Strategize, present, win: VCU Business students participate in sixth annual Business Analytics & AI Challenge

Sponsored by Altria and hosted by the VCU Departments of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management and Analytics, the competition challenged students to develop innovative business solutions for a chance to win up to $3,500.
By Sarah Murphy
Imagine presenting your classwork to a room full of corporate executives.
That’s exactly what VCU School of Business students had the opportunity to do on Friday, April 25, during the 2025 Business Analytics & AI Challenge. Sponsored by Altria and hosted by the VCU Departments of Supply Chain Management and Analytics and Information Systems, the event celebrated its sixth year by asking students to leverage analytics and AI to solve real-world business problems.
“This is the first year that we went with more of a pitch-style competition,” said Anthony Phelps, a 2018 VCU decision analytics graduate and now senior manager for technology transformation services at Altria. He also served as a student mentor throughout the competition. “We’re asking students real business questions, giving them the opportunity to build skills outside of a classroom setting. I think that kind of constant exposure through companies is incredibly important because academia isn’t the same as the real world.”
VCU students were given a generalized prompt with three questions to answer. A key consideration posed by Altria was how technology—particularly generative AI—could enhance the proposed solutions. The top three student teams took home prize money: $3,500 for first place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.
More than 160 students from all business backgrounds signed up for the semester-long challenge, forming 50 teams. Of those, 38 submitted final proposals. Altria’s judges selected three finalists to visit the company’s Richmond headquarters for a day of workshopping, networking and final presentations.
“We are so grateful for Altria’s partnership,” said Katybeth Lee, Ph.D., assistant dean of student success. “It is so valuable for our students to get to apply what they are learning in the classroom to these problems that simulate the real world. Guided by our partners here at Altria, this competition really helps our students connect the dots.”
Two groups shared their final work at Altria, each taking very different approaches.
Team 14—students Byron Aguirre-Zelaya (B.S. ’25), Carlos Cartagena (B.S. ’25), Michael Chen (B.S. ’25), Chris Combs (B.S. ’25) and Jaella Lahat (B.S. ’25)—took a deeply analytical approach. They recommended deploying a full suite of AI tools and introduced products they created: StrataOps (predictive maintenance), Acetrix (skills intelligence) and Workwise (forecasting engine and workload balancer).
“Coming here today was definitely a nerve-wracking experience,” said Lahat. “I think that the workshop starting off the day on CoPilot and Power BI definitely helped us settle in and calm nerves before the presentation. Everyone throughout the process—from both the VCU side and the Altria side—was extremely helpful. We were able to iterate a lot on our original ideas and reach maximum potential because of them. It’s definitely been a gratifying experience being here and getting to see our solutions come to life.”
Team 43, known as Catalyst Consulting—students Martina Demory (B.A.S. ’25), Kennedy McCalla (B.S. ’27), Aleena Milburn (B.S. ‘25) and Tiandra Threat (B.S. ’25)—focused more on market research and audience-tailored solutions. They developed personas to help better understand how AI could be utilized.
“I was a little intimidated in the beginning,” said Threat. “Just to be here at Altria today speaks to the quality of work our team can do. We’re doing Fortune 500-level work. This experience defeats any imposter syndrome I had before.”
Final-round judges included Ian Tyndall, managing director of digital strategy and innovation at Altria; Kevin Hazzard, senior manager of digital and technology at Altria; and Lee of VCU Business. A number of Altria executives and VCU faculty were also in attendance for the final presentations.
“I am always blown away by the ability of the students to present,” said Paul Brooks, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Information Systems. “They get this foundation early on in our Winning Presentations course, and today just really validates why we prioritize it.”
“I found today really challenging because public speaking is difficult,” said Milburn. “However, everyone from Altria made me feel really comfortable and asked questions that were phrased in a way that was inviting of a response. I am so appreciative of this opportunity.”
Team 14 was named the winner. Team 43 received second place and Team 47—students Wyatt Anderson (B.S. ’28), Sean Campbell (B.S. ’28) and Quinn Ha (B.S. ’25)—took third.
“Both teams came to the competition with amazing, very high-level presentations,” said Robert Clarkson, Ed.D., associate director for corporate engagement at VCU Business. “One presentation was more data-driven, while the other told a story and talked about practical solutions and risks. I think with the guidance of the VCU faculty and Altria, their game was elevated. Both could be winning solutions. Very impressive.”
VCU faculty member Joe Cipolla, Ph.D., who teaches INFO 320: Artificial Intelligence for Business Intelligence, incorporates the competition into his coursework.
“Both teams did a great job,” said Cipolla. “I’m proud of all of them.”
For more information, visit the VCU School of Business website.
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