BigCo Studio

About This Course

Successfully innovating inside of a large company takes a new set of skills. In BigCo Studio, you will learn how to build products in a complex environment at scale and navigate business development, M&A, and other corporate activities to drive strategic initiatives within large companies. Working in teams, you’ll be matched with a C-suite or VP advisor from a real BigCo to research, prototype, and present a new product that helps the company achieve its mission. (Note: Product Studio is a prerequisite for this course.)

How It Works

1. Assemble your team. You and your classmates will find peers with complementary skill sets and shared passions, then self-organize into teams of four to eight people.
2. Match with a company. Early in the semester, you will hear directly from our BigCo partner companies about their vision and mission. We will then match student teams with companies using Cornell Tech’s Dreamteam algorithm.
3. Build from within. Your team will work with a Company Advisor at the C-Suite or VP level to research the business and industry, talk to company stakeholders, and build a disruptive and innovative solution that helps the company achieve its mission.
4. Work smarter. To accelerate your business development progress, you’ll participate in Maker Days with your teammates and company stakeholders. Your company advisor will provide practical feedback and instruction, encourage weekly progress, and help address any challenges your team is facing.
5. Leverage lessons learned. Your instructor, Gautam Ahuja, who serves as the Eleanora and George Landew Professor of Management and professor of management and organizations at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, will share more than 50 years of his combined experience in building products for complex orgs.
6. Present your product. At the end of the semester, your team will present and demo your new product to your Company Advisor and other stakeholders.
7. Take it with you. The primary goal of BigCo Studio is to provide you with skills and experience to build products at a big company. You will also get to hone your teamwork and leadership skills and build a network within the fast-moving New York business community.

For Companies

Apply Now