V3 Wednsday Janary , 214 / TheStatmen Wednesday, January 8, 2014// The Statement ENTREPRENEURIAL From Page 6B Parikh's time at the helm of CSG brought entrepreneurship to a more campus-wide consciousness, but that was not without the help of other student groups on campus like MPowered. MPowered's mission is to expose students to entrepreneurship, which it does through large-scale events like its 1,000 Pitches com- petition, where students from the University and Pennsylvania State University compete to give the best pitch for their business ideas. O'Neil, the MPowered president, said events like these are meant to excite University stu- dents about entrepreneurship. Over the past few years, O'Neil said he's seen an increase in participation in events like 1,000 Pitches. The last 1,000 Pitches event occurred this fall, and garnered over 6,000 entrepreneurial pitches total - with "x",000 of those pitches coming from the Uni- versity alone. "Students at Michigan are already amaz- ing, you don't need to hold their hands. All they need is that excitement," O'Neil said. Branching out: an interdisciplinary approach By now we all know the dream: start a company and become the next Mark Zucker- berg. While this idea may conjure up images of coffee-fueled business students typing s.way furiously into the night, startup and entrepreneurial culture is not only growing in Ross' Winter Garden. Some of the best startups come from teams with mixed edu- cational backgrounds. Before he dropped out, Zuckerberg was studying psychology. Though entrepreneurial programs were initially restricted to business and engineer- ing students, the recent push to include all majors has allowed the University to fos- ter a more inclusive environment. This has been done through co-University sponsored events like Mingle 'n' Match nights, which aim to help student entrepreneurs from any school find members for their startup teams as well as help them network. Large-scale events like MHacks II, hosted in Michi- gan Stadium last fall, also strive to enhance networking and communication platforms between student entrepreneurs. O'Neil said the past 1,000 Pitches event included a proportionate amount of students from each college at the University. This rep- resentation shows that entrepreneurship is no longer being seen as "just a business," or "just an engineering" endeavor, but rather something open to the entire campus. Parikh said he believes the growth of entrepreneurship amongst all schools at the University has made it a concept that unites the student body, much like Michigan Foot- ball. "Kind of like our football stadium, the f-.Big House, (entrepreneurship) encompasses students from all kinds of disciplines and all kinds of ages," Parikh said. "Together we come together, like in the Big House, to cre- ate a solidified impact." Thornhill said the diversity of students involved in entrepreneurship is beneficial for student startup teams. "Having a team of just business students, or just engineers, or just life science students ... creates a gap in your skill set," Thornhill said. "If I were going to invest in a company I'd far rather look for that diversity of skill profile than a group of students that came from one concentration." Though the University has started to increase the collaboration between schools, O'Neil believes some students still face dif- ficulty trying to find team members from other colleges. "You often find business students or engi- neers who have these great ideas, but they don't know how to find or talk to the develop- ers who also have these great ideas," O'Neil said. "They often can't find common ground - which is a huge problem." being really receptive to e and more importantly, I s teering to help each othe don't see other places." Apart from an open env a large amount of venture invested in a new or gro available in Michigan. Suc has been increasing over According to Carrie Jones tor of the Michigan Ventur tion, the number of ventur Michigan has grown from seven in 2001, to 20 in late The amount of ventu able has increased expo: of those firms redirecting lars to Michigan. Accordir is now $1.5 billion in asse ment of firms that are ac early stage companies toi there is an increased amou able, Jones said many ar potential in Michigan whi ach other's ideas, exactly the same. I think it's going to take a ee people volun- long way for Michigan to get there, but we're x in a way that I on the right path." While student entrepreneurs usually ironment, there is dream of getting their first job in Silicon Val- capital - money ley, there are many student-lead initiatives wing business - at the University that focus on improving .h venture capital Detroit - some of which are entrepreneurial. the past 13 years. One example is the Detroit Entrepreneur- ,executive direc- ial Network, an organization which aims e Capital Associa- to give high school students in Detroit a re capital firms in "toolbox of business knowledge and Detroit between five and energy" in order to help them bring their 2013. business ideas to fruition in the Motor City. re capital avail- MPowered is launching a similar initiative nentially because called Startup High School, which will allow g investment dol- Detroit students to explore, share and exe- ng to Jones, there cute their entrepreneurial ideas. ts under manage- Another student initiative currently tively looking for investing in Detroit is MHacks, an event put invest in. Though on by MPowered and Michigan Hackers. nt of capital avail- MHacks III will be held in Detroit over Mar- en't aware of the tin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and is being ch can result in it sponsored in part by Quicken Loans. O'Neil said that while there were other factors, like the amount of venture capital available in Detroit, influenced the decision rock to move MHacks, they also needed newer, larger spaces with more office equipment to have a fully functioning hackathon. TV "It made a lot of sense to go to Detroit where the buildings are really new and inno- vative in the way that they're designed;" S. so O'Neil said. "They're quirky and they show off what it means to be a hacker, what it ing that means to be an entrepreneur and think dif- ferently." Engineering junior Jack Wink, president ciated of MHackers, said they decided to move MHacks off-campus, not only because it offered the promise of nicer spaces but also ess. because they want to disprove popular mis- conceptions about Detroit. "When these students come to Detroit if rie Institute they have a good experience they're going to come back and say, 'Wow, Detroit is an awesome place all these companies that are booming in the area are willing to help out.' They're going to remember that and if they panies looking for ever do end up pursuing their hackathon app quarters. they might consider Detroit and move back, ink necessarily of which would be a big win for Detroit," Wink as being an entre- said. WRITER From Page 3B But I wasn't actually writ- ing during that period of my life. Despite not actively partaking in the practice, I associated myself with the profession. And retro- spectively, I recognize that that way of thinking was detrimental to my development as a creative writer. I was a thinker and a philoso- pher - maybe - but not a writer. And who wants to be those use- less things? I needed to put those thoughts and philosophies into action, into application. Into my art. That application is the sole defining factor: What is a writer? It's simple. A writer is someone who writes. Now, I write almost everyday, though reading and philosophiz- ing are still important. My profes- sion finally is my practice. Maybe you're a writer too. And if you want tojoin the club, all you have to do is pick up a pencil. theA'QVS ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEGAN MULHOLLAND on the record "We had our goals set, we wanted to be a 10-win team, and we didn't achieve that. We had our goals set, we wanted to be able to finish the season, and we didn't achieve that" - FRANK CLARK, Junior defensive end, after losing 31-14 to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. "Racism is toxic, but race doesn't have to be. Race is some way to describe who we are ... there are all kinds of diversity." - MICHELLE NORRIS, NPR Radio Host and Winter Commencement Speaker "Be thankful for the experience, remember the experience. Life is about moments. You remember moments - you don't remember everything." - MIKE BABCOCK, Detroit Red Wings hockey coach, after losing 3-2 to the Toronto MapleLeafs in the Winter Classic. The entrepreneurs are now the stars of the world. They're on programs and magazine cover you've got this whole sexiness thi 20 years ago wasn't really assoc with starting your own busin Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director of the Zell Lui for Entrepreneurial Studies p This trend just won't seem to go away. On Jan. 4, Justin Bieber posted a picture - an usie - on Instagram of him and Selena Gomez, captioned "Love the way you look at me." Only time and paparazzi will tell if Jelena will once again go strong. For the next few days, think twice before put ting down your winter parka. Cold winds have been hitting the Midwest, bringing some of the coldest temperatures in the last 20 years. ="=.p The 'Silicon Mitten' California's Bay Area has become synony- mous with startup and tech culture, earning it the name Silicon Valley, but could Michi- gan become the next greatstartup and entre- preneurial community? Despite the bankruptcy and bad press, Detroit has seen several large companies move to its downtown area - most notably Quicken Loans, an online mortgage lender. In a 2013 interview with Reuters, Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert said his interest in Detroit was partially to help stop the state's brain drain and give young people a reason to stay in Michigan. Frank said he thinks that although entre- preneurship is growing across the country, it's growing more in Michigan because of its central location and its entrepreneurial spir- it increases opportunities for startups. "I've never seen such an open environ- ment as I do here," Frank said. "I see people being ignored by new com a place to locate their head "A lot of people don't th Michigan right off the bat T preneurial state," Jones said. "But if you go back to Henry Ford and the auto companies, they were started by entrepreneurs who built those companies ... and built Michigan to be the automotive hub of the world. There is still very much that spirit in Michigan and it's good to see that resurgence." Lemmer, who grew up in Michigan and has since moved to San Francisco, said while Michigan and Detroit were built on entre- preneurship going back to the fur trade and automotive industries, she doesn't think the area will ever be fully comparable to Silicon Valley. "I don't think Detroit or Michigan is even vgoingto be on par with the Bay Area," Lem- mer said. "I think it'll be different; I think they'll both have a different entrepreneurial culture and that's great. They shouldn't be Hail to the innovators While student entrepreneurs at the Uni- versity usually focus on building their own companies, throughout the years they have been busy building something else from the ground-up: an entrepreneurial community. This was achieved through Zurbuchen's ingredients for entrepreneurial success: hard work and an active mindset for growth. "Entrepreneurship is a way of thinking, taking innovations and turning them into real-life change," Zurbuchen said. "Entrepreneurship is of course starting companies, but there are many activities that are totally entrepreneurial that don't involve a start-up ... It's about taking a big idea and turning (it) into action." I 1 AP PHOTO/Jae C. Hong Consumer Electronics Showcase opened up in Las Vegas on Monday, showcasing over 3,000 innovations, including a toothbrush that analyses brushing techniques, smartphone- controlled jumping robots and flying drones. Sasheer Zamata will join SNL this Jan. as its only female African American cast member. Prepare for her to take a shot at some of your favorite influential blackwomen, and hopefully pave a way for diversity in the comedy world. """" m m