Bridging Academia and Industry: MSBA Students Showcase Data-Informed Solutions at Data Nexus 2025

At the core of the Tepper School’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program lies the capstone project, a defining experience that transforms classroom knowledge into real-world impact. Throughout the Spring semester, MSBA students took on this challenge, diving into an immersive, hands-on journey that bridged cutting-edge academic learning with the dynamic demands of industry.

The capstone experience offers practical experience, professional development, and recruiting opportunities. Students leave with robust portfolios and valuable connections, while companies gain fresh insights and access to rising talent.

“The educational mission of the Tepper School's MSBA program is to cultivate top-tier business analytics professionals who are equipped with deep analytics skills, business knowledge, and the ability to identify and solve problems,” said Kathleen Conway, Executive Director, MSBA and MSM Programs. “The capstone course plays an important role in this mission, and the real-world experience MSBA students gain through these projects positions them to hit the ground running in their post-Tepper School careers.”

The experience began with a kickoff meeting earlier this year, where students from 29 teams were introduced to their industry partners: companies that posed real-world business challenges and collaborated closely with teams throughout the project. These partnerships allowed students to apply the full breadth of their MSBA curriculum learnings, including programming, statistics, machine learning, and data visualization. The end goal was to dissect complex problems and deliver actionable insights.

“I've had internships in the past, but I've really enjoyed the capstone. I think it's a great way to apply some of what you're learning in school in a real-world project, while also having support from the faculty,” said Trey Vasiliadis, MSBA student and Nexus showcase participant. “It's provided me with a lot of context that I can use in interviews going forward.”

Working under the guidance of Tepper School faculty and dedicated company liaisons, students experienced a semester of experiential learning where students learned to ask bigger questions and frame problems. Structured milestones, including mid-term and final presentations, offered valuable checkpoints and professional feedback, shaping both the success of the projects and the growth of each student.

“Working with Tepper School MSBAs has been a great way for us to keep our edge. The students, both full-time and part-time, bring the latest techniques as well as a fresh perspective and enthusiasm to push the envelope on the projects they do with us,” said David Radin, CEO of Confirmed. “They’re a catalyst for us to use best practices and help us see our own challenges with a new set of eyes.”

On April 11, the MSBA cohort gathered in the Masters Commons for the second annual Data Nexus, a capstone showcase and networking event designed to connect students, faculty, and industry leaders. The day served as a dynamic conclusion to the capstone experience, giving students a platform to present their work and demonstrate their ability to translate technical insights into business-ready strategies.

The capstone event kicked off with presentations from three standout student teams, each delivering sharp, engaging overviews of their innovative projects and strategic recommendations.

• Team 1 – Mapping the Future of Transportation Patents: Focusing on the transportation industry, Avani Appalla, Leonard Shi, Michelle Shih, and Zehua Liu unveiled an LLM-based patent applications mapping system. Their project demonstrated how large language models can streamline processes between researchers and investors.
   
• Team 2 – Smarter Investing with AI: In the financial sector, Rachel Chen, Rachit Nigam, Renisa Mukherjee, and Ananya Kulkarni introduced an AI-powered investment dashboard. Designed to assist financial analysts and investors, the tool leverages AI to surface real-time insights and optimize portfolio decisions.
   
• Team 3 – Revolutionizing Freight Invoicing Accuracy: Keeyeon Choi, Harshwardhan Sinha, Ayesha Mahmood, and Jesse Pan tackled a key challenge in transportation and logistics with their project: Optimizing Freight Invoicing Accuracy with Predictive Analysis. Their solution uses data-informed models to improve the invoice reconciliation process and enhance operational efficiency.

These student-led projects highlighted the powerful intersection of AI, analytics, and real-world problem solving, setting a high bar for innovation and impact. The formal presentations were followed by a poster session, enabling deeper discussions with faculty, peers, and company mentors.

Attending Data Nexus was an inspiring experience for Project Geminae. The quality and creativity of the student work were remarkable, and it truly demonstrated how blending data-driven insight with real-world problem-solving can produce industry-ready innovations,” said Lewis Matthews, CEO of Project Geminae. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration as a capstone project partner and contributing to Tepper’s dynamic learning environment.”

The day concluded with a career fair organized by the Tepper Masters Career Center, offering students the opportunity to engage directly with industry professionals, explore potential career paths, and further refine their professional narratives. Students practiced their networking skills, shared résumés, and gained valuable insights into the expectations of various industries. The career fair featured a diverse array of participating companies, representing sectors such as technology, finance, healthcare, engineering, and more.

With projects that address real organizational pain points and industry partners eager to engage, the MSBA capstone continues to exemplify the Tepper School’s commitment to shaping innovative, data-informed leaders.

“When I was first looking at different schools to find an MSBA program, I found that a lot of them were either too technical or too business-focused,” said Deepsikha Das, MSBA student and Nexus showcase participant. “Carnegie Mellon's curriculum was one of the few that was very well-balanced. I've gotten to connect to people from all over the world. It has been a really great experience.”

As the 2025 graduates prepare to enter the workforce, they carry a capstone experience that mirrors the complexities and collaborations of the modern business world.