Graduate Level Consulting for Sustainability/Community Impact
Main contact

Timeline
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August 21, 2025Experience start
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September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
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October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
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November 21, 2025Experience end
Timeline
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August 21, 2025Experience start
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September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
Students will present their research question/problem statement and their initial findings for client validation.
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October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
Students will present their work to the client, to date and receive feedback which they will integrate.
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November 21, 2025Experience end
Experience scope
Categories
Search engine optimization Competitive analysis Market expansion Product or service launch Community engagementSkills
systems thinking stakeholder management design thinking technology entrepreneurship social entrepreneurship small business management agile product development business model innovation intrapreneurship user experience (ux) designThe Social Innovation Startup Lab is a graduate level crash course in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, featuring hands-on incubator-style classes with dedicated mentorship from tech industry members, like Intel and NXP. It aims to explore the use of technology for sustainability and social good. During the semester, students will work in teams of up to 5 on a business challenge and apply various analyses and types of inquiries to develop technical and business solutions for community organizations.
Students gain expertise in Design Thinking, Customer Discovery, Business Model Development, Systems Thinking, Go-to-Market Strategy, among other tools, and refine their power skills. Organizations receive a team of well-prepared and independently mentored students to propose a consistent, validated solution tailored to their specific challenges and needs.
- See pics, testimonials, and more from previous years in the SISL Presentation.
Learners
- Students will develop a problem statement re-framed from the project challenge.
- Learnings from customer discovery: customer pains and root causes of the problem.
- Development of customer journey map, stakeholder management and ecosystem mapping, as applicable
- Technical and business model proposed solutions presented over the course of three pitch sessions for client/organization validation.
- Initial low-resolution prototyping (service, physical, and virtual products) for solution scope validation.
- Final pitch presentation showcase: competition for eSeed grant to execute the proposed solution next step/milestone.
Project timeline
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August 21, 2025Experience start
-
September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
-
October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
-
November 21, 2025Experience end
Timeline
-
August 21, 2025Experience start
-
September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
Students will present their research question/problem statement and their initial findings for client validation.
-
October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
Students will present their work to the client, to date and receive feedback which they will integrate.
-
November 21, 2025Experience end
Project Examples
Requirements
- Create a new program for community engagement.
- Develop new products, services, products-as-services, and digital platforms to address a(n underserved) community need.
- SEO, marketing, promotion, and/or channel & distribution analysis and planning.
- Go-to-market analysis and strategy.
- Develop onboarding, training, and assessment programs.
- Redesign or create processes for customer experience.
- Some examples of solutions developed in SISL course: Nature Conservancy - data analytics for water use and conservation, Vello Children Literacy - scaling process, Access Trax mobility for people with disability - SEO and promotion planning, .SALT - product development using sargassum seaweed, AZStRUT - distribution channel development, Mesa United Way - Homelessness resources integration platform, Patient Safety Technology Challenge - platform to integrate diabetic kids' pharma apps for monitoring imbalance and alert parents.
Additional company criteria
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:
Main contact

Timeline
-
August 21, 2025Experience start
-
September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
-
October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
-
November 21, 2025Experience end
Timeline
-
August 21, 2025Experience start
-
September 12, 2025Initial Pitch
Students will present their research question/problem statement and their initial findings for client validation.
-
October 17, 2025Midpoint Pitch
Students will present their work to the client, to date and receive feedback which they will integrate.
-
November 21, 2025Experience end