ANN ARBOR – Fifty University of Michigan students, ranging from freshmen to Ph.D candidates, will travel to Grand Rapids on Oct. 16 to meet with regional technology leaders that planners hope will help keep scarce tech talent in Michigan.
The students were recruited from the U-M Center for Entrepreneurship. More than half have previously owned or worked at a startup, said Eric Bacyinski, MEngage Michigan Program Manager. More than half hail from the College of Engineering, while nearly 40 percent are computer science majors from the Liberal Arts college.
They will meet their counterparts in Grand Rapids at Start Garden, GR Current and Grid70, Bacyinski said.
“The Center for Entrepreneurship takes three treks each year; one to Grand Rapids, another to Detroit and a third to the San Francisco Bay region,” he said. “We get together with the tech entrepreneurs in these cities to host mini-workshops for our students. We want to show them what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and perhaps create their startups in Michigan.”
Bacyinski said 80 students applied to be part of this trek; 50 were selected. What they all have in common is “they are hungry for knowledge,” he said.
The U-M group and their West Michigan counterparts will conclude this interchange of ideas at 5 pm at Grand Rapids Brewing Company. He said all West Michigan entrepreneurs are invited to attend. To make a free reservation, click http://cfe.umich.edu/2015/10/07/great-reception/
