Erika Block’s path to entrepreneurship started at the dinner table. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs—her father, uncle, grandfather, and great-uncles all owned small businesses—Erika was immersed in the mindset of starting and operating a business from an early age. “My grandfather had a classic immigrant journey—peddling fruit on the streets, opening a restaurant, and later becoming a restaurant supplier,” she recalls.
Although entrepreneurship was part of her upbringing, Erika’s initial career trajectory followed a different path. She pursued her passion for storytelling and creativity in theater, co-founding and running a theater company that performed internationally and renovated one of Detroit’s early creative spaces. Running a theater company wasn’t just about artistry—it also required business skills, from fundraising and marketing to managing people and operations. This experience laid the groundwork for her unexpected pivot to tech entrepreneurship.
In 2007, research for a theater project called “A History of Eating” introduced Erika to the challenges of local food systems. What started as a creative endeavor turned into an unintentional customer discovery process, leading her to found Local Orbit, a software platform supporting sustainable and decentralized food distribution. “The skills I gained making and producing theater are central to the work I do today advising founders and teaching at the CFE,” she explains.
Finding Her Passion for Teaching
Erika’s journey to the Center for Entrepreneurship began with her involvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Both of her tech startups hosted CFE students for events, and she frequently spoke to student groups. Eventually, she was introduced to Christine Gordon, who invited Erika to teach. Since then, Erika has developed a strong passion for mentoring and teaching students.
“My classes focus on entrepreneurial mindset as a mindset that requires attention, curiosity, inquiry, creativity, and the connection between values, impact, and value creation,” Erika says. In Storytelling for Innovators and Creativity & Product Development, she emphasizes the importance of storytelling in entrepreneurship, a skill she honed in the theater. “The best entrepreneurs communicate in a simple, personal way that reflects their vision and their own voice. Great storytelling isn’t about flash and technique – it’s about clarity and knowledge, passion and authenticity. As students work on the stories related to their work, we do live coaching throughout the term. You can see the “ah-ha’s” in students’ faces. It can be challenging but it’s also a lot of fun.”
This term, Erika will co-instruct AI, Entrepreneurship, and the Next Industrial Revolution, which she believes is critical for students to explore. “Effective, ethical adoption of AI requires attention, curiosity, and the connection between values, impact, and value creation. Whether students are using AI tools to support their work or developing new companies incorporating AI, these skills are essential.”
Erika’s dedication to her students goes beyond the classroom. She describes them as “smart and inquisitive, interested in exploring meaty issues and solving big problems.” Her classes are structured to encourage exploration and deep engagement, with students facilitating discussions based on course readings. “They never fail to surprise and impress me with their questions to the class,” she says with pride.
She believes that a curious mindset is crucial for aspiring entrepreneurs. “Entrepreneurship is about paying attention and asking questions. The best entrepreneurs I’ve seen are insatiably curious. They understand how to ask questions and listen deeply. They never stop asking, learning, and adapting,” she advises. Erika’s approach to teaching fosters this curiosity, equipping her students with the tools to succeed in an ever-changing world.
Beyond the Classroom
When Erika isn’t teaching or advising, she finds peace in nature. “When the weather is good, you’ll find me in a kayak on a lake or in a hammock with a book—as often as possible!” Recently, she’s also been experimenting with growing mushrooms in her backyard.
Erika’s multifaceted career, from theater to tech to teaching, highlights her belief in the transformative power of creativity and curiosity. Whether she’s helping students refine their entrepreneurial ideas or facilitating breakthroughs in storytelling, Erika inspires the next generation of innovators at CFE.