Startup Virginia transforms class assignment into passion project
An assignment in VCU’s Executive MBA program led to a startup idea — and then landed the students in one of Richmond’s top incubators.
By Susie Burtch
Startup Virginia is a nonprofit incubator designed to help entrepreneurs and innovators “empower the startup journey… from potential to progress.”
A team of six Executive MBA (EMBA) students at VCU is committed to launching their new, life-saving product — a unique epinephrine pen carrying case and accompanying phone app.
When the incubator and the team came together in January of 2025, they made history. “This EMBA team is the first from VCU to apply and be accepted by Startup Virginia,” says adjunct instructor, entrepreneur mentor Steve Dash.
The Idea — Roman Helms.
“My son has a life-threatening reaction to sesame. But it’s hard to get a teenager to carry an EpiPen. It’s not convenient, not cool. The one time he forgot it, he ate a breakfast bar and ended up in the hospital. He nearly died.” The team was swayed by Helms’ story — the chance to solve a potentially deadly problem with a new approach. They voted to make their required second-year EMBA project an easy-to carry, next generation, smart EpiPen case. Then they added an integrated app with features to help manage severe allergies more safely and more efficiently.
The Team — Afrah Maqsher.
Coincidentally, Maqsher herself carries an epipen for a rare exercise-induced anaphylaxis. “But because of our backgrounds,” she said, “the six of us make a great team. Roman and I have personal experience. But aside from that, he is a patent lawyer and I’m in healthcare IT. Jeremiah has EMS experience. Molly has financial expertise, Nate is good with management and Don has run a business as an entrepreneur. We feed off each other’s energy and ideas. We all bring different backgrounds and viewpoints.”
The Publicity — Molly Bates.
The team was first motivated by Molly’s early post on LinkedIn. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to respond,” she relates, “but right away we heard back from a company that makes the epinephrine medication used to relieve severe allergic reactions. It ignited our energy, so then I reached out to Startup Virginia. Turns out applications were due just a few weeks later. I think it was all in the timing. The idea just snowballed from there. I love that we took a chance on taking an in-class project and making it real.”
The EMBA — Don Walker.
“I spent 12 years in insurance, but my father wanted me to work in the family business of storage units. It was Dad’s idea I get a master’s to help switch gears. I’ve already applied a lot of our classwork to my day-to-day. And though none of us on the team has similar backgrounds, we’ve all learned new skills. We all have our pieces, whenever assignments are due. Divide and conquer. The degree work makes us come together as a team, and we learn a lot from each other.”
The Process — Jeremiah Scott.
“Our challenge was to be creative and disrupt the market. I was familiar with SWOT (strength; weakness; opportunity; threat) but TOWS — SWOT backwards — was an extra layer of analysis they taught us to use in building an action plan. While it was the entire program that helped me rethink what success looks like, I found this tool especially valuable. And the process helped us engage in a new way. An EMBA assignment idea that could be life-changing was really intriguing to me, and worthwhile.”
The Future — Nathan Rice.
“We all graduate this May, so we’ll have to see how things develop from here. I believe this could become a viable product. I really hope so. We’ve had good feedback and there’s nothing like it out there now.” Next step: Idea Factory, a Startup Virginia program teaching “insights, not assumptions,” has accepted the VCU team to test the waters. “How far we can take it is not determined yet,” said Rice. “We have time.”
Another EMBA adjunct instructor, banker mentor Tim Robinson sums it up neatly. “This is an educational exercise, but to actually go for it is rare. I’ve seen a lot of good ideas over the years,” he said. “But for these students to decide to see if it has any actual legs, that’s unique. The whole point of education is to light a fire, to find your passion in life. It’s really neat that the program has this element of self-discovery, and this team has decided to push on.”
Categories EMBA-news, News