Venture capital firm Perot Jain backs flagship entrepreneurial education
The University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) and Perot Jain announce their partnership enhancing the existing CFE-based program creating the Perot Jain TechLab (PJTL) series. This joint venture represents a multi-year investment in the CFEs flagship program. This educational programming provides students with unique opportunities to experience entrepreneurship by working with startup companies that are building the future. The program pairs emerging transportation startups (Post-series A funding) with top-tier undergraduate and master’s students studying Engineering, Computer Science, and Data Analytics interested in tackling industry challenges defined by exploratory technical projects, with the goal of educating students through mentorship and immersive interaction with high-growth ventures.
“We’re incredibly proud of the partnership with Perot Jain to enhance and expand our programming, creating the Perot Jain TechLab series. This will enable a richer experience for more students, providing them with cutting-edge resources for their projects, and more career opportunities post-graduation. We couldn’t ask for better support to grow the Perot Jain TechLab ecosystem.” Nick Moroz, Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at the Center for Entrepreneurship.
These sponsors will not only financially support the program, but will also provide help in identifying startups and technologies and providing industry experts as guest speakers that are most critical to the wider adoption of advanced mobility products and services. This enhancement will also allow for the integration of new equipment to support the projects and new means to support student experiences beyond the classroom. Most notably, this sponsorship is recognition and validation of all of the hard and creative work that students, startups, mentors, CFE and Mcity staff, and other partners have put into this program. This program has been prolific in helping students achieve leadership positions in the CAV space, helping startups continue their growth, and helping the entire ecosystem advance technologies that better the human condition.
“Investing in the future of entrepreneurship is investing in the future of innovation, and we are proud to support the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship in their efforts to foster the next generation of industry-transforming companies,” said Anurag Jain, the founding partner of Perot Jain, and alumnus of the University of Michigan Ross Business School. “Our commitment to partnering with entrepreneurs is rooted in our belief that disruptive ideas can change the world, and the Perot Jain TechLab series will provide a platform for the next generation of game-changers to cultivate and realize their vision.”
Program and student opportunities soar with major sponsorship
With its comprehensive model for student career development, the connection with PJTL will allow the platform to continue serving as an important link between talent, entrepreneurs, resources, and technology. The Perot Jain funding will continue the evolution of connected and autonomous vehicles and expand our entrepreneurial programs into healthcare, space, electrification, and cybersecurity⸺the goal is to launch the new series within the next three years with similar partnerships as the PJTL program. These additional programs will provide more students with the opportunity to learn the entrepreneurial mindset using real-world initiatives.
2019 cohort of TechLab students, staff, and mentors at Honda R&D Center in Ann Arbor
About the CFE/TechLab/Mcity Partnership
In 2016, the CFE teamed up with Mcity to launch TechLab at Mcity – an innovative program that provides technically savvy students with unparalleled opportunities to dive into the world of entrepreneurship by working with startups in the connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) space. This groundbreaking initiative links early-stage companies in the CAV industry with elite, high-skilled students to tackle real-world technical challenges. Now in its eighth year, TechLab at Mcity has emerged as a proven model for student career development in this exciting field. It’s also been instrumental in driving the adoption of cutting-edge technologies that are crucial to the success of self-driving vehicles.
About Perot Jain
Perot Jain is a Dallas-based venture capital firm founded by longtime business partners Ross Perot Jr. and Anurag Jain in 2014. Transformational investing is at the heart of what they do. Instead of just seeking out promising investments, they draw on their vast wealth of experience to elevate companies with strong potential into industry giants, leveraging emerging growth trends to deliver impressive returns. Their commitment to transformational investing sets them apart and makes them a trusted partner for businesses looking to take their operations to the next level.
To learn more about Perot Jain TechLab at Mcity, visit our site.