At Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, students don’t just study artificial intelligence in the classroom. They build, test, and bring it to life.
Students in the Master of Science in Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence for Business program blend technical depth and business acumen to lead AI-driven transformations. The comprehensive AI-centered curriculum includes advanced courses to prepare students to confidently lead in today’s tech-driven world.
That spirit of innovation is reflected in the work of current Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence for Business student Tong Zeng, who developed VERA, a multi-modal AI judge. The tool was recently used at the Ward Infinity’s showcase and pitch competition held at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center.
What Is VERA?
VERA, or Venture Evaluation and Reasoning Agent, is far more than a text analyzer. Zeng designed it to judge startup pitches the way an experienced venture capitalist would, by combining what it sees, what it hears, and how the argument is structured.
Key capabilities of VERA:
- Multi-modal input: Ingests presentations, PDFs, audio of pitch deliveries, and a structured judging rubric
- Advanced reasoning: Uses state-of-the-art LLM reasoning with Whisper for reliable audio transcription
- Actionable outputs: Produces a detailed scorecard, a radar-chart visualization, and evidence-based feedback that explains the “why” behind every score
Why Is VERA Important For Students And Founders?
Students preparing for case competitions frequently receive vague feedback, such as “good presentation.” This lack of clarity can be frustrating, offering no real guidance on updates or corrections. That’s where VERA comes in–addressing that gap between high-level generic praise and specific, actionable guidance. By analyzing visuals such as charts and UI mockups; evaluating delivery through clarity, pacing, and persuasion; and assessing business logic against a rubric, the system offers insights founders can use to iterate and improve.
Building VERA: Technical Rigor And Product Thinking
Zeng recognized that strong pitches are multidimensional, and sought an AI system that could mirror a human judge’s evaluative process. The project combined several elements taught and emphasized in the Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence curriculum:
- Machine learning and generative AI: Leveraging advanced LLMs for reasoning and natural language understanding
- Responsible AI and evaluation design: Tying model outputs to a formal rubric and producing explainable, evidence-backed feedback
- Systems design and deployment: Handling large files including 10MB PDFs and six-minute audio recordings without crashing required engineering tradeoffs, such as image compression, timeout handling, and fine-tuned performance optimizations
The project added to Zeng’s already demanding course load. But he says seeing VERA transform into a robust product capable of providing thoughtful analysis in a real-world competition was an incredibly rewarding experience. His defining moment of the entire project was watching VERA process large documents and long audio inputs reliably, producing a final PDF with a “potential concerns” section formatted and ready to share.
“My favorite part was fine-tuning the large model to adopt a specific professional persona. It was a fascinating challenge to adjust the model so it wouldn’t just give generic feedback, but actually ‘thought’ and reasoned like a rigorous investor using our specific rubric,” said Zeng. “I deeply enjoyed refining the visual scoring interface, transforming raw data into a polished, glowing diagram where the scores are dynamically positioned to ensure they are perfectly legible and aesthetically pleasing.”
Shaping The Next Generation Of AI Innovators
The program’s curriculum combines technical expertise with business decision-making. Core and elective courses such as Machine Learning: Design and Deployment, AI Essentials for Business, Generative AI, Human-AI Fusion for Business, and Responsible AI teach students how to design, build, deploy, and oversee AI initiatives end to end, ensuring they are both effective and responsibly managed. The program’s STEM designation and hands-on approach prepare students to create scalable solutions, while practical experiences like case competitions, the Student Startup Challenge, and Impact Sprints allow them to apply their knowledge in real-world settings.
“Our goal is to equip students not just to use AI, but to think critically about how it can be applied to solve complex business challenges,” says Academic Program Director Changmi Jung. “The curriculum is intentionally designed to future-proof students by providing a strong foundation in emerging technologies and skills needed to lead in an AI-driven world.”
And VERA exemplifies this approach, showing how students translate classroom learning into AI-driven tools that enhance decision-making, demonstrate multi-modal reasoning, prioritize productization, and provide explainable, actionable insights.
Learn More
If you’re considering how to deepen your AI and business skills, the full-time Master of Science in Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence for Business program is offered at Carey’s Washington, D.C. location, and the part-time program is offered online. The program includes hands-on courses in machine learning, generative AI, cloud computing, responsible AI, and more, and is designed to prepare you to lead AI-driven change across industries.
Connect with Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Admissions team to learn how you can build the next generation of AI tools.
Grounded in the Johns Hopkins legacy of excellence and research, we aren’t trapped by tradition. We’re inspired by it. At Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, we shape business leaders who seize opportunity, inspire change, and create lasting value. Whether full-time or part-time, in-person, online, or hybrid, our MBA and MS degrees in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are data driven, built to compete in the global marketplace. Our faculty are thought-leaders, trailblazing what’s next in the business world and in the classroom.
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