Uncategorized

Meet the 2026-2027 Zell Entrepreneurs

October 26, 2026

Venture Track

Manan Arora

Horizon: An AI credit analyst for small-business lending that pieces together fragmented financial data from banking, accounting, invoices, tax filings, and other systems to build a reusable business record for underwriting.

Jakob Bouna

CoPrint Housing: A residential construction company using state-of-the-art 3D Concrete Printing technology to build affordable housing at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional construction.

Will Dominguez

Martial Math: A fight intelligence platform that helps combat sports teams turn training and fight footage into actionable feedback and track progress through collaborative analysis and AI-powered insights.

Anna Epstein

Anna Equestrian: A next-generation equestrian boot brand expanding access to the sport through free-to-watch media, with a long-term vision to create an integrated equestrian product and media ecosystem.

Nicolas Fahme

Velox: A wrist-worn sensor and mobile app that tracks pitcher workload and arm stress, giving coaches actionable insights to manage their team, keeping players on the field, and bringing parents peace of mind.

Phillip Jebamany

Accelerate Blue Foundry: Exploring University of Michigan technologies through Accelerate Blue Foundry to identify a commercialization opportunity and help build a new venture.

Rohan Kolli

Whiteboard: Lets software engineers practice coding interviews out loud with an AI interviewer, and helps companies screen candidates the same way.

Pallavi Koyye

Tenure: A decision engine for commercial property operations, built on a connected knowledge graph that links every lease clause, tenant, vendor, insurance certificate, work order, and cost.

Adam Kuca

Transmute: Turns expensive frontier-model AI features into specialized, customer-owned intelligence, making AI products cheaper, faster, and more reliable the more they run.

Jackson Muir

Victors Bridge: Connect youth athletes with Division 1 athletes to promote better training habits.

Bindu Putta

Accelerate Blue Foundry: Exploring University of Michigan technologies through Accelerate Blue Foundry to identify a commercialization opportunity and help build a new venture.

Karen Vera Sanchez

EduBridge: An AI-powered fintech startup that offers flexible student loans to students in emerging markets, assessing their potential, not just their credit score.

Tosin Afeni

Future Searcher: Searching for in lower-middle-market B2B services and healthcare operations ($1.5M–$3M EBITDA).

Mike Dennison

Future Searcher: Searching for established businesses in B2B Services, Industrial Services, and Education & Workforce Training, with geographic flexibility across the United States and a focus on opportunities where I can leverage my background in technical operations, leadership, and workforce development.

Jordan Haroz

Future Searcher: Searching for healthcare services and tech-enabled businesses, such as healthcare IT services, revenue cycle management, and medical supply and distribution, anywhere in the U.S. with a preference for the Chicago area.

Jared Katzman

Partner Search: Searching for southeast Michigan machine shops, foundries, and tool and die firms under the company name Motor City Commons.

Xander Rodriguez

Self-Funded Search: Searching for small businesses (~$1M-$2M of EBITDA) outside of Boston and outside of Denver.

Lyle Rubin

Partner Search: Searching for small southeast Michigan machine shops, foundries, and tool and die firms under the company name Motor City Commons.

Braylen Stevens

Future Searcher: Searching for founder-owned B2B software and tech-enabled service companies (vertical SaaS, IT and security managed services) with recurring revenue and focused on the Midwest and open nationally.

Trinity Torres

Future Searcher: Searching for small to medium size service based family owned businesses across the US. Looking to leverage her background in the hospitality industry to reveal acquisition opportunities this year.