Students in Virginia Tech’s Management Consulting & Analytics major partnered this semester with Terrace Networks, a venture capital-backed cybersecurity startup, to develop the company’s market entry, growth, and go-to-market strategy as part of their capstone consulting course.

The project gave students hands-on consulting experience while helping a real company prepare for its next phase of commercialization — a hallmark of experiential learning at the Pamplin College of Business.

Pictured are student consultants Leah Martins, Hamid Khan, James Ruggiero, Miles Lester, and Aida Mulugeta with Terrace Networks founder and CEO Eric Pauley.

The project carries added significance: Pauley will join Virginia Tech this fall as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, strengthening the connection between entrepreneurship, technology innovation, and experiential learning across the university.

The Management Consulting & Analytics capstone course is built around experiential learning rather than traditional lectures and exams. Students work directly with external clients, applying consulting, analytics, strategy, and communication skills to real business challenges.

Over the semester, the student consulting team conducted market and competitor analysis, assessed customer segments and growth opportunities, and delivered go-to-market recommendations to support Terrace Networks’ next phase of commercialization and growth.

“Working with Terrace Networks gave us the opportunity to apply everything we learned in strategy, analytics, and consulting to a real startup environment,” said James Ruggiero. “It challenged us to think like consultants and deliver recommendations that could create real business value.”

Leah Martins added, “One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was collaborating directly with an entrepreneur and future Virginia Tech professor who is actively building a technology company. It made the experience incredibly authentic and meaningful.”

For Pauley, the collaboration underscored the value Virginia Tech students bring to entrepreneurial ventures.

“The consulting team brought an outstanding mix of analytical thinking, professionalism, and strategic insight to the project. Their recommendations provided valuable outside perspectives as we continue preparing Terrace Networks for growth and market expansion.”

Projects like this show how Pamplin students gain hands-on consulting experience while helping organizations tackle real-world business challenges before graduation.