ABOUT US
The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurship was established in 1999 at the University of Michigan Business School with a generous donation from Samuel Zell and Ann Lurie, in honor of her late husband, Robert H. Lurie. In 2015, the Zell Family Foundation pledged to expand the Institute’s programs and establish a new fund to support student business ventures.
Staff
Gregg Latterman
Executive Director & Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
[email protected]
Founders
Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie began their entrepreneurial journey as University of Michigan students in the 1960s, launching a realty management service and acquiring apartment buildings in Southeastern Michigan. Their ventures grew into a vast business empire, including the creation of two major REITs: Equity Residential and Equity Office Properties.
Zell remained chairman of both companies until he died in 2023. Lurie passed away in 1990 at age 48.
In 1999, Ann Lurie jointly donated $10 million to establish the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurship. Ann Lurie is one of the University’s most generous benefactors.
Entrepreneurs and Investors in Residence
Student-led Fund Directors
Research
Scholars
Aaron Brodkey
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Holden Bryce
BBA 2028
Zell Scholar
Arda Cetinel
MSI 2028
Zell Scholar
Vincent Chen
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Joe Chen
BBA 2028
Sinclair Scholar
Sneha Dasgupta
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Will Dominguez
MBA 2027
Zell Scholar
Celina Du
BA Asian Studies, BBA, BS Computer Science 2028
Zell Scholar
Ziyad Emara
BS Biomolecular Science 2027
Zell Scholar
Mike Emslie
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Nicolas Fahme
BSE Mechanical Engineering 2027
Zell Scholar
Ryan Haarstick
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Jane Kim
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Nicolle Marinec
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Jackson Muir
BBA 2027
Mondry Scholar
Ifedayo Omotunde
MBA 2027
Kinnear Scholar
Bindu Putta
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Dieter Ronak
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Jaryl Shao
BBA 2027
Sinclair Scholar
Zachary Sieloff
BBA 2027
Zell Scholar
Lauren Blair Smith
MFA 2027
Zell Scholar
Tanya Tyagi
MBA 2027
Zell Scholar
Karen Vera Sanchez
BSE Industrial & Operations Engineering 2027
Zell Scholar
Haley Viall
MBA 2027
Spevak Scholar
Advisory Board
Liat Aaronson
Co-founder & Managing Director, and Chairperson, Zell Entrepreneurship Program, Riechman University CEO
Raj Alva
CEO, Investor, Business Builder, & Corporate Director
Stacey Bishop
Partner
Scale Venture Partners
Kelli Cullinane
CFO, CCO, & Managing Partner
Next Legacy
Gina Fratarcangeli
Managing Director
Google
Ellen Havdala
Managing Director
Equity Group Investments
Mike Jung
Partner & Co-Founder
Founders Circle Capital
Diya Jolly
Chief Product & Technology Officer
Xero
Dhani Jones
Strategic Advisor & Board Member
Thomas C. Kinnear
D. Maynard Phelps Professor Emeritus of Business Administration, Professor of Marketing
Benjamin Lurie
Vice President & CIO
2 NRP Managers
Jason Mendelson
Music Producer & Former Venture Capitalist
Latif Peracha
General Partner
M13
Gordon Rubenstein
Managing Partner
Raine Ventures
Kelly Sexton
Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation Partnerships & Economic Impact
Dug Song
CEO, Co-Founder & Board Member
Ned Tomasevic
Leadership Coach & Former High-Growth CEO,
Searchers Fund
Emeritus Board
Stewart Thornhill
Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
& Business Administration
