Sierra F
- Research Program Mentor
MBA candidate at Rice University
Expertise
Business development, sales, marketing, product management, cross-team communication, internet of things, B2B networking, business presentation building
Bio
Hello, I'm Sierra! I have spent my academic and professional career in the interconnected world of business. At St. Edward's University, I pursued my bachelor's in international business, focusing on marketing and global expansions. After spending a year in Innsbruck, Austria I began my 5-year career in open-source software with Canonical, the creators of the Ubuntu OS, doing business development and product revamps for data center and Internet of Things technology. Now at Rice University, my academic pursuits center around business consulting, corporate strategy, marketing, leadership and analytics. With a summer internship on the Product Marketing Manager team at Microsoft completed, I will be returning to Microsoft full time to complete a Product Marketing rotational program after graduation. I've loved and tried a lot of hobbies, but the ones that have stuck have been reading, baking sourdough breads, and pilates. When I'm not working, you can usually find me thrifting, visiting with friends, or traveling the world.Project ideas
Expanding a Tech Product into a New Country: A Market Entry Case Study
This project simulates how a technology company might expand into a new international market. The student will choose a real tech product (e.g., Spotify, Uber, Duolingo, Microsoft Teams) and evaluate whether it could succeed in a different country. The student will: Research the cultural, economic, and technological environment of the chosen country Identify risks, competitors, and customer needs Propose a basic market entry strategy (pricing, marketing, partnerships) Explain how cultural differences may require changes to the product or messaging The project ends with a short presentation recommending whether the company should enter the market and why.
How Technology Can Improve Learning: A Product Redesign Challenge
The goal of this project is to identify a problem central to the students own school experience and design a technology-based solution. They will act as “product managers” creating a new digital tool or improving an existing one. The student will: Interview classmates or teachers to identify a real learning challenge Define a user problem (e.g., organization, engagement, feedback, time management) Design a simple digital product concept (app, dashboard, or platform feature) Create a one-page product proposal explaining features, benefits, and impact The final deliverable includes mock screens, a powerpoint Product Manager style presentation and a short written explanation of how the product would improve student outcomes.
Building Successful Products
Want to figure out what your customers needs and wants are in a market segment? Start here with market research that stays central to the customer experience. Research shows customer centricity increases likelihood of adoption and stickiness of products. You don't want to just launch a product, you want users to use it for as long as possible. In this project you will learn who your ideal users are, what they care about most, what they hate about your competitors, and how to build products that stay relevant to your customer base.