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, founder and CEO of , didn’t attend ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, but she’s learned what its students can do for a business. She was a client for an entrepreneurial consulting class at the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship recently.

“As a startup, we have small teams, and we don't have a lot of cash,” she said. “I was very lucky to have been introduced to this program by ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Tucker and Brenda Holman, who pulled me in and said, ‘Oh, you don't have to pay anything. We'll give you a team of really smart people.’”

Sangeeta was speaking at a event in Over-the-Rhine titled “Unlock the Power of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's Startup Ecosystem,” one of several featuring ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú faculty, students, and alumni.

Sangeeta’s company was looking for a way to monetize the business-to-consumer product of their system that couples AI-based platforms with business executive coaches to help upskill clients. She described several benefits that she and her company gained from the experience:

• “We got a huge input from Gen Z about their needs and behaviors, and what we heard, which was music to our ears, is they care about compensation -- it's their first job and all that -- but they care a lot about upskilling, which is very, very important.”
• “They came in and gave us an outside-in-perspective public website, and we revamped our whole website so that people like them can understand. It was a great revamp that they drove.”
• “We had three great people working with us, and in fact we ended up hiring Katie Thompson. She's our marketing sales analyst and one of our great hires.”

“I would say that there have been many benefits of doing this, and that's why I continue to work with them,” Sangeeta said. “This is kind of a hidden secret.”

is a recent Farmer School marketing graduate who is now working in business operations at . But earlier this year, she took part in the winter-term version of the entrepreneurial consulting class, working with a movie theater chain to help increase business after the COVID pandemic. She explained how she and her classmates worked on the project and made a trip to San Francisco to do research – all in three weeks.

“The best part about the whole thing was that we were so empowered to figure out the problem and present our client with a solution by ourselves. We barely had any guidance from any of our teachers. We were supposed to take all of our learning from the entrepreneurship department in our four years at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú and use it for this experience. It's by far the most professional experience I had at my time in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú,” O’Connor said.

is the managing director for the student-led venture capital firm. The senior finance and marketing major told StartupCincy Week attendees about the Venture Capital Investment Competition, in which Farmer School teams have placed in the top three in the global finals four of the eight years the competition has been held.

“It’s really an experience unlike others, because it's one of the best group projects I've ever worked in, and it showcases the importance of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú students,” she said. “Applying to a program like that, you really get to work with the best of the best of the best, and I've had that experience across many other facets at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.”

Managing a $500,000 venture fund has also helped her grow as a business person, McIntosh said. “There’s not many students out there who get to build a fund from the ground up, whether that's the documentation aspect of it, building out an investment policy statement, or fundraising capital. As a 21-year-old, doing that has definitely caused feelings of imposter syndrome at times, but it's definitely been one of my most valuable experiences.”

The trio were joined by alum and managing partner Mark Richey in their panel, while First-Year Integrated Core faculty David Eyman and Jen Domenico held a session on “Problem Finders Toolkit: A Creative Exercise Leveraging ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Founder Success Formula.” Program director Kara Willis, faculty members Glenn Platt, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Tucker, Geoff Zoeckler, and Mark Lacker, and alumni Tsavo Knott, Katie Kopan, Mike Fitzgerald, Mike Supeck, Mack Myers, Scott Jacobs, Emily Easley, Donna Zaring, Shelby Campbell, Bryan Becker, Holly Shoemaker, Kristen Schlotman, Aaron Crookes, and Dave Knox all took part in sessions during the week.

“I think what ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú excels at is teaching you the art of how to figure it out,” O’Connor said. “I think empowering students is one of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's blessings and gifts, and I think that's what allows students to excel after they graduate and go into their careers, and I've used so much of what I've learned over my time at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.”