The course I teach at University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Urban Entrepreneurship Practicum, relies heavily on our “Urban Entrepreneur Partners.” Each of these entrepreneurs is operating a business that aims to improve the quality of life in an urban community.
Big congratulations to Mo Faisal, Jeff Fredenburg, and the team at Movellus for closing a $23 million Series B funding round. Mo and Jeff are both Ph.D. graduates of the U-M College of Engineering, which is where they began development of the core technology and business concepts for Movellus. The company has developed and patented novel timing generation technology for next generation complex integrated circuits. Their technology provides a potential competitive advantage for semiconductor industry companies. I invested in Movellus’ initial seed round and each subsequent round, so needless to say I’m happy and proud about the company’s achievements to date.
I’ve participated in more Demo Day events than I can remember. These events have been sponsored by community organizations, education institutions, companies, investment groups, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and even churches. In 2015, President Barack Obama presided over the first-ever White House Demo Day. This occurrence cemented the status of Demo Day as a bonafide cultural phenomenon.
The Lab Drawer® founders Alecia Gabriel and Deirdre Roberson started their company because, as black STEM professionals and artists, they envision a world in which black and brown excellence in STEAM fields is commonplace. I first met Alecia and Deirdre when I served as their coach for Detroit Demo Day 2021. I was immediately drawn to their expertise, energy, and dedication.
“Can we all just get along?” That question is part of what fueled the creation of my U-M Urban Entrepreneurship course.
I am honored to participate on the AT&T Black Innovators Panel on Feb. 9. I especially want to highlight two Bell Labs […]
We are in deep doo-doo regarding the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use in this Covid-19 crisis, mainly because our national leaders don’t seem to have a basic grasp of what it takes to design and manufacture a product, or to scale up production of an existing product.
I recently returned from a trip to Shanghai, China. The main purpose was to visit my daughter Stacy, who is working […]
The Fall 2018 edition of my Urban Entrepreneurship course at University of Michigan is underway, and I’m excited by the participation of […]
Students in my U-M Urban Entrepreneurship class hard at work developing solutions. Our guest lecturer for this session was Charlie Michaels of […]
