Gain connections to some of Silicon Valley's leading founders, CEOs, executives, and investors, all of whom hail from the University of Michigan. The Silicon Valley Experience through the Zell Lurie Institute connects rising U-M juniors and seniors and returning grad students with innovative entrepreneurial and venture capital companies for a week-long immersive experience. Students selected for the program will attend sessions and events hosted by U-M alumni who are eager to meet the next generation of Michigan talent. See what it's like behind-the-scenes at some of the most innovative companies and venture capital firms on the West Coast.
Company visits from 2022 included WhatsApp, Ripple, PagerDuty, Okta, LineLeap, Medallia, Turo, Google, and Amazon. Venture Capital highlights included Founders Circle Capital, CRV, Macondray Capital, Scale Ventures, Partners for Growth, and StepStone.
All travel expenses are covered by the Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan and our partners. The 2023 Silicon Valley Experience will take place May 8 - 12 in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
Testimonials“The intentionality of the Zell Lurie Institute around making sure that the Michigan ties were clear was outstanding. Nearly 100% of the people we saw across all levels of the entrepreneurship ecosystem were from the Michigan network. It is one thing to go to Silicon Valley, it is another to showcase the impact of the University of Michigan on it’s ecosystem,” George Okpamen, MBA ‘23.
The Silicon Valley Experience is open to rising U-M juniors and seniors and returning grad students. Students from all U-M Ann Arbor colleges and schools are welcome to apply.
Applications for the Summer 2023 cohort are now closed. Please check back in the fall for details on the application process for the Summer 2024 cohort.
For questions or additional information, please email zli.siliconvalley@umich.edu.