Graduate Level Consulting for Sustainability/Community Impact

TEM 598
Open Closing on August 16, 2025 / 4 spots left
Main contact
Arizona State University (ASU)
Tempe, Arizona, United States
Associate Teaching Professor
1
Timeline
  • August 21, 2025
    Experience start
  • September 12, 2025
    Initial Pitch
  • October 17, 2025
    Midpoint Pitch
  • November 21, 2025
    Experience end
Experience
4 projects wanted
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
United States
Any company type
Any industries

Experience scope

Categories
Search engine optimization Competitive analysis Market expansion Product or service launch Community engagement
Skills
systems thinking stakeholder management design thinking technology entrepreneurship social entrepreneurship small business management agile product development business model innovation intrapreneurship user experience (ux) design
Learner goals and capabilities

The 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.



Learners

Learners
Graduate
Intermediate, Advanced levels
40 learners
Project
50-70 hours per learner
Educators assign learners to projects
Teams of 5
Expected outcomes and deliverables
  • 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
  • August 21, 2025
    Experience start
  • September 12, 2025
    Initial Pitch
  • October 17, 2025
    Midpoint Pitch
  • November 21, 2025
    Experience 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:

  • Q1 - Checkbox
     *
  • Q2 - Text short
    Given that student teams will receive mentorship from industry professionals, is there any concern around IP or data security?  *
  • Q3 - Text short
    What information do you require from students and mentors on an NDA?  *
  • Q4 - Text short
    Can you attend an initial pitch session on August 21st 2025 to present your business challenge to students? If you are unable to attend via Zoom/Teams, you can provide a 5-10 minute video presentation.  *
  • Q5 - Text short
    Please confirm that you will be able to attend a session mid-way through the Experience to provide feedback on students' initial work, and then again to see their final presentations at the end of term.  *
  • Q6 - Text short
    How does your business challenge relate to community/social impact or sustainability?  *