At Sage Corps, we’re lucky enough to work with amazing universities around the country. We create unique programs based on the goals of the school and our own expertise in experiential, global learning.
This spring, we worked with a group of talented Freshman at University of Illinois’ Grainger School of Engineering.
As Freshman, these students started their college careers in a time unlike any other before. The pandemic has highlighted the harsh reality of job insecurity, making many students question their future career plans and wondering if they would be prepared enough. Students, such as those who signed up for this course, decided to take action.
Students enrolled in a career development course taught by Grainger faculty while working in teams as consultants for a global startup. All students began the semester by completing hard-skill training modules in our student portal so that they hit the ground running with their assigned startup. Throughout the semester, Sage Corps hosted online events in which students met other program alumni and heard their stories about leveraging the unique global work experience into incredible full time jobs.
Students split into two different teams to consult on projects for a global startup.
Kibus Petcare
Kibus Petcare, a startup in Barcelona, Spain, built a device to feed your dog fresh, healthy food. The device stores, cooks, and dispenses food for your pet at set times throughout the day. Set it and forget it.Kibus tasked our students with the challenge of expanding their market presence by analyzing and improving current digital marketing efforts.
Specifically, students:
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Determined target audience and consumer profile
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Recommended channel strategy
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Analyzed current SEO and SEM efforts and make recommendations
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Established brand voice
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Created social media campaigns and collateral
Uptime Analytics
The second group worked with Uptime Analytics, based in Medellin, Colombia. Uptime Analytics leverages artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to help clients reduce energy consumption and anticipate failure of industrial equipment. Our students conducted market research for the US market and developed a go-to-market strategy for the US market.
Student deliverables for this project included:
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Competitive Analysis
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Potential Customer Interviews (product and problem validation)
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SWOT Analysis
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Defined target markets & target customers
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Identified channel opportunities
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Defined marketing strategy and budget
Student Learnings
Not only did students gain technical skills by completing these projects, they developed valuable soft skills that will impress future employers. This included team communication, cross-cultural collaboration, time management, and oral presentation experience.
Katherine, who worked on the Kibus Petcare project, shares:
“A challenge I faced was timing difficulties both between Spain and the U.S. and finding space in 3 student schedules. We overcame this by doing some work asynchronously and lots of communication.”
Especially as remote work establishes its permanence, virtual collaboration and managing time differences is an essential skill for young professionals.
Jonathan, from the Uptime Analytics team, says the program, “is not the same experience as most classes and you should give it your best effort.” While traditional courses empower you with knowledge and skills to apply to a real project in a few year, this course gives you the opportunity to actually apply that knowledge in real-time.
Through the professional events, students networked with Sage Corps alumni who went on after our program to work at companies such as Deloitte, PwC, JP Morgan, venture capital funds, and of course their own startups.
Our program with Grainger School of Engineering aims to bridge the gap between coursework and global experience. We look forward to working with future Grainger students, like Katherine, and are thrilled that we could play a small role in helping them gain work experience during the pandemic this past semester.
