Events

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TMMBA Halloween Poker Night

Monday, November 1st, 2010

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Nhi Huong Huynh – Fiscal Specialist

TMMBA students and spouses and significant others had a lot of fun at “The Halloween Poker Night” on Saturday, October 30th from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Everyone showed up with costumes to play poker tournament and enjoyed drinks and food. Corey and Mike gave a brief a tutorial on how to play poker and then we start with a buy-in of $15. Some people were serious on playing poker, but others were friendly. After the first half, we took 15 minutes breaks for drinks and food. Most everyone got a re-buy of $15 for the second half of the tournament. A lot excited hands got to the last round. Finally, the tournament ended exactly at 9:00PM. Almost forgot about the important part here, half of the proceeds will go to the Children’s Hospital of Seattle and other half were prizes for last 5 players of the tournament.

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Dashing to Success: Foster MEANS Business on race day

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Aaron Lykken, Manager – Academic Services & Technologies

TMMBA staff and students laced up their running shoes with other Foster MBA programs to raise money for University of Washington student scholarships by participating in the 2010 Dawg Dash.  Little did we know that epic sheets of rain and gusty wind would greet us on a chilly and grey Seattle Sunday morning (we’re talking the type of day where you curl up with a book or movie next to the fire place and drink a hot cup of coffee).  Instead I found myself shaking my head and grumbling as I pulled together my race gear.  On my way to Husky stadium I remember at least 4 distinct times when I almost aborted on the race and sought refuge from the elements back at my house.  The guilt of abandoning my teammates brought me back to focus each time and soon I was parked and deciding when I was ready to fling open the car door.  Through the waves of water running down my windshield I saw a teammate and decided that it was time.  Stepping into this kind of rain meant being wet and cold instantly and set the tone for the rest of the morning until the “Purple Wave (10k)” was called to the starting line.  The scarcity of covered areas was apparent as I observed runners hiding in every stadium tunnel    To the amazement of the runners, the rain ceased as we lined up and executed some last minute stretching, leg shaking, and jumping in hopes of staying loose and warm.  And then the gun popped…

Come race time the Foster runners shook off the rain and cold and found racing success in both the 10k and 5k flavors of the race, with finishers in the top 15% of their division.  The race spans the length of the UW Seattle campus from Husky Stadium in the south to running up the hilly campus past the Foster business school campus in the far north.  It was a painful race but certainly one with an intense feeling of accomplishment at the finish due to the inclement weather.  2010 was the 25th anniversary of the Dawg Dash tradition which raised more than $10,000 last year.  Record attendance last year was beaten by more than 800 registrants this year.

Go Huskies!

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Class 11 Roadmap

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Mikaela Houck, Program Coordinator

As admissions wrap up for the class beginning in January 2011, we now look to the new students who will soon navigate their dynamic and rigorous 18-month TMMBA journey. The cohort kicks off with a variety of events and activities that provide a solid foundation for a successful TMMBA experience.

Here’s what is on the horizon:

Welcome Reception: Tuesday, November 16
This evening reception at the Columbia Winery in Woodinville is an opportunity for students to meet their classmates and connect with their study group for the first time.

Program Orientation Part I: Thursday, December 2 – Sunday, December 5
The December Orientation includes four credits of academic course work: Teamwork, Ethical Leadership, and Professional Communications.  From achieving exemplary team performance to communicating effectively, these courses lay the groundwork for essential skills and knowledge that will be used throughout the Program and beyond.

Additionally, students will be required to attend an Etiquette Dinner where they will learn the proper know-how surrounding the business meal.  Students will develop dining savvy that will improve their professionalism and enhance their networking skills. It’s also a great occasion to get to know their classmates and kick-off their TMMBA experience with a sense of poise and confidence.

Winter Quarter classes kick-off: Early January
Official launch of Winter Quarter classes.  Students will participate in an intensive schedule of Microeconomics, Accounting and Statistics.

The Welcome Reception is just around the corner – looking forward to seeing the Class come together for the first time!

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The TMMBA Alumni Book Group

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

(Tina Bassir, Associate Director)

The TMMBA alumni book group has been meeting quarterly for over two years, spanning topics from strategy, leadership, ethics and finance. The book group is a great opportunity for alums to dig into a business topic then gather to discuss the book in an academic setting. The events are a chance for alums to reunite with their classmates and to meet people from other TMMBA classes. In addition to connecting with classmates, they are able to reconnect with faculty. Each book group is facilitated by a Foster School faculty member. The next book group is on Sept 14 and we have selected a marketing book: “The Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times” by Scott D. Anthony. The discussion will be guided by marketing lecturer Joe Dodson.

Are you wondering what books have been discussed at past book group meetings? Here’s the list:

  • Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
  • Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
  • Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition
  • How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living
  • In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic
  • The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

The TMMBA Alumni Book Group is just one of the many opportunities for alums to stay connected and continue learning.

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Take a bow

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Aaron Lykken, Manager – Academic Services & Technologies

Photos from the Technology Commercialization capstone presentation are now posted!

The Technology Commercialization Capstone project is an extension of the Technology Commercialization course, and is designed to solidify and showcase learning in the Foster TMMBA Program. Student teams are required to identify a “technology” opportunity, and create an executable plan for capturing the value of the technology through commercialization. The commercialization plan is presented to a panel of judges consisting of alumni, faculty and successful technology entrepreneurs. The 2010 event was held June 5th at William H. Gates Hall.

If you want to learn more about the event, see my post @ Technology Commercialization Capstone event

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Lights, camera, action! A look inside the UW Business Plan Competition

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Sara Jones, Assistant Director

Last quarter, 12 TMMBA students successfully made it into the Investment Round of the UW Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) Business Plan Competition.  This is no small feat since only 36 out of 92 teams were accepted.  During the Investment Round, 230 judges each had $1,000 CIE dollars to “invest” in the teams.  The 16 teams with the highest investment advanced to the Sweet Sixteen Round.  I really enjoyed attending the event this year. There was a lot of excitement in the room and it was fun to see our students pitching their business ideas to local venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and investors.  This year TMMBA had 7 students on 3 different teams make it to the Sweet Sixteen Round!

Here is a short video from the Investment Round to give you a feel for the competition.

UW Business Plan Competition – 2010 Investment Round from Foster School of Business on Vimeo.

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Technology Commercialization Capstone event

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Aaron Lykken, Manager – Academic Services & Technologies

Students from the graduating class (TMMBA Class 9) this spring participated in the TMMBA capstone presentation on 6/5 as both their final deliverable for their Technology Commercialization course and more importantly, for the program.  The objectives of the Capstone project are (1) to provide students with an “end-of-program” team-based project to reinforce TMMBA course learnings, and (2) to provide the students with an opportunity to internalize the value that they have gained from their overall TMMBA experience by applying the concepts and theories to an actual commercialization of technology project.  Student teams were given a long leash to explore project ideas, from project options within the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization as well as those within their own companies or elsewhere such as a local venture.

The day started bright and early for staff as I arrived at William H. Gates Hall at 7:00 AM to setup for the event.  After planning all of the details in the months prior to the event, it was a relief to finally see the day arrive and the finished product.  Overall, a fairly simple day once put into action, as the student teams arrive at various times throughout the day according to the time slot they were given.  There were four different presentation rooms, each with a judge panel consisting of a TMMBA alumni winner from last year, faculty, and a member of the business community.  Each team was allowed 30 minutes total for their pitch, which is no small task, but forced the teams to get to the point quickly and filter out irrelevant details.  At the end of the afternoon each of the four panels decided on a presentation that stood out above the rest and those teams were honored at the graduation banquet later that evening.

After an entire quarter of researching, analyzing, planning, and integrating into a concise 30-minute presentation, the effort behind these presentations and final output was nothing short of impressive.  This was the 3rd year for this event and consistent quality was at the forefront of  each observer’s thoughts as I chatted with judges, project sponsors, and guests.  I hear repeatedly from students and alumni that this is an extremely useful and practical learning activity in which our students need to apply numerous parts of their MBA skill-sets to create a complete project.
Hats off to our Class 9 graduates for all of their hard work!

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Bringing it all together

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

Scott Hannah, TMMBA Student (Class of 2010)

Papers are written, tests are taken, and now it’s down to one final assignment – the Capstone presentation.  It has been an extremely interesting time working on this project.  Not only was it a chance for us to showcase the skills we’ve developed over the entire program, it was also an opportunity for those of us who have never ventured into the entrepreneurial world to see what it’s like to enter and compete in the marketplace.

This year’s capstone projects were a bit different from those in previous years.  In addition to the projects selected from the University’s portfolio of patents, students had the opportunity to either work with “Entrepreneurs in Residence” on their projects; continue to develop the projects they began in the previous quarter’s Entrepreneurship class; or as in our case, work on a commercialization project from an ongoing venture.

As fascinating and informative as the lecture cases have been, they pale in comparison to actually seeing up close and personal the challenges and struggles a young company goes through.  It takes a certain personality to persevere in this environment, and Sir/Madam I salute you for your effort!  In the short amount of time we had to work on this project, we were only able to outline the barest sketch of a commercialization path and plan for this company, but our efforts were appreciated and I know I’ll be watching with interest to see how this venture plays out over time.

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Graduation & Reflection

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Hani Rachidi, TMMBA Student (Class of 2010)

A fantastic program coming to a fantastic ending. The TMMBA graduation is going to be held on Monday, June 7th alongside the Executive MBA program. With graduation comes a time of reflection on the program. What do I know now that I wish I knew before enrolling in the program? Top 3 priority order:

  1. Intensity of the program and time demands.We were informed that it would be a considerable time commitment but before actually experiencing it how would you understand. I thought, hey, two nights a week (class, review) would add five hours to my life. I even thought about outside reading and team meetings and said to myself oh that would add potentially five more hours to my week, ok. Then I thought about that every other Saturday the entire day was occupied, another 4hrs avg per week. So, okay that’s on average 14hrs additional work per work. Even if it was that low on some weeks, that’s a lot of time!!
  2. It’s about the People. The most important aspect of the program is the class mates and more specifically your 4 to 6 person team. This aspect of the program is a make or break. I am fortunate to have had a stellar team comprised of a diverse background from Liberal Arts, Business and Engineering. The diversity of perspectives is key. We also had complementary skills of which creative and analytical stand out. The faculty overall is extremely solid but there are  few professors that missed the mark and I know the administration is receptive to our feedback.
  3. Value.  While I have a high financial burden of paying for the program I do so considering the time, dollar investment against both qualitative and salary returns. What I know now is that I can knock on more doors and most of them will open. For example, my goal is to work on product marketing so as I approach leaders in the space I am confident that I can not only hold a conversation with them but also I can add value to their organizations. I’ll take a line from Dr. Lee Hartwell, the Nobel Laureate at Fred Hutchinson, who once related a story about his graduate work at MIT – “I asked a distinguished professor, why do you like to spend so much time with me, afterall you know so much and I am still learning so much. The professor replied, ‘Well I have the answers, but you son, have all the questions!’.  As a fresh MBA graduate I am a strong asset to any organization because  I have a lot of insightful questions and a high curiosity. The TMMBA program not only prepares you with the set of frameworks to make tough business decisions but also instills the inquisitiveness and curiosity to ask the critical questions of yourself as a leader and of your strategy as a business be it operational (supply chain), financial (accounting), organizational (management), or marketing.

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Business Plan Competition Takeaways

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Hani Rachidi, TMMBA Student (Class of 2010)

Last week during the final rounds of the business plan competition we saw a very strong pool of finalists. The diversity of ideas was awesome – from an assisted walking mechanism to green bricks. The winner, Yongopal offers a compelling platform for ESL conversations between South Korean students and US college students. While our team, TrueLight, made it to the sweet sixteen we did not advance to the final six. Some key lessons learned though are useful for any would be contestants or budding entrepreneurs.

  1. Secure IP by either an Option or License
  2. If you are not the inventor have the inventor on your board and with you in the competition
  3. Have a beta product/prototype at the least.
  4. If there’s an elephant in the room (meaning a big assumption or barrier to your success) expose it and deal with it strongly
  5. Have an advisory board that has some clout

And lastly, bring viral passion to the presentation.

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