Five Miami companies brought real-world business challenges to FIU Business graduate students – and left with actionable, AI-driven solutions.
As part of the capstone course in the AI cohort of the Master of Science in Information Systems program, student teams presented recommendations to company executives on issues ranging from pricing and inventory forecasting to identifying government contracting opportunities. The eight-week consulting projects, carried out during fall 2025, focused on developing practical product strategies powered by artificial intelligence.
The Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at FIU Business partnered with FIU Business faculty to connect five FSBDC clients with students. “It’s a great way to get students hands-on experience, and the businesses get game-changing ideas and applications,” said Brian Van Hook, regional director of the FSBDC at FIU Business.
One participating company was UltraChem/Ultra1Plus, an automotive lubricant manufacturer and distributor. CEO Carmine Colarusso asked students to create a dashboard tracking key financial indicators. “I came to the first session and was impressed,” he said. “They didn’t only go for what was asked. They went that extra mile.”
He plans to use the dashboard monthly. “Having a dashboard right in front of you, pulling numbers straight from the accounting system without having to call anybody, is a big, big help,” he said. “You can adjust your strategy and make decisions that are more focused on what you want to achieve, faster.”
The tool also helps flag risks earlier. “Sometimes we fall into the trap of wanting more revenue, more sales, but if you don’t have the margin, your cash flow is hurt and you’re actually putting the company at risk,” he said.
Partnering with AI-trained students was especially valuable for this small business. “I don’t have a big C-level team, but AI supplies that to me without the burden of hiring people at that level,” Colarusso said.
Executives at Grainman, a manufacturer of laboratory testing equipment for agriculture, also sought to implement AI. Students built a dashboard to identify government contracting opportunities. “It’s one of the things that’s been holding us back, so it’s going to streamline things for us quite a bit,” said CEO Eduardo Castellanos.
“The team knocked it out of the park!” Grainman COO Eric Schaub said. “They clearly understood our pain points and gave us a clear product we can use going forward.”
For students, the capstone ties the program together. MSIS AI cohort student Maria Alamilla and her team spent 454 hours developing a pricing engine for janitorial supplier Continental & Global Services.
“I think this class just wraps everything up really nicely,” she said. “You see what a company’s business problem is and how the things you’ve learned in class are actually applicable in the real world.”