Oregon Tech’s Business Team wins National Competition while promoting Innovative Medical Technology

Oregon Tech business students, Quinn Damitio, Jared McBride, Peter Simonsen and Tanner Karp, won a national business case study competition, taking them to the worldwide stage in April. The team developed a marketing strategy to help a startup company reach people in wheelchairs who could benefit from the company’s hands-free motorized wheelchair.

By Oregon Tech

A team of Oregon Institute of Technology, “Oregon Tech,” business students won a national business case study competition, taking them to the worldwide stage in April. The contest was designed for business students to work directly with a startup company to develop a solution addressing a real business challenge. 

 The contest featured a German MedTech company that developed the munevo DRIVE, a Smartglass application for controlling a motorized wheelchair with hands-free technology using head movements. The startup company challenged the teams to create a market strategy for the company’s entrance into US market. 

 The Oregon Tech team was comprised of four students: Quinn Damitio (senior, Operations Management), Tanner Karp (senior, Marketing), Jared McBride (senior, Business Management), and Peter Simonsen (junior, Marketing). They worked together to learn about the industry and develop a marketing strategy that would help this company reach people in wheelchairs who could benefit from the technology. 

Munevo’s founder, Claudiu Leverenz, stated, “The final results of the case have been exactly what we were looking for and will help us greatly in achieving our next steps of our market entry in the US. The students have raised the bar tremendously for future cases and projects.” 

Team member McBride noted, “Our team had a great experience working with an innovative company that is bound to succeed in the United States. This case competition was an amazing real-world experience that allowed us to apply our business and technology education. Winning this competition gave us a boost of confidence and an understanding of what future employers will expect.”

The team will be going on to complete in a global case study conference in Dallas in April. Jordan Levy, whose company CapSource designed the contest said, “The Oregon Tech team produced results that were extremely impressive. The students were well-researched, prepared, and professional. The most rewarding aspect of coordinating these types of collaborations for students is watching them hit it out of the park. I can’t wait to see how this team builds on their initial success this Spring when they compete in the ‘big leagues’ at the IACBE Live Case Competition, where they’ll be working on an up-to-date challenge featuring CoinSource, the world’s leader in Bitcoin ATMs.”

“Working on this project was such a great fit for the ‘hands-on’ approach we take at Oregon Tech,” notes team advisor, Professor Sharon Beaudry. “Business students at Oregon Tech often partner with engineers and health students to develop projects for our inventor contest and senior projects. This contest is another way for students to get a real-world experience.” 

Oregon Tech Business degrees include nine programs: Accounting, Business Management, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Health Care Management, Health Informatics, Marketing, Operations Management, and Technology & Management. These programs are offered at the Klamath Falls campus, and many are also offered at the Portland-Metro campus as well as online. To learn more, visit www.oit.edu/academics/degrees/business.