Industry Experience in the Classroom: Business Analytics Students Tackle Capstone with Precisely

After months of poring over data sets, analytical minds convened to discuss what this information means. How could it drive actionable goals for a company?

They discussed risk analysis of wildfires for insurance. They looked into customer segmentation to identify new telecom markets. Leaders in the field provided insight.

This meeting had the makings of a strategy session plotting the future for a business. However, it wasn’t happening in a boardroom.

Students working toward a Master of Science in Business Analytics completed a capstone project that took their statistical and programming know-how and created real-world solutions.

This capstone, which previously involved companies like PwC, Johnson & Johnson and American Century Investments, was a partnership with Precisely, a global leader in data integrity.

“This is an incredible opportunity for students to prepare themselves for the industry,” said Simon Spavound, PhD, assistant clinical professor of decision sciences and former head of data science at U.K.-based AI company Peak.

“Coming at the end of their LeBow studies, students take what they’ve learned on the academic side and apply it to real-world data sets. They can take data that may look messy or unclear and explore it, which sets them up for similar situations in the workforce.”

The course featured two sections, one focused on insurance led by Spavound and the other on telecommunications led by Hande Benson, PhD, professor of decision sciences and MIS.

While there is a general framework for the capstone, it also has an open-ended component that allows students to explore modeling techniques and analytical interests that are most applicable to their future career goals.

“I focused on location intelligence, which isn’t just limited to the telecom industry. It’s knowledge I can replicate in other areas, like delivery apps,” said Aayushi Marathe ’25. “This is something I can take forward with me.”

Precisely provided key data from its own collection for the students and introduced them to a variety of tools, while also walking these budding professionals through any questions or hiccups.

“We learned about using different APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) like Postman and got the opportunity to use programming languages like Python very intensively,” said Gurpreet Singh Chandok ’25. “When we look for jobs, having practical experience with these tools will put us in a much better position.”

The capstone culminated in a presentation to Precisely leaders, with students pairing in groups to tackle different areas of the project.

“I am incredibly impressed by the students at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business and their ability to quickly grasp the critical business applications of location data in industries like telecommunications and insurance,” said Dan Adams, executive vice president and general manager of data at Precisely.

“It was inspiring to engage with the students and rewarding to provide software, data, and skills they may someday leverage in their professional careers, including the Precisely Data Integrity Suite, Geo Addressing API, and enrichment datasets.”

Experience throughout the project provided students with the tools to succeed in the workforce. The feedback from Precisely, however, has the potential to leave a lasting impact in their careers.

“Before heading into our careers, this project with Precisely really gave us the opportunity to show what we can do,” said Rishika Lall ’25. “They provided a lot of guidance and really helped us address any challenges.”