Last week, students in the Master of Business and Science course, “Capstone,” presented their final projects to a panel of judges. Presentations took place in a hybrid format at the Science and Engineering Resource Center on Busch Campus. Students, judges, and MBS faculty joined both online and in person.
The MBS “Capstone” course, led by Dr. Tom Bryant, challenges students to master the innovation process. Teams identify promising, non-commercialized IP and build detailed business plans around ideas they believe can make a meaningful impact.
Over the course of the semester, each team develops a venture-capital-style business plan comparable in scope and rigor to a master’s thesis. The process begins with a 60-second elevator pitch and evolves into a polished 10-minute presentation to a panel of judges. Dr. Deborah Silver, Executive Director of the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program, refers to these business plans behind these presentations as the "master’s theses" of the program. These presentations to judges serve as the equivalent of a thesis defense.
The class also includes a retreat, where students gather on campus for a weekend filled with team-building, workshops, and field trips.
The MBS degree integrates business and science through a combination of core business coursework and an intense science curriculum. This interdisciplinary structure allows students to gain a broader understanding of how science-based operations are developed, managed, and brought to market. Teamwork plays a central role throughout the curriculum, particularly in “Capstone,” where collaboration is essential for each team.
This is the 30th Venture Forum—a milestone for the program. Presentations have been held in both the spring and fall semesters for the last 15 years since the start of the MBS degree. This year, projects spanned a broad range of industries across science and technology, including energy, AI, beauty technology, food products, and more.
The judging panel brought together expertise from investment banking, startups, innovation labs, science commercialization, consulting, product development, and MBS faculty leadership. This year, several judges were MBS alumni—including Azucena (“Sheny”) Grady-Moreno, Ph.D., MBS, PMP. Judges asked questions and made comments that addressed presentation strategy, product safety, legal considerations, and lessons learned throughout the “Capstone” process.
For students, the forum served as a clear demonstration of the skills and perspectives they will carry forward into careers across science, business, and innovation.
Congratulations to all MBS Capstone students and new MBS graduates!
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