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Meet Christina Tamayo, MBA '22

Student Stories
Student Stories
Diversity

Meet Christina Tamayo, a member of the Full-Time MBA Class of '22 

Christina Tamayo, Rice Full-Time MBA
Christina Tamayo, Rice Full-Time MBA

What was your pre-MBA Industry and function?

  • Military, US Army Military
  • Police Officer

What will be your post-MBA Industry?

  • Energy transition, renewables, cleantech, innovation, sustainability

Why did you want to pursue your MBA?

The Army gave me a broad operational and leadership experience, so in the next chapter of my life, I wanted to marry my experiences with equally potent quantitative skills. I knew I wanted to move into something sustainability focused, so an MBA was a way for me to explore what my next career looks like. I became passionate about the idea of how to commercialize technology or ideas that decreases environmental impact, while generating profit for all stakeholders. I wanted an MBA to see what it takes to form, run and maintain successful businesses. An MBA is a platform for transformation, to enhance my network and personal exploration. I wanted the opportunity to let my intellectual curiosity roam free while meeting peers who are equally or more driven than me to make an impact with their MBA.  

Why did you choose Rice Business?

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Christina Tamayo and Team

The community aspect of Rice is what attracted me. My husband and I recently transitioned out of the Army, and at the same time had our first child. We were both looking to do our MBA. We knew we wanted a supportive community because we were in such a transformative time in our lives. The access to professors, resources and spirit of collaboration were much like I experienced during my time at West Point. I craved an intimate learning experience among a like-spirited, yet diverse group of peers. You can feel from every student that it’s about collaborating and learning, not competition at all costs. 

As far as exploring a new career in sustainability — I knew Houston as the Energy Capital of the World, as I’m a native Houstonian, born and raised. However, I left when I was 18 to start a life and career in the military. When I returned 12 years later, I wondered how Houston was adapting to a growing demand for cleaner energy and a more circular economy. I came to Rice Business to explore how sustainability, energy, and business can grow together. The backdrop of Houston and its growing innovation corridor was another attraction that brought me to Rice

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business?

I’m most proud of my peer leaders in the Cleantech and Energy Associations putting their faith in me to create a national case competition from scratch. I had no idea I was capable of this when I started my MBA. I call this my start-up experience. I served as the executive chair. I drove group goals, planning framework and fundraised from our collective network. We recruited first year students and soon enough we had a full development team! The competition is called the Rice Business Energy and Cleantech Case Competition (RBEC3). We had a huge number of alumni and industry partners volunteer for the coffee chat portion of our event. Professor Linda Capuano was invaluable in helping mentor us as she on-boarded for her inaugural year of teaching at Rice Business and advisor to the dean on energy initiatives. Our Executive MBAs also reached out to their networks and helped judge. In our first year, we had 9 teams from across the country compete — more than some other well-established energy case competitions! I am proud and humbled that my classmates believed in the vision and helped create and execute this fantastic event, which was held in concert with the Rice Energy Finance Summit. 

What are you most proud of in your career?

Image
Christina Tamayo working

There’s a Poets and Quants profile of me out there, that talks about my accomplishments as a lead planner for emergency response plans while deployed in Korea. While I’m still proud of that as a singular accomplishment, my career continued to grow outside of the classroom. In August 2021, the U.S. military evacuated its presence out of Afghanistan. Though I didn’t deploy there, many of my friends did, including my husband. I could not stand by with the thought that their friends and allies were in danger, with nowhere to turn. These allies were the ones who risked their lives to make sure my friends and family could come back home.

I started by trying to help evacuate an Afghan Army officer I went to school with early in my career. I then joined a group of West Point graduates who were using our collective network and tech savvy to guide hundreds of Afghan allies and their families to safety. I helped scale and formalize the assistance process at Allied Airlift 21. At one point, I had two U.S. Ambassadors calling me, to see how they could help — the whole situation was wild. I used every skill from my Army career, like delegation and transparent communication, plus my MBA lessons, like the importance of governance, operations principles of optimization, and seeking experienced directors to grow and guide ‘startup’ strategy. Allied Airlift 21 still serves thousands of allies through its secure database product and case manager service, all in concert with the U.S. Government, and collaboration with partner organizations. The family I originally set out to help made it to the U.S. and are currently settled in Chicago. I am now engaged in providing financial support and guidance for them alongside another veteran. 
 

How has the Rice MBA helped you in your career?

The MBA gave me the confidence and platform to build a new network of professionals and mentors from which I can learn from and contribute. I now have the base skills in the language of business to start a conversation at an educated foundation with even the most senior of managers. I understand how complex models are built and the strategic choices common among big corporations or small startups. I’m appreciative of the academic rigor of the program that helped me become familiar with the language of business. The supportive network of professors, alumni and students pushed me to re-think what’s possible for my own career. 

What does it mean to you to be a woman in business?

Being a woman in business is letting people know that my diversity, whether it be biological or cultural, is my strength. Before my MBA, I worked in a male-dominated career field. I want other women to know that it’s ok to be the only one of you in the room, because that’s exactly how it is for everyone else. We are all special for our unique experiences, skills and attributes. The highest-performing teams I’ve been on have one thing in common: They appreciate each other’s unique mix of skills, attributes and experiences and leverage that to create innovative and resilient solutions. 

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA?

Education is a worthwhile investment. Institutional learning is your opportunity to take risks. You get the chance to fail fast and often, while learning from it. All the while you’re surrounded by guides, mentors, and cheerleaders, too. Yes, you are forgoing two years where you could be earning a full salary, but you are honing your edge in a way that is not possible in the workforce. It will burn you out, make you laugh and cry (maybe at the same time). An MBA will challenge you and reaffirm the core attributes that make you strong. An MBA is not for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to make big impacts and understand the value of growing through challenge. Know that you can have a plan coming into the MBA and that it’s ok to change directions. You don’t know what’s out there if you haven’t been exposed to it.  

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Christina Tamayo and Husband

More about me:

I’m a proud member of the following organizations: 

  • Cleantech Association, co-president
  • Strategy Association
  • Women in Business
  • Veterans in Business
  • Rice Business Energy and Cleantech Case Competition, Executive Chair

I’m a mom of a two-year-old and a cat, and married to a Rice MBA (husband Alex Stodola, class of 2022 PMBA). The fun in both of us going through the program at the same time, is that we have such divergent intellectual curiosities and take completely different classes. It’s really shown me how Rice Business is designed to allow everyone to explore and make their own best path and version of the MBA experience

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Meet Andrew Waguespack, MBA '22

Student Stories
Student Stories
Diversity

Meet Andrew Waguespack, a member of the Full-Time MBA Class of '22 and Men as Allies club representative for the 2022 Women In Leadership Conference. 

Andrew Waguespack Headshot
Andrew Waguespack Headshot

What was your pre-MBA Industry and function?

  • CPA in External Audit and Financial Due Diligence

What will be your post-MBA Industry and function?

  • Management Consulting

Why did you want to pursue your MBA?

During my undergraduate corporate accounting internship, I was introduced to two individuals who worked in the Corporate Development department, both of whom had MBAs. Throughout the rest of the internship, they would take me to lunch and share their experiences and how the MBA path accelerated their careers. It was that summer in 2012 I purchased a U.S. News Best Graduate Schools magazine and began thinking about what it would be like to have the opportunity to attend an MBA program one day. Three years later I moved from Louisiana to Houston to begin my accounting career. Six years into my career I decided it was the perfect time to pursue an MBA to polish my finance, leadership, and business strategy skills and expand my network.

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Andrew Waguespack on a bike

Why did you choose Rice Business?

Having worked in a client facing role in Houston, I have seen firsthand the advantages that having a Rice MBA brings to the table. My fellow Rice MBA colleagues at my previous job shared a unique camaraderie among their peers and clients alike, one that emphasized teamwork, collaboration and respect. Every Rice Business alum I encountered throughout work engagements, recruiting visits and community events were eager to share their insights, experiences and advice, making the program feel like home. I also knew the smaller cohorts would offer a more personalized experience which was important to me.

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business?

I am most proud of the sense of community at Rice Business. I look back on the times spent helping each other with interview prep and all the hard work that goes into recruiting. It is a rewarding feeling seeing others succeed and being able to pay it forward to the next class of Rice Business students.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am most proud of earning my CPA license and being able to share that moment with my family. My mother is also an accountant but never had the opportunity to finish her CPA exams. Being able to dedicate it to her for the sacrifices she made for my siblings and me is something I am most proud of in my career.

How has the Rice MBA helped you in your career?

Image
Andrew Waguespack and his wife

The Rice MBA experience helped me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace change. Leaving a full-time job and switching careers is daunting, but I have no doubt that this experience has only made me more prepared to handle uncertainty in the business world. Further, the diversity of thought and how different individuals approach business problems has helped me develop a more well-rounded mindset.

Why is it important to you to support women in business?

As my mother re-entered the business world after 12+ years raising my brothers and me, I recognized the unique challenges that women face in the workplace. Seeing firsthand the struggles she experienced, I felt it was important to gain a better understanding of how to be an ally to women like my mother.

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA?

I spent several years thinking and talking about it but hesitated when it came time to leave my job. I would encourage everyone to go for it. It has been a challenging but incredibly rewarding process and I am very happy I did it. I have met lifelong friends and look forward to joining the Rice Business alumni network.

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Meet Chaundra Frank, MBA '22

Student Stories
Student Stories
Diversity

Meet Chaundra Frank, a member of the December Class of 2022 for MBA@Rice. 

Chaundra Frank Headshot
Chaundra Frank Headshot

What was your pre-MBA Industry and function?

I started my career as a natural gas trade analyst at Shell Trading after I graduated from Rice with a B.A. in economics and managerial studies in 2000. Following my experience at Shell, I embarked on an exciting and fast-paced career in management consulting, private equity and, most recently, education.

What will be your post-MBA Industry and function?

I am happy to announce that I have accepted a position with the Houston Botanic Garden as the vice president of finance.

Why did you want to pursue your MBA?

It’s never too late and you’re never too old to become better! I wanted to pursue my MBA to “build a new muscle.” I want to be conditioned and stretched to see things through a different lens allowing me to demonstrate new leadership and management skills for future endeavors. I wanted to further develop with the many fascinating people at Rice Business.  

Why did you choose Rice Business?

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Chaundra Frank at Rice

Growing up in Houston, my parents always found an excuse to pass through Rice’s campus. Whether it be the highlight of a Sunday drive, basketball camp or robotics camp, I am no stranger to the university. Matter of fact, I signed my letter of intent with the NCAA to attend Rice University and run track in 1995 after multiple college visits around the country. Rice just seemed like home. I chose Rice Business because it was familiar. I love the city of Houston and all of the possibilities in it. I have a deep connection to the Rice community and wanted to be a product of one of the best business schools in the world. I am Rice “Twice” and my motto is the “Second me, will be the better me.” Continuing to refine my capacity to navigate complex environments and difficult situations is what attracted me to Rice “again.”

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business?

MBA@Rice is still in its infancy, and I am proud to lead the development of a new student association for our program. I am also the president of the MBA@Rice Board Fellows program launching our new pilot program in April. I am a proud member of the Black Business Student Association and Rice Business Women’s Organization. I am currently enrolled in the first Women in Leadership Cohort provided by the Doerr Institute for New Leaders. I’m extremely proud to be part of this pilot program filled with diverse and impactful women leaders. Last, but not least I successfully completed Lilie’s Launchpad program and have taken a huge step in my entrepreneurial journey.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am proud that I keep evolving, achieving new goals and doing my best to make a positive impact in the world. I am proud of the success of my nonprofit organization, Lake Houston Youth Sports Association. I am proud of my students and athletes that I have learned so much from, and I am proud that I continue to navigate through this journey while doing it my way. My way means finding the courage to walk into my story, own it and write the ending!

How has the Rice MBA helped you in your career?

The obvious answer I think everyone expects is that an MBA will enhance your marketability as a professional and increase the quality and quantity of job opportunities. The Rice MBA has done much more than that. Pursuing my MBA at Rice in the MBA@Rice program has redefined my perspective of business and how I personally impact and contribute to the bottom line. Business looks very different than it did 20 years ago when I graduated from Rice the first time. We were just learning the purpose of an email address! Fast forward, now we are conducting business virtually, anywhere and anytime. Combining my years of experience with the willingness to take on a new style of learning from a top-tier program has helped me develop the skills and competency to be successful in this new age of business. Fresh ideas and a new mindset are top of my list.

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Chaundra Frank EE

What does it mean to you to be a woman in business?

For me, being a successful woman in business means creating your own path while being confidently feminine, eloquently fierce and passionately engaged. All too often, young girls are taught to be seen and not heard. Over the years I have learned to ditch that old adage and speak with purpose and conviction. Your words are powerful and your actions are a reflection of what you believe and think of yourself. Most importantly, as women we must empower, support and encourage each other to level up and be the best version of ourselves, especially in business. This means love and take care of yourself so you can be the best, true and authentic YOU. 

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA?

As a more seasoned MBA student, this decision was very cumbersome for me. I had my doubts and wondered if an MBA would be worth it after working for 20 years. The answer is YES! I know firsthand that it is never too late, and you are never too old to become better. The key word is BETTER. Placing myself in an environment to be challenged while immersing myself in as many resources this program provides was the best decision I ever made. The network is invaluable. The faculty and staff is impeccable. My classmates (in all programs) are brilliant, diverse and eager to make a difference beyond the hedges of the university.

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How Trauma Led to Triumph feat. Jen Paquette ’19

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Host Christine Dobbyn is joined by Jen Paquette ’19, who discusses how trauma in her life has influenced her career path, her work with nonprofits and the military, and how it's helped prepare her to work with new business owners.

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Texas Life Science Forum honors top life science innovation companies

Life science investors, leaders and innovators gathered at the Jones Graduate School of Business to discuss Houston’s role in the future of health care, medical technology innovation and life science commercialization during the 10th annual Texas Life Science Forum.

Texas Life Science Forum 2022
Texas Life Science Forum 2022

Life science investors, leaders and innovators gathered at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business to discuss Houston’s role in the future of health care, medical technology innovation and life science commercialization during the 10th annual Texas Life Science Forum.

The forum, co-hosted by BioHouston and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and JLABS @ TMC, is one of the premier life science venture capital conferences in the U.S.

More than 40 companies — about half of them based in Houston — pitched their innovative solutions in therapeutics, drug development, medical devices, diagnostics and digital health. The presenting companies have already raised a combined total of more than $600 million in funding.

The day kicked off with a keynote from Dr. Stephen Hahn, CEO-partner of Flagship Pioneering and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, along with remarks from leaders from the TMC, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, TMC Innovation, Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS and Rice University.

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Dynamic Light with BioHouston CEO Ann Tanabe
Dynamic Light with BioHouston CEO Ann Tanabe


“With attendance by over 600 individuals, including representatives from life science companies from California to Massachusetts — as well as internationally — this year’s event showcased the robust growth in our life science ecosystem since this event was first held a decade ago,” said Ann Tanabe, chief executive officer at BioHouston.

Dynamic Light won the Michael E. DeBakey Memorial Life Science Award, established by BioHouston to honor the groundbreaking Houston cardiovascular surgeon. Its software integrates with microscopes or robotics and provides surgeons with full-color visualization of blood flow and tissue perfusion in real time without expensive dyes or radiation.

Ten other entries were chosen by investors as the Rice Alliance Most Promising Life Science Companies, presented by the Greater Houston Partnership. They are:  

  • NeuraStasis (Houston) places neural tissue into stasis, giving ischemic stroke patients more time to receive treatment.
  • Maxwell Biosciences’ (Austin, Texas) CLAROMER biomimetic drug discovery platform precision-engineers small molecules that mimic and enhance peptides to create synthetic compounds with enhanced potency, safety and stability for fighting viral, bacterial, fungal and oncological threats.
  • Lapovations (Arkansas) is a medical device company creating a platform of innovative products that improve laparoscopy.
  • Drusolv Therapeutics (Pennsylvania) is a clinical-stage drug company developing a high-dose oral statin for early intervention in a blinding eye disease called age-related macular degeneration.
  • Vena Medical (Ontario) provides physicians with the world's smallest camera capable of going inside veins and arteries to help treat strokes.
  • Vivifi Medical (Houston) is developing a minimally invasive solution to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and men’s health problems through a quick and easy vascular procedure.
  • Corveus Medical (Houston) is developing a minimally invasive, catheter-based treatment to lift the clinical and economic burden of heart failure.
  • XN Health (Houston) is a medical device company combating diaphragmatic atrophy in mechanically ventilated patients to facilitate the weaning process through a novel phrenic nerve stimulation device.
  • Ares Immunotherapy (Georgia) is a solid-tumor-focused, early-stage cell therapy company based on a T-cell platform technology with better potency and persistence than other T-cells used therapeutically.
  • EMPIRI (Houston) is revolutionizing cancer care with a novel technology that accurately predicts each patient's treatment responses empirically, enabling doctors to make the optimal treatment selection for each cancer patient. 

This year’s Texas Life Science Forum was made possible by more than 50 industry, academic and community partners including the TMC, Lonza, Perkins Coie, JLABS, Proxima Clinical Research and Shearman & Sterling.

To learn more about the Texas Life Science Forum visit txlifescienceforum.org.

 

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Shell, BP and ExxonMobil have done business in Russia for decades – here’s why they’re leaving now

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Shell, BP & ExxonMobil are pulling out of Russia even though it means steep financial hits for them. Rice Business Professor Yan Anthea Zhang explores how Western energy companies are recalculating the cost of doing business in Russia for The Conversation.

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The Dos and Don'ts of Launching a Business feat. Alex Porter ’18

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Two MAcc Students’ Experience on the Job Market

Accounting
Accounting
Accounting

Over the past five years, 98% of Rice MAcc students have accepted a full-time job offer before their graduation.

McNair Hall building teaser
McNair Hall
The Master of Accounting Program Staff

In our last blog post, we described how the job recruiting process for Rice MAcc students works, including the Rice MAcc programming that gets students prepared to excel on the job market. In this blog, we profile two MAcc students’ recent job hunt experience.

Bayleigh Green

Rice MAcc Class of 2022

Bayleigh earned her bachelor’s in business finance and sociology in May 2021 from Austin College, which is a selective liberal arts college in Sherman, TX.

As an undergraduate at Austin College, Bayleigh kept busy. She excelled in her coursework, played on her college’s soccer team, and was an active member of her sorority. She also worked as a waitress at several restaurants throughout her college years, which taught her how to thrive in fast paced and high-pressure situations.

Still, she told us, she was a little nervous about what the job interviewing process was going to be like. This was new territory for her. Fortunately, she found the Rice MAcc’s recruiting preparation programming enabled her to navigate her job interviews confidently. In fact, rather than being an unpleasant experience, Bayleigh found speaking with representative from the public accounting firms and learning about each firm’s culture was enjoyable.

Bayleigh also told us that she appreciated being able to talk and email with the MAcc program director whenever she wanted to get his advice and input throughout her recruiting process.

In the end, Bayleigh did very well on the job market, getting job offers from multiple firms. After giving it careful consideration, in November 2021, she accepted a post-graduation job offer in audit with PwC in their Houston office. We know she’s going to shine.

Alex Nguyen

Rice MAcc Class of 2022

Alex, a classmate of Bayleigh, completed his bachelor’s in finance at the University of Texas at Dallas in May 2021. Impressively, due to having loaded up on college-credit courses while in high school, he was able to complete his UT-Dallas degree in just two years. And, even more remarkably, he served in the Texas Army National Guard during his time in college. You have to wonder when he sleeps!

Before starting the Rice MAcc program, Alex already had his first job goal set: to land a position at one of the Big Four public accounting firms. Public accounting’s reputation for on-the-job learning, quick professional advancement, and camaraderie all appealed to him.

Nevertheless, once he arrived in Houston and began the Rice MAcc program, Alex was struck by the broad scope of job opportunities available to MAcc students. While students choose to take a first job in public accounting, by no means is that their only option. Alex tells us that he and his fellow MAcc students felt that they were “picking and choosing which types of job they wanted to apply for,” rather than feeling limited to a narrow field of job prospects.

In the end, Alex stuck with his original plan and achieved his goal: in November 2021, he accepted a job offer in assurance at Big Four firm PwC in Dallas. He’ll start working there in the late summer of 2022. Given Alex’s work ethic, we can’t wait to see where his career path takes him.

This Could Be You Too!

The job opportunities for Rice MAcc graduates are excellent. Because accountants are in demand across all sectors of the economy, a Rice MAcc degree equips you to find an accounting career tailored to your professional passion. Rice MAcc students graduate with highly competitive skills, and we are proud of our strong relationships with firms and corporations eager to recruit our students.

Interested in learning more about our program or the career opportunities the Rice MAcc opens up? Email us at RiceMAcc@rice.edu.

Interested in Rice Business?

 

Does an accounting-based career sound like it’s for you? Contact us at ricemacc@rice.edu! We would love to share more information with you about the benefits of pursuing a graduate accounting degree at Rice.

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Team Work

Student Life
Student Life

At the beginning of their MBA journey, after team assignments during their first week, five EMBA students met for dinner at Hotel Zaza. During the meal, they stumbled across something unique about their team: they were all born and raised outside the U.S. and all of them spoke English as a second language. Meaningful connections to classmates are what the Rice EMBA is all about.

Team Work
Team Work
Steve Summers, Manager of MBA Recruiting

At the beginning of their MBA journey, five EMBA students met for dinner at Hotel Zaza after team assignments during their first week. During the meal, they stumbled across something unique about their team: they were all born and raised outside the U.S. — India, Italy, Norway, Taiwan and Tanzania — and all of them spoke English as a second language.

It was a revelation. “We’re as diverse as we can possibly be, culturally and professionally,” Panthini Patel said.

“It was clear immediately, we were a team with very interesting backgrounds,” Bamrom Jonathan said. “We all had a lot to share and became very close immediately. We couldn’t wait to bring our families together.”

How teams are born

In the Rice MBA, cohorts in each program are made up of five-to-six-person teams that stay together for two years. When creating teams, the student program office tries to balance the mix by:

  • Gender
  • Profession
  • Company
  • Background, so teams include an international or veteran student
  • Age, so all teams have the same average age

And then the work begins. For this diverse team of EMBA students, the work included food and family.

They met for dinners in different restaurants that represented each members’ culture, so the others could try new things. Stefano Capponi chose Fresco Cafe Italiano, not far from campus, on a Saturday after class.

“I’m from a big family where you have massive meals, spending hours at the table. And using the table to talk. The idea is that Italian food is simple and laid back but the ambiance is what creates the environment. That’s how I grew up.”

He wanted to show the richness of that life to his teammates. “Fresco is a small joint where you can’t make reservations; it’s always packed; there’s no table service, and you bring your own wine. When I brought the team, they were surprised by the environment. Like, what is this place? It’s not high end. But after the initial shock, they loved the food and the feeling. We stayed for three hours. It was great.”

Interested in Rice Business?

 

Classroom conversations

At Rice Business, we believe that diverse teams make the best decisions. The global perspective in the EMBA classrooms is deepened by its students’ varied career and cultural backgrounds. This diversity is a core strength of our program, leading to richer discussions and more comprehensive learning experiences. 

“It’s a huge benefit to have international participation. It allows the class to learn about how certain business concepts have materialized in various countries and across borders,” Haavard Oestensen said. “In a recent session on macroeconomics, while we were covering international trade, our classmate Larry Rubin was able to share his experience with US-Mexico trade relations from the perspective of his appointment as chairman of The American Society of Mexico. Our classroom sometimes feels like a UN meeting.”

Tsenghui (Leo) Sung added that “the concepts we learn in the classroom are good; the experience and ideas we share are from real life and practical to our day-to-day activities in work.” But it’s the different viewpoints that deepen their studies. “The team is open to discussion and sharing experiences and ideas.”

Personal gains

Of course, the chemistry within a team is a huge benefit to the MBA experience. And setting a tone was intentional from the beginning. Bamrom kicked it off with a pool party at his house. “We have family events with our team where we try different cuisines and share precious moments,” he said. “We’re building lifetime friendships and looking forward to what the future brings.”

Panthini and her husband made an Indian dinner from scratch. “We met in the front yard. The kids played basketball and rode bikes in the neighborhood. We made so many dishes — four to five different curries, vegetables — even though Stefano doesn’t like spicy food. For me, it means so much to show them that I care about them.”

Connections to classmates are what Rice Business' EMBA program is all about. Building and expanding your network will serve you beyond the two years on campus.

Meet the Team

Tsenghui (Leo) Sung

Leo is the senior director of business development and program management at Foxconn Industrial Internet (Fii). He hails from Taiwan and speaks Mandarin.

Panthini Patel

Now the director of global strategic accounts at Emerson, Panthini was born in India and lived there until the age of 10. She grew up speaking Gujarati and Hindi.

Haavard Oestensen

Haavard is the Vice President of Growth at Kongsberg Digital, was born and raised in Norway and speaks Norwegian.

Stefano Capponi

Transitioning between jobs after 15 years in the oil industry, Stefano is from Italy and speaks Italian.

Bamrom Jonathan

Bamrom moved to the U.S. for college at 17 and is now the vice president of pharmacy strategic initiatives at Centene Corporation. He grew up in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, is fluent in Kiswahili.
 

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Rice Business Plan Competition announces 2022 teams

School Updates
Entrepreneurship
Technology
School Updates

The 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC), hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jones Graduate School of Business, will be back in person and on campus April 7-9.

2022 Rice Business Plan Competition - Adapt. Build. Grow.
2022 Rice Business Plan Competition - Adapt. Build. Grow.
Avery Ruxer Franklin

Student startups from around the world will compete for $1 million in prizes

The world's largest and richest student startup competition will bring together the most promising student ventures from top universities across the U.S. and Europe to compete for more than $1 million in prizes and funding.

The 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC), hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jones Graduate School of Business, will be back in person and on campus April 7-9.

After two years of virtual competition, the Rice Alliance expects an exceptionally engaged community of over 250 judges, mentors and investors from the Houston community and beyond to turn out for the competition.
 

As we come out on the other side of a long and challenging two years, we're feeling a sense of renewal and energy looking to the future and finding inspiration from the next generation of entrepreneurs who are building a better world.

Catherine Santamaria, director of the RBPC

 

“This year's competition celebrates student founders with a strong sense of determination — founders who are ready to adapt, build and grow companies that can change the future,” Santamaria said. “We hope their participation will provide guidance and inspiration for our community.”

This year’s startups were chosen from more than 400 applicants and will compete in five categories: energy, clean tech and sustainability; life sciences and health care solutions; consumer products and services; hard tech; and digital enterprise. With students from four countries, the 42 startups represent 31 universities, with 11 universities represented by two different teams. This year’s competition also features eight universities competing for the first time as well as three teams from European universities.

A number of Rice student startups participated in the internal RBPC qualifier pitch event to secure two spots in the RBPC. The 2022 qualifier saw the largest number of applicants, judges and participants in the internal competition’s history, demonstrating Rice’s continued success in fostering an entrepreneurial focus among its students. Rice Alliance awarded a total of $5,000 in cash prizes to the top three teams from the internal qualifier: EpiFresh, Green Room and Anvil Diagnostics. EpiFresh and Green Room received invitations to compete in the 2022 RBPC.

Not only do the startups pitch to a growing community of investors, entrepreneurs and partners, but the teams are also able to network and receive real-time feedback, advice and mentorship during the April event.

Past competitors have raised more than $3.57 billion in capital and more than 259 RBPC alumni have successfully launched their ventures. Most are still in business today, including 40 startups that have had successful exits through acquisitions or trading on a public market.

2022 Rice Business Plan Competition invited teams:

Startup Name University
Acorn Genetics Northwestern University
Advanced Optronics Carnegie Mellon University
Aethero Space University of Missouri
AImirr University of Chicago
AiroSolve UCLA
Algeon Materials UC San Diego
Anise Health Harvard University
Beyond Silicon Arizona State University
Bold Move Beverages University of Texas at Austin
Diamante University of Verona
EarthEn Arizona State University
Empower Sleep University of Pennsylvania
EpiFresh Rice University
EpiSLS University of Michigan
Green Room Rice University
Horizon Health Solutions University of Arkansas
Hoth Intelligence Thomas Jefferson University
INIA Biosciences Boston University
Invictus BCI MIT
Invitris Technical University of Munich (TUM)
KLAW Industries Binghamton University
LIDROTEC RWTH Aachen
Locus Lock University of Texas at Austin
LymphaSense Johns Hopkins University
Mallard Bay Outdoors Louisiana State University
Mantel MIT
Olera Texas A&M University
OpenCell AI Weill Cornell Medicine
OraFay UCLA
Pareto Stanford University
Photonect Interconnect Solutions University of Rochester
PLAKK McGill University
PneuTech Johns Hopkins University
Rola UC San Diego
RotorX Georgia Tech
SimulatED Carnegie Mellon University
SuChef University of Pennsylvania
Symetric Finance Fairfield University
Teale Texas A&M University
Team Real Talk University at Buffalo
TransCrypts Harvard University
Woobie Brigham Young University

For more information about the 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition, visit rbpc.rice.edu.

 

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