A series of short, informational videos has been produced and launched by the CFE to help hopeful startup founders feel better prepared and make smarter choices about their new ventures. The topics of the videos aim to get the new creators thinking about everything other than their product/service in order to be successful.

Thanks to a generous gift from Mary Ann Beyster, from the Beyster Foundation for Enterprise Development, the ten videos illustrate in basic concepts founders should consider regarding things like office lease agreements, creating legal entities, applying for grants and other free money, and even forming the employee-employer relationship. The Employee and Founder Ownership video, for example, does a nice job as an introduction for the entire series. It lays the foundation for why the topic of that relationship is so important and the downside of not thinking through ownership. Each video features experts who quickly explain why thinking about these things from the start will help you become, and hopefully stay, successful.

“It’s long overdue to explicitly talk about strategies of who owns the businesses, and through this video series, the University of Michigan is addressing this important and dynamic element for success,” said Mary Ann Beyster. “They are giving entrepreneurs the initial guidance on designing ownership and reward systems so that the founders and employees who create value in the enterprise share in that value through equity.”

The videos are available now on the CFE website, as well as a youtube playlist (should you choose to binge them all).

Mary Ann Beyster said, “These videos are a great beginning to opening the entrepreneurs minds to a range of possibilities.”

We couldn’t agree more.

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EVOQ is pioneering the development of cancer vaccine nanodiscs that evoke an immune response 30 times more powerful than other cancer vaccines and was selected as the top winner at the 10th annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition (AMIC), a pitch competition that provides critical funding and support for Michigan startups. The company was chosen from 24 semi-finalists as the winner of the $350,000 grand prize. 

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