Blog post by Natalia Sanchez (Industrial & Operations Engineering | Class of 2022) Interning at Shoptelligence in Ann Arbor Even though startups are considered high-risk jobs due to the lack of stableness that comes with the territory, there are many benefits from interning at them, and the experience can be worthwhile. Here are the top five benefits of interning at a startup that I see. There’s much to do and much to learn Given that a typical startup doesn’t have that many employees, there’s usually much to do and, as a byproduct, much to learn. Everyone who works there will wear many ha ..read more

Meet Brian Hayden, the entrepreneurial wizard and Lecturer at the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE). Brian’s journey into the world of entrepreneurship is a thrilling tale of chasing customer happiness, learning from failure, and turning a spark of an idea into a blazing success. From bussing tables to selling mortgages, Brian always had a knack for customer service. “Making the customer happy and getting paid for it is fun,” he quips. Fueled by the desire for efficiency and a bigger impact, Brian saw entrepreneurship as the perfect avenue to focus entirely on customers. “Having a boss and wor ..read more

Written by Nick Moroz, Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at the Center for Entrepreneurship Intro Each spring break, students in the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) and Perot Jain TechLab series of programs join CFE staff on excursions to the nation’s most robust startup ecosystems. This break, 30 students traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area for the Weather Underground Startup Trek (WUST trek) to experience the lauded Silicon Valley entrepreneurial ecosystem and some incredible startups changing the transportation, food, and aerospace industries. Day One After spending the previ ..read more

Written by Nick Moroz, Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at the Center for Entrepreneurship intro As part of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) and Perot Jain TechLab series of programs, student participants have the opportunity to join excursions to startup ecosystems across the country. The Northeast Entrepreneurship Startup Trek (NEXT trek) to Washington D.C., this spring break, took 25 students on a whirlwind tour of our nation’s capital and the entrepreneurial activity so intertwined with the public sector. Day One Students first met with U-M alum Donna Harris (MBA Strategy a ..read more

Written by Nick Moroz, Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at the CFE. Modeled after ABC’s famous Shark Tank, MPowered students conducted their own version of the pitch competition featuring a lineup of impressive student-led startup projects. With support from the CFE, MTank Director Samantha Jayasundera (Electrical Engineering ‘26) and her team executed the event first piloted by MPowered last year. The MTank team fielded more than 40 submissions from student teams, which were assessed the MTank student team. 11 semifinalists were then paired with six professional entrepreneurial mentors fr ..read more

Written by Christina Zerka, an ELP Student who attended the 2023 Seattle Trek. If you’re wondering why a Neuroscience, Biopsychology, and Cognition major like myself embarked on a space TREK, let me assure you it was one of the most unforgettable experiences during my time at the University of Michigan. I’ve always been captivated by the mysteries of space, even though my academic path didn’t lead me directly into the cosmos. But as they say, it’s vital to venture outside our comfort zones, and boy, did I take that to heart. In the words of the great Apollo 13 mission, “Houston, we have a prob ..read more

Get set for an exploration of the dynamic intersection between academia and entrepreneurship! Today, we’re shining a well-deserved spotlight on Alison Bailey, a lecturer with a flair for not just academics, but for shaping the very essence of entrepreneurship through her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Alison’s journey into the world of startups was like catching a wave of serendipity. It all kicked off with an invitation to a workshop panel at CFE for soon-to-graduate students. The mission? Get students familiar with the working world. Little did she know, this experienc ..read more

On February 2nd at the Michigan Union, eight finalist student teams competed for awards totaling $4,500 in the first-ever Generative AI Innovation Competition. The competition was inspired and initially supported by Marc Weiser, Managing Director of venture capital firm RPM Ventures, to challenge students to develop meaningful and commercializable products and services leveraging generative artificial intelligence (genAI). The Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) partnered with Information Technology Services (ITS) to host the event and provide student applicants with access to U-M’s leading genA ..read more

Picture this: In a seemingly ordinary campus classroom, twenty future trailblazers are diving headfirst into the heart of innovation. Hailing from schools all over campus, they work side by side with the defense and intelligence communities to tackle real-deal national security problems.  What awaits them is nothing short of a hands-on, high-energy rollercoaster of an experience. They’ll be rubbing elbows with the best and brightest minds in the defense and intelligence realms, working at warp speed to crack codes, brainstorm solutions, and tackle challenges that’ll make their heads spin ..read more

The Center for Entrepreneurship is full of anticipation as we welcome the 2024 cohort of our esteemed Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP). This year-long program, a unique blend of academic learning, practical training, and focused mentorship, aims to shape students into the entrepreneurial leaders of tomorrow. The ELP curriculum is enriched by the expert knowledge and skillful guidance of our trusted instructors, Grace Hsia Haberl and Scott Merz. With their diverse entrepreneurial experience and enduring commitment to guiding student achievement, Scott and Grace aid aspiring entrepreneu ..read more