News
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...
Black-owned businesses need connections, infrastructure to access capital, other resources
Crain's Detroit Business April, 2021 Rashmi Menon, entrepreneur in residence at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said mentorship exists, but not enough that targets underserved groups. And, echoing Woods, she said it's not easy enough to...
Founders, the CEO role and knowing when to hand over the reins
Thrive Global February, 2020 by Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director at The Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Founding a company—especially one that becomes successful—is a unique achievement. But while founders often feel strong...
The Four Health and Wellness Practices Every Entrepreneur Should Prioritize—and Not Just During a Pandemic
Thrive Global November, 2020 by: Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director at The Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Almost everywhere you turn today, you’ll see an ongoing debate over how people should use their time at home during...
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...
Bottom Drops Out of the Red-Hot Market for Electric Vehicle Start-Ups
The New York Times May, 2021 Even as the stock market climbs to new highs, the bottom seems to be falling out of many E.V. companies that merged with the shell outfits known as special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, which Wall Street has used to pour money...