifth-year student once told me that Tech teaches you how to think. That mindset stayed with me,\u201d Mast said. \u201cI truly don\u0027t believe there is a problem I can\u2019t solve. I know how to convert problems into bite-sized chunks and attack them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe AI Inflection Point\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe panelists agreed that artificial intelligence is changing the economics and pace of entrepreneurship. Ibbotson recalled that when he started his first company, he spent $100,000 on a Dell server and Microsoft Exchange licenses just to provide corporate email. Many of those barriers have since disappeared.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor example, my 13-year-old son recently used AI to build a minimum viable product in two months for less than $200,\u201d Ibbotson said. \u201cIt would have taken my partner and me 12 months and $200,000 many years ago.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnderson said AI is also changing the way established teams operate, allowing engineering teams to move dramatically faster. The premium skill, he argued, is no longer simply the ability to code quickly.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s the ability to define the problem clearly, ask better questions, and make sound decisions,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cIn other words, the speed of tools makes the quality of thinking even more important.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdvice for the next generation of founders\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe panel closed with practical advice for students and alumni considering an entrepreneurial path. The message was direct: start before the risk feels comfortable. Financial obligations tend to grow over time, while the ability to experiment is often greatest early in a career.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe panelists urged founders to listen carefully to customers and that a company does not have to be first to win because being a fast follower can be powerful when the problem is already understood, the market has a budget, and the founder can execute with better insight and discipline.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAnother Georgia Tech grad who had just exited his software company was trying to figure out what to do next. And one of our customers \u2014 early customers that he was friends with \u2014 said, \u2018Hey, Andy just sold his company to NRC. Why don\u2019t you build the same thing and try to sell it to their competitor,\u2019\u201d Ibbotson said. \u201cAnd so, they we were, second to market, not as good, but NRC\u2019s competitor needed an offering to be competitive with ours. They ended up selling for $70 million more than we sold for, even though they didn\u2019t have a good solution because the bigger company needed something.\u201d\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe panelists encouraged students to use the Georgia Tech and ISyE network aggressively, noting how a single faculty introduction or alumni connection can open doors that would otherwise be difficult to reach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cLots of coffee, lots of sleepless nights, lots of hard work. You need to outlive the competition, and connections and networking is critical,\u201d Ozkaya said. \u201cI wrote an article a year into Supply Chain Wizard and said: \u2018Eat, pray, love and network.\u2019 You need to love what you do, you need to pray that you survive, and you need to network. Networking is what brings you the opportunities.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeet the Panelists:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00b7\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frederick-grimm-5510ba36\/\u0022\u003EFred Grimm\u003C\/a\u003E (IE 2014): Co-founder \u0026amp; COO, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fixd.com\/resources\/about-us-rd\u0022\u003EFIXD\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00b7\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ibbotson\/\u0022\u003EAndy Ibbotson\u003C\/a\u003E (IE 1998): Founder, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ratings.md\/\u0022\u003ERatingsMD\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00b7\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jeff-anderson-5aa61a\/\u0022\u003EJeff Anderson\u003C\/a\u003E (IE 1991): Co-founder \u0026amp; Chief Growth Officer, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kaizenanalytix.com\/\u0022\u003EKaizen Analytix\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00b7\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-mast\/\u0022\u003EChris Mast\u003C\/a\u003E (IE 2015): Sports Scientist, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nba.com\/pistons\/\u0022\u003EDetroit Pistons\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00b7\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/evrenozkaya\/\u0022\u003EEvren Ozkaya\u003C\/a\u003E (Moderator, IE 2005): Founder \u0026amp; CEO, Supply Chain Wizard and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscw.ai%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjoshua.smith%40isye.gatech.edu%7C257127e7343f4354c24808deb1000f42%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639142811234333544%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=J8%2BT5jHwsvpUX4XUooOXfqF7oP8mmffZzlx%2B2O7x%2BFc%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022\u003ESCW.AI\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Panel discusses the future of AI, systems thinking, startups, and entrepreneurship "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPanel discusses the future of AI, systems thinking, startups, and entrepreneurship\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Panel discusses the future of AI, systems thinking, startups, and entrepreneurship "}],"uid":"36760","created_gmt":"2026-06-08 14:47:21","changed_gmt":"2026-06-08 16:55:04","author":"jsmith830","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680428":{"id":"680428","type":"image","title":"Evren Ozkaya (IE 2005): Founder \u0026 CEO, Supply Chain Wizard and SCW.AI moderates ISyE Entrepreneurship Panel ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EEvren Ozkaya (IE 2005): Founder \u0026amp; 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