The Entrepreneurship Practicum (ENGR 411) seeks to be an innovative, action-based learning lab that brings students across disciplines at the University to work on entrepreneurial endeavors. Students form interdisciplinary around impact driven ideas and take steps to launch them through venture creation. By the end of this course, student teams submit a concept paper and make a detailed presentation on their work progress to a panel of industry experts and potential funders. The course heavily applies an anthropological design thinking framework and process. A lot of the teams in the class will end up in TechArb after the semester is over.

Below are the ideas we are working on this winter term:

American Made Online Emporium | Team: Nelson Cooper, Melinda Morang
Many consumers are looking for an easy way to purchase products from American/local businesses. Their motivations range from wanting to support local companies and restoring our economy to believing in the superior quality of American made goods. Likewise small businesses around the country are trying to increase their market share and visibility while keeping their overhead low. Currently there is no convenient way for these companies to find and market their goods to this audience. A web based store would facilitate these consumer/business interactions.

College Living | Team: Adam Wells, Alex Horak, Ian Grant II
We’re all college students in this class. We end each day here in our campus home – whether an apartment, house or dorm room. As an architecture major I take great pride in how I set up my home. From spacial organization to functionality, where I live greatly impacts how I live. My company is “College Living” – targeting us, the college consumers, College Living will be located on campus and provide space efficient, multi-functional and affordable furniture and lifestyle furnishings to make your four years – or more – comfortable and relaxed, just how you like it.

Ideal Sweeteners | Team: Jessica Gelov, Aaron Dalley, Pranay Lagadapati, Scott Shapiro
Ideal is a no calorie sweetener that is ninety-nine percent natural, has no aftertaste, contributes to health benefits, bakes, tastes, and has the texture of sugar. Ideal Sweetener’s quality and taste is unmatched by any other sweetener in the marketplace.

InSilico | Team: Calvin Gee, John Mizzi, David Yuschak, Jacob Steinerman, Jennifer Wang
My idea originally was to create a software platform that would better assist in the diagnosing and education of children affected by Autism. In the 5 years I’ve spent running a charity dedicated towards helping families affected by Autism, I’ve learned that there is a huge amount of financial burden placed on these families as well as a great disparity in terms of quality treatment options.  However, in the past year, as my team and I have striven to develop said system we have noticed a greater need for adequate communication, consumer solutions, and quality information in health care overall. It is now our goal to create an “”ecosystem”” that meets these needs in the form of social networking, applications, and health industry partnerships. We still believe that the population affected by autism is still our primary focus and as such our customers will be the health professionals that treat these patients, as well as the families that take care of them. Eventually we will scale to meet more broad health care needs.

Intro.me | Team: Tierra Filhiol, Amie Hsu, Laura Willming, Pauline Knighton
Intro.me wants to give women and other underrepresented minorities a competitive advantage in high growth, high impact industries. Women, African Americans and internationally born professionals especially are underrepresented and underutilized both as entrepreneurs and corporate professionals. Intro.me aims to increase recruitment, promotion and retention opportunities by creating a networking platform that encourages personal meetings between these groups and industry power players. Users cleverly display experiences, complete tasks and earn meetings with industry frontrunners. With these tools, they increase their exposure both socially and professionally. We’re looking to start development right here in the tech industry, with a team of passionate, productive people ready to change the ratio. If that’s you, bring your computer, will-to-win and let’s work.

Legends Cards | Team: Jonathan Kaufman , Artur Fruman, Venkat Gunapati, Jason Okrasinkski
Legends Card is a product that allows students at college campuses to socially network with each other by means of e-commerce, while at the same time making campus life more affordable. Alongside with three business partners, Legends Card was launched in early October 2011, and since then we have already distributed 800+ cards and signed 40+ locations on University of Michigan campus, as well as expanded to two other Universities. We hope to expand to six different campuses by the end of this semester and have over 5000 cards distributed in total.

Low-Cost Multifuel Small Displacement Motorcycle | Team: David Ameche, Langechuan Liu
The proposed product is a low cost, modular, American-built motorcycle capable of filling light to medium duty roles, at low build, operating, repair and training cost, with many models designed on a common rail frame, including multifuel and alternative fuel capability.  This addresses several needs in the current market, principally; a lack of available small-displacement-capable adult-sized framed bikes.  This lightweight design allows for portability, and bridges the gap between bicycle and medium-displacement motorcycle. Commuters age 16-35, new riders, outdoors and performance enthusiasts, and the military.