Hopkins Consulting Agency
Encyclopedia
Hopkins Consulting Agency (HCA), formerly known as "Hopkins Technology Commercialization Agency" (HTCA), is an entirely student-run non-profit business and technology consulting company based at the Johns Hopkins University
Homewood Campus. HCA was founded in 2006 and provides technology commercialization services and business plan preparation services to universities, federal research labs, engineering firms, and independent entrepreneurs and inventors.
In 2008, under the leadership of former Enterprise Manager Riaz Virani the company began broadening its services to include business consulting and business plan preparation. In 2009, former Enterprise Manager Kieran Gupta continued to diversify the company's services and successfully re-branded the company as Hopkins Consulting Agency (HCA) to better represent the broad set of services now offered by the company. As a result of this diversification, by the middle of 2010 approximately half of HCA's business was in the form of business consulting and business plan preparation.
. The parent company is Hopkins Student Enterprises (HSE), a student group that resides within the Center for Leadership Education (CLE), a department under the Whiting School of Engineering
at Johns Hopkins University
.
1. Technology Commercialization Assessment Reports
2. Business Plans
HCA differentiates itself by providing a high-level of personalization and customization in its reports through constant communication with the client throughout the report-writing process. In addition, because the company maintains very low overhead costs and a full team of student employees, HCA has significantly lower expenses than other consulting firms and can thus charge clients at a steep discount rate.
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
Homewood Campus. HCA was founded in 2006 and provides technology commercialization services and business plan preparation services to universities, federal research labs, engineering firms, and independent entrepreneurs and inventors.
History
HCA was founded in 2006 by Alex Nisichenko, Johns Hopkins University 2007. The company was originally founded as Hopkins Technology Commercialization Agency (HTCA) and focused on preparing technology commercialization assessment reports for universities, federal research labs, and small engineering firms. At the time, the company was the nation's first entirely student-run technology commercialization agency.In 2008, under the leadership of former Enterprise Manager Riaz Virani the company began broadening its services to include business consulting and business plan preparation. In 2009, former Enterprise Manager Kieran Gupta continued to diversify the company's services and successfully re-branded the company as Hopkins Consulting Agency (HCA) to better represent the broad set of services now offered by the company. As a result of this diversification, by the middle of 2010 approximately half of HCA's business was in the form of business consulting and business plan preparation.
Company Structure
Hopkins Consulting Agency is directly affiliated with and owned by Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. The parent company is Hopkins Student Enterprises (HSE), a student group that resides within the Center for Leadership Education (CLE), a department under the Whiting School of Engineering
Whiting School of Engineering
The G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, is a division of the Johns Hopkins University located in the university's Homewood campus in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
Services
Hopkins Consulting Agency has two primary service offerings:1. Technology Commercialization Assessment Reports
- Comprehensive research and consulting reports designed to assist research labs, engineering firms, and private inventors make informed decisions about their intellectual propertyIntellectual propertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
.
2. Business Plans
- Complete reports for small businesses and entrepreneurs that can be used to support an existing company or assist in the acquisition of startup funding and grants.
HCA differentiates itself by providing a high-level of personalization and customization in its reports through constant communication with the client throughout the report-writing process. In addition, because the company maintains very low overhead costs and a full team of student employees, HCA has significantly lower expenses than other consulting firms and can thus charge clients at a steep discount rate.
Board of directors
Although Hopkins Consulting Agency is autonomously managed and operated by students, the company has a Board of Directors composed of full-time faculty and staff of The Johns Hopkins University. The primary function of the Board of Directors is to oversee operations of the company and provide advice on company direction and development.- Pam Arrington - Academic Program Coordinator, Center for Leadership Education. Pam coordinates payroll for all company employees.
- James Wells - Budget Analyst, Center for Leadership Education. James oversees the company budget and provides annual analysis reports detailing the current state of finances for the company.
- Prof. Lawrence Aronhime - Senior Lecturer, Center for Leadership Education. Prof. Aronhime leverages his years of experience in the management industry to advise on company direction, business practices, and marketing.
- Dr. Andrew Douglas - Vice Dean for Faculty, Whiting School of Engineering. Dr. Douglas helps to facilitate communications between the company and the Whiting School of Engineering.
Notable Clients
- The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI)
- The Whiting School of EngineeringWhiting School of EngineeringThe G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, is a division of the Johns Hopkins University located in the university's Homewood campus in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(WSE)
- The Applied Physics LaboratoryApplied Physics LaboratoryThe Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , located in Howard County, Maryland near Laurel and Columbia, is a not-for-profit, university-affiliated research center employing 4,500 people. APL is primarily a defense contractor. It serves as a technical resource for the Department of...
(APL)
- The United States Army Medical Research and Materiel CommandUnited States Army Medical Research and Materiel CommandThe United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is the United States Army's medical materiel developer, with responsibility for medical research, development, and acquisition and medical logistics management. The USAMRMC's expertise in these critical areas helps establish and maintain...
(USAMRMC)
- Center for Educational Resources (CER) at Johns Hopkins
Past Enterprise Managers
The following students of The Johns Hopkins University have served as Enterprise Manager of Hopkins Consulting Agency.| Term | Enterprise Manager | Significant Contributions | Future Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | Alex Nisichenko | Founded original Hopkins Technology Commercialization Agency | Research Assistant at the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab is an academic center located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Economics which is dedicated to evaluating the impact of anti-poverty programs through randomized controlled trials similar to those used in medical research... |
| 2006–2007 | Sudhir Khetan | Co-Founder | Researcher in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania |
| 2007–2008 | Andrew Boudreau | Member of founding team | Consultant at Invotex Group, Maryland First Financial Services Corp. |
| 2008–2009 | Riaz Virani | Diversified company's services | Analyst at Deloitte Consulting Firm |
| 2009–2010 | Kieran Gupta | Rebranded company as Hopkins Consulting Agency | Program Manager at Microsoft Business Division |
| 2010–2011 | Saumya Gurbani | Established relations with the Carey Business School; created the Consulting Seminar Series | -- |