Spider Business Hub
Spider Business Hub: Community-based Learning & Research
What is Spider Business Hub?
Spider Business Hub at the Robins School of Business brings business students together with organizations in the Richmond area and beyond to develop business solutions. Through project-based learning, students build client relationship skills and apply the concepts learned in their business coursework to real-world problems. Students also gain resume-worthy experience in their field of study without committing to a long-term job or internship.
Clients have the opportunity to partner with skilled business students, free of charge. Students are guided by UR professors, so clients also benefit from deep expertise in the relevant subject area.
What types of projects are available?
Course Engagements
Have a big question that needs to be answered? Are you hoping to get as many minds on this problem as possible? A course engagement involves integrating your project into a relevant Robins School of Business course and working with the professor to ensure that the project will assist in meeting course learning goals.
For example, our Principles of Marketing course regularly collaborates with organizations on strategic questions, such as should we reposition our brand? What product offering has the greatest chance of success? These course-based projects may involve a few student teams or as many as 200 students working on your project.
Individual Projects
Need help with social media strategy? Haven’t had time to develop a pitch deck for your new idea? Individual engagements involve pairing your business with an individual student or small team. These engagements are typically more tactical in nature: there is a key deliverable needed.
Some examples may include:
- Setting up social media pages
- Developing a content strategy
- Planning an event
- Conducting market entry research
- Gathering consumer data
- Analyzing existing data
- Data reporting & visualization
- Capital budgeting & financial analysis
Faculty Research
Are you interested in collaborating with one of our faculty experts? Our faculty scholars study a variety of research areas that may be of interest. We hope to engage in win-win projects, where the organization benefits from the scholarly skill in addressing a business question, while the faculty member benefits from access to a real organization as they validate new academic thought. Some examples may include data sharing and analysis, case analysis, etc.
Students
Please email the Faculty Director (skhanson@richmond.edu) to express interest and learn about project opportunities.
Clients
Are you interested in participating in an upcoming project? Complete the form below and we will reach out to you.
What Students are Saying
"I was able to consult for a local business owner in the Richmond area. The experience was absolutely amazing as I had the chance to apply my knowledge and expertise to something very real. Not only did it improve my confidence in the skills I have been honing for the last four years, but I was able to help an entrepreneur navigate through a part of their business startup that they were having issues navigating alone." - Nick Ranieri, '22
"I loved that I was able to help a local business and provide any kind of help. Through the Spider Business Hub, I was able to have first-hand experience, form great relationships, and it helped me realize that I want to pursue a career in marketing." - Amy Jeon, '24
"Starting out with little experience, I was discovering new things about myself and how I can apply the knowledge that I have learned in my business classes to a real-life consulting project. I am so grateful for this experience as it gave me countless insights that I will take with me as I look to gain more work and internship experience. I would recommend participating in this clinic to any aspiring business student who is looking to gain more practice and guidance as they move forward in their business careers." - Natalie Corkran, '24
Previous Clients
