MBA students at Olivet Business School started the Summer quarter with a meaningful project in their Applied Business Research class. The class requires students to brainstorm a real startup idea in groups, conduct in-depth research and analysis, then pitch it to the entire class at the end of the course.

One area that students are specifically interested in is the disintermediation of the service industry. It is now affecting finance, real estate, technology, media, and healthcare as a broad trend. This trend creates the opportunity to identify new business models that would automate intermediary services in legacy businesses. Students are divided into four groups to brainstorm and do an initial review of diverse startup ideas.

Students are very engaged and excited by the potential of developing a promising new venture, going beyond learning a methodology to evaluate ideas.

Prof. Albert Lee commented, "...with a few inspirational observations of new trends, students are motivated and sufficiently capable of developing attractive business ventures. The hope is at least one group will have something substantive at the end of the course and a seed of a great venture will continue to grow."