On Monday we announced our first milestone with our Michigan Founder Finder portal that was launched in August in partnership with CoFoundersLab. The free portal is available to students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members to aid in the introduction of entrepreneurs to the partnering and mentoring resources they need. To date, nearly 300 profiles have been created in the Southeast Michigan area.
Michigan Founder Finder provides a central resource that enables University of Michigan students to connect with a greater range of resources as they look to advance their entrepreneurial efforts. New features were recently added to the portal, such as advisor and intern matching, where entrepreneurs from the surrounding community can connect with the talent pool from the school.
“This initiative is another example of our commitment to engage with the greater Michigan community and help to further business start-up activity in the region,” said Sarika Gupta, associate director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. “This unique resource supports the many programs that we offer our students to go beyond the classroom and accelerate their business ventures.”
Build Your Core Co-founding Team! The public is invited to attend the CoFoundersLab Matchup Detroit next Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Grand Circus training institute in downtown Detroit. The networking meeting will serve as a gathering to connect like-minded entrepreneurs who are looking for the right people to build start-up teams. To learn more or to create a profile on Michigan Founder Finder, please visit http://michigan.cofounderslab.com/.
The Founder Finder ‘matching’ program initiative exists alongside the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS), which connects national leaders in venture capital investment with emerging growth companies actively searching for partners and funding. This year, the event, which will be held June 17 and 18 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich. and expects to showcase 35-40 of “the Best of the Midwest” high-growth companies.
To learn more about the CoFoundersLab program feel free to visit the CoFoundersLab blog or visit coverage of the program on DBusiness which features more information from Associate Director Sarika Gupta.