Data Intrapreneurship in Action course: companies and students working together on new business opportunities.

The Data Intrapreneurship in Action course offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of intrapreneurship, where innovation takes center stage within established companies. This hands-on experience invites students of the Master’s program to collaborate closely with industry partners like Kraft Heinz, Jajo, and Holland Food Group, using real-world data to develop practical solutions that drive business growth.

Starting a new Intraprenerial journey 

Structured to mimic the entrepreneurial journey within a corporate setting, the course equips students with essential skills for success in today’s dynamic business landscape. With guidance from academic coaches and industrial partners, students start a journey to identify market opportunities, build business models, and create proof-of-concept solutions driven by data insights. The professor giving the course, Plato Leung, says: “At the heart of our challenge-based Master’s program, the ‘In-Action’ courses empower students to bridge theory and practice, positioning them as entrepreneurs, consultants, and intrapreneurs. Among these, the ‘Data Intrapreneurship in Action’ course offers students the chance to work as a team of intrapreneurs to tackle real business challenges with innovative, data-driven solutions. This hands-on experience not only equips them with practical skills but also prepares them to drive impactful change in the business world.” 

Partnerships and challenges

Three companies participated in this hands-on experience, presenting unique challenges for students to tackle. Divided into teams, students collaborated to devise innovative solutions aimed at delivering tangible value to Kraft Heinz, Jajo, and Holland Food Group using provided datasets.

Winning Solutions

One winning team, led by Thimo van der Linden, partnered with Jajo, a construction company venturing into data integration. Their solution involved merging ERP and financial datasets to gain insights into project costs, leading to the development of an interactive dashboard that empowered Jajo to optimize resource allocation. Reflecting on their success, Thimo shared, “Winning was a nice appreciation for the work we put into the project. Even though the other groups were also very creative with their projects, we focused more on finding an implementable project instead of the most creative one, and that was probably what Jajo liked about it.”

Another winning team, led by Anna Charalambous, collaborated with Holland Food Group to enhance their data utilization capabilities. Their solution focused on predicting optimal restocking quantities using weather, holiday, and sales data, resulting in predictive models and a prototype dashboard that optimized inventory management and provided valuable insights for strategic decision-making. Anna expressed, “It was a real surprise, but of course, it is amazing to win. It made us feel more confident in our abilities as data scientists and intrapreneurs, and also showed us that we have what it takes to do well in the real world.”

Positive Feedback and impact

Feedback from the companies was overwhelmingly positive, with both Jajo and Holland Food Group expressing appreciation for the students’ fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. According to Holland Food Group “Working with the vibrant students of JADS has been a fantastic experience for our company. Their energetic approach, coupled with fresh ideas and boundless curiosity, allows us to tackle challenges from a fresh perspective. The outcome is an array of inspiring ideas aimed at addressing various hurdles.”

Jajo echoed this sentiment, stating, “The 4 groups of students gave Jajo a new insight into how to use the combination of our ERP and BIM datasets. The fact that they had conversations with professionals within our company and from our peers helped them, and us, to create valuable solutions. Working together with students gave us the energy to look beyond the grind of the day into the future. It created a buzz within our company for further investigations on the solutions offered.”

The power of collaboration

The Data Intrapreneurship in Action course exemplifies the power of collaboration between academia and industry in fostering innovation and driving meaningful change. Through hands-on experiences like these, students gain valuable skills and insights while making tangible contributions to the companies they partner with, creating a mutually beneficial scenario for all stakeholders involved.

Do you want to participate to the next edition of Data Entrepreneurship in Action starting in September? Reach out to us  via business@jads.nl