CMCI Projects & People
The Capstone Experience
The Business Minor capstone is a fantastic opportunity to combine your creativity 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.
Don’t be scared to do something you don't know. You have to learn new things to be successful."
~ Haddie Hill, CMCI '22
Haddie Hill, CMCI '22
Why did you pursue the Business Minor?
Ever since I was little I would create things so it only seemed natural to pursue a Business Minor to gain formal education around what I’ve been doing for a long time.
What were your expectations of the capstone course?
I expected a lot of reading and then small projects about the readings; I was pleasantly surprised that wasn't the case. I really liked that there was an element of self-learning, which is a lot more personal. I liked the freedom to focus on what I wanted along with a team that progressively became more passionate throughout the semester.
Tell us about your capstone project.
I have a bazillion business ideas, but my team created Gaea, which is a full service sustainability housing development company. One of the biggest problems with sustainable housing in the United States is that the upkeep is very expensive. So here, buyers pay a subscription fee so that their home is sustainable for many more years to come.
How did you come up with that idea?
Research. As a journalist and media person, I read a lot about different things. The more you know, the more books you read, the more ideas you come up with. I’ve read a lot of books about sustainability and throughout this project I learned even more.
Where did the team name come from?
So Gaea is the Greek goddess of the earth. The only reason I know that is because I got a dog at the same time as I started this project and I named him Apollo, so I was already on this Greek gods naming track… ::: laughter:::
Who was on your team?
My team was made up of students from CMCI and A&S, and what was cool about that is that everyone brought their own skills. Majors are great, but it's really more about the skills you have and what you’re passionate about. Majors don’t really encompass that entirely; projects like this really bring people’s strengths together that they may not otherwise be able to fully apply in a specified major.
What have you gained from the Business Minor?
The capstone was definitely the most valuable part for me. I love connecting people, but it can be hard to be successful on a team. In this case, however, we went after what we were passionate about - not just what we were assigned. Honestly, that was good for me because I hadn't been part of a well-connected team in an academic environment before.
Do you have any recommendations for CMCI students?
Don’t be scared to do something you don't know. You have to learn new things to be successful. There are so many opportunities to develop what you're passionate about. How will you contribute? Think about what you want to add to the world.
Haddie transferred to CU Boulder to major in Journalism, and her Business Minor capstone project, Gaea, made 3rd place out of nearly 90 teams competing for the top prize of $2,500. She is now attending graduate school at NYU and her CMCI Honors project is trademark pending.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilc_eLlCISg]
Team Gaea created this video to spike the audience's interest in their business idea. By showcasing their media skills, the judges were quickly drawn into their pitch and impressed by their professionalism and dedication to their project.