Rather than studying theoretical business models as usual, Dr. Chanchai Tangpong’s business class at North Dakota State University partnered with Emerging Prairie to use real Fargo startups for their capstone projects this year. The students teamed up to solve problems for two local groups: Girl Develop It and Fargo Game-Makers meetup.

Emerging Prairie co-founder Greg Tehven approached Dr. Tangpong with the idea just one week before his class started. Tangpong liked the idea, and with superhero speed he rewrote his entire curriculum. No big deal. (Maybe it’s because he’s also a champion ping-pong player…)

“I felt that it would be a good learning experience for students, and decided to go for it and restructure my course syllabus accordingly,” he said.

Girl Develop It Fargo, started by Shannon Wiedman and Megan Beck, and the Fargo Game-Makers group, started by Kyle Weik, both got their start last fall and are still in the growth stage. The students found that both these groups experience challenges such as membership, retaining members, scheduling, and lack of dedicated managers.

 

After speaking with the founders, the students developed a plan to solve their problems using specific examples from the resources that Emerging Prairie currently offers, or will offer through the Community Activities Office, a project currently in the works. The Community Activities Office plans to provide things like event-planning counsel, financial aid, and leadership training.

Three teams presented on each startup, and last Friday, June 12, the teams competed for some snazzy medals.

The teams were judged by Girl Develop It Fargo’s founders Wiedman and Beck, Dr. Tangpong, and Emerging Prairie Program Director Annie Wood. Despite there being only one winner, Wiedman and Beck agreed that hearing from each of the teams was very helpful.

“We are very busy with our jobs in addition to running a meetup, so it isn’t very often that we just get to talk about where we could use help,” Wiedman said. “The students were able to pinpoint areas where we could use some work and come up with ideas on how to solve them – now we just have to take action!”

She, Beck and Weik have already taken some action in response to one challenge noted by the students – getting more people involved. They are organizing a Tech Tailgate event, where all Fargo’s tech meet-ups can join up to learn more about each other. Learn more here!

Not only was it beneficial for the startup groups, but for the students as well.

“Working with real world startups was my favorite part of the class,” said Stephen Appel, a member of the winning team that worked with Fargo Game-Makers.

While creating theoretical solutions often leads to “regurgitating business concepts learned in class,” Appel said, “Working with these meetups, it felt like we were actually capable of providing important solutions.”

Tangpong said it was a learning experience for both he and for his students. The most interesting feedback he received, he said, is student’s thoughts on how management works in smaller settings.

“The students noted that they did not realize that small organizations/startups need a lot of management. It’s not that they were poorly managed. Rather, they were not adequately managed,” Tangpong said. “A typical entrepreneur may not agree with this observation, but I would concur with my students on this.”

Dr. Tangpong said he plans to do the same thing in the future for his summer courses.

“Several students commented afterward that this experience would have a lasting impact on their learning and development,” he said. “They also felt that they made a difference to others outside the class, which is a great plus.”

Photos courtesy of Dr. Tangpong.