“Out of this World” Consulting Experience
The Global Consulting Project is one of the hallmark projects as an MBA student in the Kogod School of Business. For an entire semester, students are placed in a group with other members of your cohort and work in a consulting capacity for real international businesses in order to solve an issue that the company may be facing.
When my team was assigned to consult for Satellite Applications (SA) Catapult we were given only a seven-word prompt to describe the journey we were about to embark on “Feasibility analysis of commercial production in space.” “Space?” I asked myself. “Like, outer space? Commercial production in space? Like manufacturing stuff for sale in space? Um, I’m having enough trouble trying to study finance, now I have to learn about space stuff… the great unknown?” It was overwhelming, but we had to start somewhere.
That initial step was to talk to SA Catapult and figure out who they are and what they expected from us. We quickly learned that SA Catapult is one of nine technology centers established by the United Kingdom to help facilitate economic growth through various industries. SA Catapult’s mission is to contribute to the UK’s Space Agency’s goal of capturing 10% of the global space market. To do so, they will provide government funding to new innovations and endeavors in the UK that focus on space and satellite operations.
“Ok, but how can I help your business? I don't know anything about space!?"
We connected with Michael Curtis-Rouse, the Head of Manufacturing for Space at SA Catapult and our main point of contact for the project. He explained to us the various experiments taking place on the International Space Station and noted that because of the environmental elements of microgravity found in space, there’s a benefit to producing certain items in space rather than here on earth.
The objective now became clear: is there a business model for a product that can be manufactured in space, returned to Earth, and be sold for great profits?
We explored a slew of options: solar panels, pharmaceutics, and medical devices among others. However, one product stood above the rest - a fiber optic cable called ZBLAN, that although can be manufactured on earth, its full capabilities can only be realized when produced in space. We started scouring the internet, reading anything and everything we could find about their product and analyze their company in every aspect we could. Let’s get to work.
One month later - COVID-19 hits Washington, D.C.
As the positive cases begin to rise and AU transitions to online learning, we realize that traveling to the UK isn't going to be an option this year and transitioned our presentation to a virtual format.
On the day of our presentation, we were no longer a group of MBA student-consultants, we were now the knowledgeable consultants our client expected, and most importantly, needed us to be. When it was all said and done, our client was thrilled with our findings, even telling us that our presentation “was the best they’ve ever seen on the subject.”
This project taught me so many things, but the most important thing I learned was with enough hard work, there isn't a subject that can’t be tackled by students who work hard, work together, and work towards a common goal. Believe me, it was a lot of hard work but now reflecting back on it, it was one of the best parts of the MBA program.
- Kevin Gold, MBA ‘21
Real Estate Certificate | Data Analytics Certificate
