Advancing Society through Converging Entrepreneurship and Research: IE School of Science and Technology's Impactful Capstone Projects

Upon approaching graduation, capstone projects become the ultimate showcase of students' ingenuity and determination to drive positive change in the world. At the School of Science and Technology, students transcend the boundaries of conventional education, by tackling pressing issues ranging from sustainability in the fashion industry to social accountability.

The project testifies to the Sci-Tech school’s commitment to break silos by fostering an environment where entrepreneurship, research and societal impact converge. Students pursuing the Bachelor in Data and Business Analytics are required to present a capstone project to complete the undergraduate education.

“This is a great opportunity to bridge their knowledge to the real world, where the objectives and way of work are often more open-ended than in the classroom,” said Data Science Professor Rafael Ballester Ripoll.

Here are two capstone projects that stood out this year:

Sustainability in the Fashion Industry by Guia Quagini

For her capstone project, Guia decided to leverage open-source data to develop better sustainable practices in the fashion industry without affecting profitability. She said she was drawn to the idea because of the detrimental impact that the textile industry has on the environment as the fourth most polluting industry. She believes there is an opportunity to further limit emissions by using open source data to optimize the fashion industry.

She said she learned the to merge the information retrieved from collaborative open data platforms, together with financial and sustainability reports in order to gain insight and increase the body of knowledge surrounding sustainable practices in the industry.

Having studied in various academic institutions in Verona, London, Madrid, and New York, Guia said she has a deep appreciation for diversity and recognized the transformative power of data in addressing real-world challenges.

“My educational background gave me valuable knowledge both in the field of Data Analysis and Environmental Sustainability, which led me to the idea of my capstone project,” she said.

Kudo - Development of a Social Accountability Platform by Quan Tran Minh

For his capstone project, Quan developed a business model for an app that transforms friendships into sources of motivation through accountability partnerships. 

Quan utilized his knowledge from database and project management classes to tackle the project. He encourages others to see the capstone as an opportunity for exploration and advises dedicating time to something genuinely intriguing. 

Quan's credits his success to a passion-driven approach. 

“Take the time to think about something you’d like dedicating 30 credits to. That might be one of the proposed topics, but don’t limit yourself to that. Do your thing, even if at first it has no relation with your field of study,” he said. “Then reach out to someone who’s excited to offer you guidance on the matter. Ultimately you’ll get more satisfaction and energy from pursuing something that genuinely interests you.”