How is a presidential election like a startup?

This election season, some WashU undergraduates have been viewing the presidential race through a unique lens – how the candidates’ campaigns are similar to business startups.

The class is “The Business of Elections,” co-taught by Olin’s Steven Malter, professor of practice in management and entrepreneurship, and political science professor Andrew Reeves. It’s part of WashU’s Beyond Boundaries program, which takes a multidisciplinary approach to big societal issues.

It’s the second presidential election in which Malter and Reeves have engaged students to follow the races in real time, exploring how they use tools from the world of business – data mining, A/B testing, brand development, etc. – to promote a candidate instead of a product.

It’s great when you can use a case from 2004 because you know how it turns out. But using a live case study is a little bit of a choose-your-own-adventure based on the current events. I think that’s what really excites Professor Reeves and myself about this course.

—Steven Malter

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