On Tuesday, December 5th, the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship was filled with anticipation and excitement as the students prepared to showcase their year-long work at the Perot Jain TechLab (PJTL) and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) Sendoffs. A testament to our institution’s commitment to fostering innovation and cultivating leaders, the evening proved just why our students are considered the Leaders and Best.
Kicking off the afternoon was the ELP sendoff, where six teams of ambitious and innovative students presented their final projects. Guided by Grace Hsia Haberl and Scott Merz, the talented student teams introduced their groundbreaking ventures that were undertaken as capstone projects.
These ventures included Mitzi Development, a transformative service for businesses; College Chats, an innovative platform to pair incoming students with current students to encourage informed college decisions; BlueCandle, a novel service for personalized exam preparation, Roommate Finder, a unique tool designed to simplify the challenging process of finding compatible roommates therefore improving mental health; NeoNest, a promising health-tech venture focusing on improved care for the most at-risk infants; and Minarosa, a one of a kind medical device to treat UTIs. These student-led initiatives manifested their entrepreneurial spirit and determination towards making a significant societal impact.
Later that day, the stage was set for PJTL students to display their impressive work. They received support from their instructors Eric Wingfield and Doug Moore, along with valuable mentorship from international startups specializing in connected and autonomous vehicles.
Throughout the course of the semester, the six student project teams tackled challenges, efficiently managed tasks, and contributed significant value to their partner companies, all while expanding their knowledge and skills. Students had the chance to collaborate with pioneering global companies such as P3Mobility, Retrospect, Gatik, Buyutech, Xenomatix, and Capoom, reinforcing the CFE’s commitment to fostering innovation through valuable partnerships. The student projects included cutting-edge pursuits such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, LiDar, 3D object detection, PODAR, on-site physical testing at the Mcity track, and sophisticated coding, demonstrating the high quality and in-depth nature of their work.
These student sendoffs showcase the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship as a trailblazer in nurturing innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset. It’s evident that our students aren’t just gearing up for the future; they’re out there right now, shaping it. Excitement is building for the upcoming semesters as we eagerly anticipate the incredible contributions our Leaders and Best will make.