Preparing a Path to Lead, Student Explores Venture Development
Ryan Ott joined Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) earlier this year as a Student Entrepreneurial Fellow alongside three other students in a program designed to leverage their unique talents while giving each the invaluable opportunity to learn from TLA’s accomplished team members. These students have shown a deep commitment to advancing their education and professional skillset, both qualities which the program was formulated to foster.
Ott is an undergraduate student at the Eller College of Management where he is double majoring in Management Information Systems and Operations and Supply Chain Management, and he looks forward to complementing his education through the Student Entrepreneurial Fellow experience.
“I find intrigue in all facets of STEM, with a particular interest in information technology and the world of data,” Ott said. “Being challenged by my coursework and learning from accomplished faculty is why I applied to Eller.”
As a Fellow, he hopes to apply the top-rated education he is getting through his studies to real-world business scenarios. Apart from his excitement to complete his degree and begin his professional career, Ott is excited to have this opportunity to learn from the team of TLA commercialization and entrepreneurship experts while developing his own interests.
“I am excited to have been accepted to the Entrepreneurial Fellow Program,” he said, “a position where I could explore my long-term career choices while constantly learning about a broad range of new and emerging technologies.”
Recently, Ott was assigned to assist with Hipokratiz, LLC, a UArizona startup providing innovative video consultation services for dental practices, with cash flow modeling and forecasting. Tasks like these are allowing Ott and the other Fellows to dive deep into key processes that startups rely on to establish and maintain market viability. Throughout his time at TLA, Ott will continue to offer valuable services to our university startups and gain a keen understanding behind what it takes to launch a successful company.
He has been paired with Mentor-In-Residence and technology entrepreneur Barry Glick, incorporating his coursework in information technology to help launch innovative software technologies developed by the community of UArizona researchers and faculty.
Glick is the co-founder of MapQuest, a pioneering company which changed the way the world navigated, analyzed, and interacted with maps. He said he is excited to have the opportunity to pass on his wisdom and expertise to a new generation of leaders through the Student Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program.
“Working with Ryan has been a delight,” Glick said. “He has been providing our startup teams with a fresh perspective on everything from business models to logo designs and pitch decks.”
Ryan has been a valued resource for TLA startup teams, providing what Glick refers to as “boots-on-the-ground” support during the early stages of startup formation.
Glick’s excitement towards the Student Entrepreneurial Fellows program is telling of the value that it has brought to the organization as a whole, as well the opportunity for real world education it continues to present for our students.
Ott continues to explore potential career paths through his work assisting UArizona startups get off the ground. His studies in supply-chain and information sciences lend a valuable logistical perspective to TLA’s commercialization efforts as well as the opportunity for him to see first-hand how these skills may apply in the field.