This just in from Budapest: Ashley Ross, MBA’14, tells us how her team is doing on their consulting project with a Hungarian startup that wants to expand  to the U.S. Ashley’s team mates include: Mark Gillis, MBA’14, Shannon Howell and Thomas Kearney, both BSBA’14.

After a hectic week of finals, numerous flight delays, and multiple lost bags we finally arrived on Sunday, May 12th in Budapest, Hungary for an exciting week working for GPS Tuner as part of the Venture Advising Course offered through Olin’s Entrepreneurship Program.

GPS Tuner is a software company focused on developing outdoor navigation software. The company currently has a strong presence in Eastern Europe and has experienced exponential growth in recent years. The company would like to continue this trend by entering the US navigation market and has requested our assistance in developing a strategy.

We have been asked to provide a detailed analysis of the potential US market for GPS Tuner and a marketing plan for gaining share in the attractive market segments.

This unique program has provided us with the fun opportunity to deliver real business value while being able to learn about various emerging businesses in the Hungarian economy.

We had a great time getting to know the CEO of GPS Tuner and have been able to work on-site at the company’s office all week.

As an introduction to our week we also got to meet the managing partner of Oriens, the merchant bank we are working through. He provided us with detailed information on Hungarian history as well as how businesses operate in Hungary. It has been an invaluable experience to learn about the economic climate here in Hungary, which we can compare with our experience in the US and approach new business problems with a broader perspective.

Thanks to Marcus Theodore, MBA’14, for the great group photo on the Chain Bridge with the Buda Castle in the background on the banks of the Danube.