Since the fall, there has been a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity, said Amanda Mukengeshayi Brown, UTSA School of Data Science manager of strategic initiatives and competition organizer.

Out of several submissions, the six teams competing in the competition’s final round are from UTSA, UT Health San Antonio, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Rochester. The majority of the business plans submitted by the finalists center around data science in health care, but there are business plans that address housing and human resources as well. Brown said the applications were judged based on the feasibility of the concept behind each proposed business plan.

“In the initial stage we looked at the idea,” she explained. “Is this something that makes sense? Is it competitive? Is there a business out there that already exists and is doing the same thing? If so, that tells us the team hasn’t done their industry analysis. We’re focused on the business idea itself and how data science plays a role in it.”

For the final competition, however, Brown said a new panel of judges will be making their decisions on the innovation demonstrated by each team, the feasibility of their plan and how well the competitors are able to market their ideas.

“I cannot wait to see what this looks like. This is huge for UTSA and solidifies our reputation for what we’re trying to achieve as a Tier One research university,” said Brown.