MBA Testimonials

I have enjoyed working with incredible startups through the TI:GER program in the Space stream. I used my previous background in aerospace, and learned new ways to apply these skills in business. The exposure to the C-level executives as part of the greater academic community at Georgia Tech makes this program worth the commitment. CDL-Atlanta is extremely exciting and engaging as startups present to industry experts their incredible innovations. The greatest lesson I learned is to map out the customer journey to see if you meet their demands. CDL-Atlanta advises these firms and helps them refocus on their competitive advantage.

I am thankful for my experience in TI:GER. TI:GER has given me the tools to harness the skills gained in my previous master's and Ph.D. training to develop a strategy for establishing and growing a new venture. I also currently work for a startup seeking to scale its impact, and I was tasked with developing a new venture initiative in my organization. All the concepts and skills I've learned in TI:GER have been used in my current role. I learned at CDL that the business model is crucial to creating a new venture. It guides overall strategy, how value is created by the venture, and describes how the venture will work toward long-term sustainability.

TI:GER provides a solid dependable team, an extremely structured academic framework and super well connected and experienced network to make things happen. This program was the single most awesome experience in my entire educational experience till date.

TI:GER prepared me for a corporate position. I can apply the knowledge I gathered through this program to my next position and anything I strive to accomplish later in life. My experiences and the relationships I created are a phenomenal basis for continued growth in business strategy and entrepreneurship. CDL-Atlanta has also shown me how to start a successful business.

TI:GER was a great help in navigating the university commercialization process, identifying and attracting the people we needed to get on board to make it happen, and understanding intellectual property issues.

Working with CDL has been a unique experience because I have been able to sit in on large group sessions and watch how each venture presents ideas and addresses issues and in real-time. I am learning what process work in selecting successful ventures. Even if I don't start my own company or work with a startup, the knowledge of how to be successful in the early stage of a venture is extremely beneficial for any strategy role.

One of the biggest benefits of TI:GER is the interdisciplinary nature of the teams. In my product management role I interact with marketing, sales, legal, and technical teams developing new products and initiatives. The intellectual property aspect of TI:GER provides a great foundation for my involvement in the patent inventory of my business unit.

Working with CDL through the TI:GER program has been an incredible experience amid the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m nearing the end of my MBA journey and this experience is one that has had profound impact on me professionally and personally. We are all living history right now in the pandemic, and the opportunity to actively contribute to public health and economic recovery efforts through CDL is something that a traditional classroom or a case study simply can’t capture. The CDL staff, mentors, and intake process, as well as the startups that participate, are a proof positive that the business world can be nimble – and thoughtful – in creating, applying, and managing innovation in an ever-changing world.

I am grateful for the invaluable experiences I gained from the TI:GER program. The program provided a multidisciplinary approach to technology innovation and commercialization. In addition to learning from the lectures which covered topics ranging from Intellectual Property Law to Marketing Strategy tools, I also learned from my TI:GER classmates. My classmates were law students, PhD students, and MBAs. We shared our professional experiences and built skills together. The hands-on projects of TI:GER have significantly enhanced my resumé. I participated in consulting projects and the development of a commercialization plan for a PhD candidate. The TI:GER program is the highlight of my Scheller experience.

My experience in the TI:GER Program has been phenomenal! Upon hearing about the program at an information session, I knew Scheller was the place for me. The opportunity to learn about creating a new venture has proved invaluable to my entrepreneurship aspirations. The ability to finish the program by solving real problems for a leading-edge venture and observing the CDL-Atlanta Commerce stream deliberation process was an amazing experience that only affirmed my decision to become part of the TI:GER family. I am confident that the knowledge, skills, and relationships I’ve built through TI:GER will be the catalyst to success in future entrepreneurial ventures. The most important lesson I learned at CDL-Atlanta is the importance of thorough, intentional customer discovery. Leaving our offices and conversing with real people to understand their issues is pivotal to creating a successful venture.

I started my company while enrolled in TI:GER. Through the program I connected with some of the brightest minds in the local technology scene. I raised my first seed round through these TI:GER connections which accelerated the growth of my company.

TI:GER helped me transition my career into consulting. It helped me build core consulting skills for my success, including team management, project delivery and persuasive communication.

In my job search, the TI:GER experience really helped me stand out from the pack. The firm I work for likes an entrepreneurial mindset in its consultants. TI:GER gave me deep understanding of how to get a startup business off the ground and what obstacles you migth face.

The exciting part about TI:GER for me is that it extends beyond school. I know that I will use what I have learned in TI:GER as I explore entrepreneurship in my career.

As a full time entrepreneur during the program, the TI:GER program helped to familiarize me with the fundraising process and strategies to employ during our own seed round.

The TI:GER program has given me the groundwork for the steps I need to take to start a business. The program has also taught me how to pitch to venture capital investors. The most valuable thing I have learned in CDL-Atlanta is knowing your customer base and pricing model.

The CDL experience has been an opportunity to apply my growing MBA skill set, including my TI:GER studies, to directly support a response to an urgent and global health crisis.

The TI:GER program was easily the best choice I have made since enrolling in the Evening MBA program. I have been challenged every step of the way and have learned more than I thought possible. My experience in TI:GER led me to my new job as a Venture Manager for CDL. I get to apply what I'm learning in the classroom at work every day, and the work I do each day complements my coursework.

TI:GER is a highly valuable program. In the classroom, I learned multi-disciplinary subject matters in both areas of Business and Law and applied them in the real-world. Today, I work in Banking and have started my own company, leveraging skills and knowledge that I acquired from TI:GER. In addition, TI:GER provides networking opportunities and deepen relationships among peers and colleagues. Thanks to TI:GER, I've gained not only invaluable skills, but also amazing network of colleagues and strong friendships.

I am immensely grateful for the invaluable learning experiences and skills I acquired from the TI:GER program. This 1.5-year immersive learning program provides a fresh perspective on how emerging business leaders can approach systematic innovation and technology innovation while cultivating a strong entrepreneurial mindset. Additionally, partnering with Creative Destruction Lab (CDL-Atlanta) positioned me to advise startups and provide them with the assistance and resources needed to accelerate their growth. By far, the TI:GER program is the highlight of my Scheller MBA experience.

TI:GER cultivated the opportunity to grow my entrepreneurial spirit and gather the tools necessary for developing ventures. Professor Giuliano has a wealth of knowledge and connections, which he enthusiastically shares with us. I have learned a mini-MBA through TI:GER’s classroom and hands-on experience, which has given me the confidence to pursue and execute entrepreneurial ventures.

TI:GER is a rare opportunity to work with complex technologies in their infancy, and build out a robust commercialization plan from the ground up. The program imposes all the real world challenges facing entrepreneurs, and paints an accurate portrait of what it takes to lead a new venture. I experienced first-hand what it's like to transform a lab experiment into a product, identify viable market opportunities, garner feedback from interview industry leaders and customers, and design a funding strategy to launch and grow the business. In addition to all the skills gained, the experience serves as a poignant conversation piece that any business professional or potential employer will admire.

TI:GER opened doors to the entire Atlanta tech ecosystem. I still leverage the connections with business insiders that I made during the program. The ability to work on cross-functional teams is on every major company's radar. That's exactly the type of hands-on experience TI:GER offers. I can't even count how many times I brought up TI:GER during my interviews.

My interactions with the CDL program have already helped me in my career by seeing and learning how to start a business in the health care sector and how to use the essential toolset needed to take an invention and turn it into an innovation – ultimately witnessing a ‘bench to bedside’ technology innovation process to create a successful business.

The TI:GER program has continued to benefit me in a variety of business roles since I graduated in 2011. The core innovation concepts in the program will apply to nearly any role or industry, and allow TI:GER graduates to stand out from their peers in the job market. The TI:GER program uniquely combines faculty experts and coursework, successful entrepreneurs and investors, and real-world applications to give students a broad understanding of technology innovation. Whether you’re looking to start a new venture or bring a fresh, strategic approach to an established Company, the TI:GER program will teach you the path to make it happen.

TI:GER is the reason that I chose to attend Scheller College of Business, and it exceeded my expectations. Through three semesters of hands-on experience, I learned how to generate ideas and create and capture strategic value. I am excited to apply what I learned from TI:GER! By supporting a CDL Space stream startup, I was engaged with the day-to-day challenges a startup faces, and I learned how to turn them into opportunities.

TI:GER has allowed me to broaden my entrepreneurial creativity and skills. The program has brought me connections with many experienced and successful founders, lawyers, investors, accountants, and other advisers. The hands-on experience has given me the confidence to take an idea from conception, work with investors to grow a business, and value a startup. At CDL-Atlanta, I learned how to work in a startup environment and keep up with the rapid pace, which is essential. Every week we are talking to investors and other advisers, and I see how these conversations influence the product and go-to-market strategies.

TI:GER was the highlight of my MBA experience! TI:GER's combination of class, experiences, and the mentors you get to interact with helped lay the foundation for success in the start up world!

TI:GER is the reason I attended Scheller and was one of the most relevant experiences I had while in the MBA program. The unique combination of hands-on, cross-functional projects involving all aspects of developing an innovation plan for an early-stage technology was invaluable to my professional development. Also, participating in CDL-Atlanta and understanding what mentors and investors find most important about each venture has been a precious experience. These insights have allowed me to think critically about how I analyze new products, markets, and business models.

TIGER is an incredible opportunity if you are looking to build a career commercializing new technology. As a Product Manager in technology and digital media, I leverage learnings from TIGER every day. I built lasting relationships and strengthened my communication skills working so closely with my classmates.

Working with the Creative Destruction Lab through the Global Technology Innovation Practicum has been an experience unlike any other at Scheller. Every week, I have the opportunity to work closely and cooperatively with founders, mentors, and other MBA students from across the globe to help the growth and success of a biotech startup working on a therapeutic treatment for COVID-19. Everything I’ve learned to this point at Scheller has been tested, broadened, and amplified by CDL. It’s exciting to be a part of a program where you can see the tangible impact of your contributions on such an explosive scale.

Through real world applications and direct support of local and global companies, TI:GER provided me with the right skillset and experience to successfully launch my career into the consulting industry.

TI:GER armed me with the mental models and frameworks to pursue and excel in a career within corporate venture capital. I’ve found a new love for evaluating and advising startups because of the high technology and innovation fundamentals I gained from TI:GER.

Participating in CDL Recovery has been a great educational opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, executives, and government officials on how to approach developing an innovation and bringing it to the market so it provides value to society. The experience has also been inspiring as it has opened my eyes to all the unique ways ventures are trying to provide relief from COVID-19 through their innovations. At the end of my time in this stream, I will have applied more of my business knowledge and learnings to a real-life, time-critical scenario than I have in the past and that hands-on experience will prove extremely valuable as I navigate future business challenges in my career.

TI:GER helped me develop my startup, NanoCliq, an early-stage vaccine company. I gained all the tools necessary and joined my startup team through the TI:GER program.

I not only learned to collaborate with PhD, JD, and MBA students but I also made lifelong friendships. I was always passionate about working in an intrapreneurial environment, and TI:GER taught me how to develop a startup, design and develop a product, and talk to decision makers to obtain the required funding and approvals to transform my visions into reality.

TIGER gave me hands-on, practical experience dealing with the unique, complex challenges that teams encounter when bringing cutting edge technology to market. My experiences in this class shaped the way I think about business strategy, marketing, pricing, product development, and innovation in general. The skills I developed in this course helped me excel in my internship and I have no doubt that they'll be useful throughout the remainder of my career.

TI:GER pushed me to step beyond the classroom by putting MBA course theory into practice. I not only learned how to develop a complete business plan for my startup but also to speak confidently to potential investors.

The TI:GER program has broadened my entrepreneurial skillset. It has helped me grow beyond my technical background and better understand the startup process, conduct effective market research, develop value propositions, and understand fundamental financial and legal considerations for new products and new ventures. At CDL-Atlanta, I learned the necessity of providing clear value differentiation and messaging for products and the need for clear, actionable deliverables to drive a project or new venture forward to success.

Being able to work with CDL through TI:GER has been a valuable experience. Specifically, I have been helping with the CDL Recovery stream, which includes startups with technologies focused on solving COVID-19 problems. CDL has allowed me to observe experienced entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors discuss their perspectives on technology startups. I think it is interesting to note that my experience from my first TI:GER course has prepared me well for my experience in CDL. The mentorship feedback from my TI:GER project is the first course is similar to the mentorship feedback the CDL startups receive from their mentors. I choose to join TI:GER because of its hands-on experience and real-world applicability. My interests lie at the intersection between business and technology, so there isn’t any other program I would rather be a part of.

TI:GER helped me discover my passions in business in order to best chart my path. To this day, I've been using the skills learned in the program at every step in my career progression...from start-up to corporation.

The TI:GER program was the most valuable of my MBA program as it allowed me to pull everything together in a practical way. I learned how to create a business plan and launch a product which has helped me tremendously throughout my career.

TI:GER was one of the most valuable components of my MBA experience. Although I work in a large fortune 100 company, the experience I gained in developing and presenting business plans is relevant to my career every day!

In CDL, I’m working with a startup focused on creating a wearable proximity monitoring device that aims to improve the effectiveness of social distancing practices within businesses. Studying content in class is informative but seeing real-world examples and application of what we’ve studied enriches the content. The CDL experience has let me see behind the curtain of how mentors assess startups and help them succeed. I have learned more about what mentors and investors are looking for, and what they are not looking for, and why.

TI:GER has been a real highlight of my MBA experience! It has allowed me to gain first-hand knowledge in the business of technology innovation and the startup environment. With all I've learned in the program, I am confident I can ideate and deliver innovative projects that will transform the retail industry. The opportunity to work with CDL-Atlanta ventures has allowed me to put into practice all that I've learned in the TI:GER curriculum while also learning nuances that you only glean from real-world experience. TI:GER also provides a unique opportunity to have a real impact on an innovative startup's trajectory.

As a PhD student and post-doc, I often worked with very impactful research that didn’t seem like it would ever get the traction it deserved outside of the research sphere. TI:GER has taught me how to bridge the gap between research and business so that those impactful projects can become successful new ventures. Regardless of the field I pursue after graduation, the skills I’ve built through TI:GER, interviewing, business strategy, financial projections, and patent law, among others, will continue to be useful and to shape the projects I work on in the future.

The TI:GER program offered me a unique, hands-on, entrepreneurial experience within the overall MBA curriculum. I learned to think like a business owner and apply those fundamental principles to everyday business problems. The partnership with CDL was a great opportunity not only to work hand in hand with exciting startups but also to learn from some of the world’s leading business experts.

My experience with CDL has been very favorable. The objective-based mentoring in CDL is key, and it’s clear that this is what helps the companies in the program scale rapidly.

The TI:GER program offers a unique partnership with CDL where students actively engage with deep-tech startups and projects to develop strategy for real world business applications. I'm very excited to utilize my new skills and experiences in all my future endeavors. CDL-Atlanta has opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurs, startups and investors. Being able to ask questions and learn from veteran entrepreneurs and business leaders about important aspects unique to every business will forever remain with me in my career.

The TI:GER program is an absolutely unique offering that gave me invaluable hands-on exposure to everything that touches technology innovation: Market Analysis, Customer Discovery, Industry Analysis, Technology Analysis, IP Strategy, Business Model Formation, Financial Modeling and more. This program was incredible for my personal development and the experience was integral to my successful job search. I plan to make use of the skills I developed throughout the process for many years to come.

The TI:GER program was the best part of my MBA experience and the skills and relationships I developed during the practicum continues to make an impact on my career to this day. The program’s emphasis on business valuation has really helped me in my corporate role working with biomedical companies to determine the value of medical devices at different stages of development.

The skills I learned in TI:GER have given me the versatility to blend the worlds of technology and business. This rare value-add has allowed me to effectively launch user-centered products with real- world impact.

The TI:GER program is an absolutely unique offering that gave me the opportunity to get hands-on experience work in cross-functional teams for different perspective and stage tech startups ideas. The experience in TI:GER set me success in learning a new tech faster, and could allocate the source to support the project even they are not in my tech background. The knowledge of how to be successful in the early stage of a venture is extremely beneficial for any strategy role.

- Learned how to evaluate a market and technology together to understand a path to commercialization.
- Learned how to build a team with diverse skills and experiences to best take a product to market.
- Gained experience in the nuts and bolts of corporate formation and contracts, as well as patents and licensing, that lay the foundation for a startup and fundraising.
- Built a network that has helped me in the years since I left Georgia Tech.