CEAS Projects & People
Leeds Business Minor & CEAS
Read on to learn how other CEAS students have thrived in the Business Minor
The Capstone Experience
The Business Minor capstone is a fantastic opportunity to combine your problem solving skills with your newfound business knowledge. Gain business confidence by working with a team to develop a business plan for a product or service of your choosing. In addition to Leeds faculty, local entrepreneurs serve as capstone coaches to support each student team in applying their business acumen in this real-world-relevant project.
At the end of the semester, teams pitch their business idea before their professor, coaches and peers, and the winning team from each course section moves on to a shark tank-like final competition. This final round of the competition is judged by business professionals and Leeds alumni, and the winning team receives a grand prize of $2,500. Fall semester students can expect the competition to take place via Zoom, while the spring semester competition takes place in-person at the Arrow Touchdown Club. Friends and family are welcome to join our dynamic end-of-semester competition followed by a celebratory recognition ceremony.
Having this broad knowledge of how the business world works will be very beneficial to me, both as an engineer, and hopefully, as an entrepreneur.
~ Lane Levine, CEAS '22
Lane Levine, CEAS '22
Why did you pursue the Business Minor?
I've always wanted to start my own company. I thought about being a business major with an engineering minor, but I knew I wanted to work in the automobile industry, so I decided to flip it and became a Mechnical Engineer with a Business Minor. A broad knowledge of business will benefit me in the engineering world.
Tell us about your capstone project.
My team pitched ReachRak, which is a roof rack that slides down to the side of the car, allowing chest-height access to rooftop storage.
How did you come up with your business idea?
I'm a big skiier and when I would get to the mountain I'd get my boots on and everything, but I'd forget to pull down my skis from the top of my car. So then I would climb up with my plastic boots, but it was hard to get back down without slipping. I asked my friends if they thought a solution here would be a good idea and I got positive feedback.
How did your engineering background come into play?
The original idea was to get skis down the side of a car through scaffolding, but it evolved into telescoping. I had a prototype in CAD (computer aided design) and through enforced calculations I realized this could actually be a thing. The 3D drawings were a helpful tool for visualizing the static structure, as well as the dynamic mechanisms.
What have you gained from the Business Minor?
I've noticed that people in business have much wilder ideas than engineers, which is great, but those ideas may not make any sense engineering-wise. Whereas engineers make sure an idea works, but may not have stopped to consider if anyone wants their product, how it can benefit a business and the ethics behind the idea. I can now combine these things and make something really feasible.
Do you have any recommendations for CEAS students?
If interested in the Business Minor, talk to people about it. One of the great things about the minor is how much it emphasizes networking. All the minor courses have undertones of how to market yourself, especially in the capstone, which prepares you well for after college.
Lane's capstone project, ReachRak, earned the top prize of $2,500. He is now working for SpaceX and his ReachRak business idea is patent pending.
The ReachRak team worked remotely throughout the semester, and didn't know one another before enrolling in the capstone. Lane noted that it was one of the smoothest working teams he's been a part of at CU. "We haven't yet met in person, but we plan to hang out together soon!"