News
Holiday Gift Guide 2024
The holiday season is here, and what better way to spread cheer than with thoughtful gifts that support talented University of Michigan alum entrepreneurs! Dive into our curated collection of festive gift ideas perfect for every occasion—whether you're celebrating...
Meet the 2024-2025 Zell Entrepreneurs
We are so excited to announce this year's Zell Entrepreneurs! This talented group was chosen through a competitive application process that included all 19 schools at the University of Michigan. Zell Entrepreneurs is an elite program designed to support students...
Q&A with the new Executive Director of ZLI!
Please welcome Gregg Latterman as the new Executive Director of ZLI! Gregg is a well-established figure in the world of entrepreneurship and the music industry. He brings a wealth of experience, along with a passion for nurturing the next generation of innovative...
Felix Kabo named Research Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Zell Lurie Institute
February 23, 2024 Dr. Felix Kabo, Director of Research at CannonDesign, was recently named a Research Fellow at the University of Michigan's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. Read the full story:...
As It Happens – Elon Musk
CBC News April, 2022 "It's a giant shift because Elon Musk is a giant personality. He's a business person, but he's not buying #Twitter for business reasons," says Erik Gordon, Michigan Ross professor at and Wolverine Venture Fund faculty director, in a...
5 years ago, these women launched a side hustle for Black figure skaters — now Olympians are wearing their tights
CNBC February, 2022 CNBC Feature on Aurora Tights - Imani Rickerby (MHSA, ’21) Aurora Tights currently has $150,000 in funding from investors like the University of Michigan’s Desai Accelerator. The relatively small number isn’t for lack of trying: It’s hard to...
Everyone Wants to Be an Entrepreneur
WIRED January, 2022 Applications for new businesses rose 20 percent last year, after languishing for a decade. Many newly minted founders attribute it to the pandemic. Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute at Michigan Ross, discusses the...
U-M Ross Launches Health Care Accelerator, Stephen Ross Eyes New Sites for Detroit Center for Innovation
DBusiness Magazine July, 2021 The new accelerator was created from a dedicated fund that included a $5.4 million gift from Eleanor and Michael Pinkert. That gift also established the Pinkert Scholars Program, which provides full-ride scholarships for...
U-M’s Desai Accelerator Invests in Four Alumni Startups
DBusiness Magazine May, 2021 Four companies have been accepted into the Desai Accelerator, an accelerator program for early-stage alumni startups at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As part of the accelerator program, the ventures will receive...
U-M experts imagine aspects of life, lessons learned after coronavirus
Michigan News - University of Michigan April, 2020 Rashmi Menon, entrepreneur in residence and lecturer in entrepreneurial studies and business administration, Ross School of Business “As with any large disruption, the post-COVID time provides opportunities for...
Is A Pandemic A Good Time To Start A Business? For Some, The Answer Is Yes
89.1 Wichita Public Radio January, 2021 Past downturns, the New York Times reported, have produced American companies that went on to develop high profiles: Airbnb, Disney, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Slack, Uber, and Venmo, among others. “Downturns or...
The Pandemic Created the Next Generation of Great Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur April, 2021 In the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, business applications slumped. But according to research analyzing other data in the Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, the rate of entrepreneurship actually rose. Despite the...