Burgess Institute Welcomes New Role Targeting Alum Entrepreneurship
by John Hart, Aaryn Richard
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation welcomes Sean Fochtman as its new director of alumni venture support. A new role within the institute, Fochtman brings his years of student advising and entrepreneurial experiences to offer startup resources to alums who request assistance in establishing and growing their ventures.
Since its inception, the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has provided financial support and mentorship resources to student entrepreneurs at Michigan State University. Through academic programs, funding, and mentor engagement, the Burgess Institute provides opportunities to cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset and inspire professional and startup growth.
“Alums are essential to our students’ success,” said Laurel Ofstein, the Burgess Institute’s faculty director. “Their involvement with our students brings industry-specific expertise, while connecting aspiring student entrepreneurs with MSU’s extensive alumni network. We’re thrilled to begin offering this same kind of support to alums looking to build and grow their own ventures.”
Fochtman completed both his bachelor’s in Psychology and his master’s in Student Affairs Administration at Michigan State. As a Spartan, he joins the Burgess Institute from the College of Engineering, where he served as an academic advisor. Working with students completing their minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fochtman saw firsthand the value of supporting early student startups, along with encouraging students to work in entrepreneurial companies.
“Engineers solve problems. Entrepreneurship, much like engineering, is all about identifying key problems and designing solutions,” Fochtman explained. “So that gave me my first taste of what the Burgess Institute was like, working with engineering students. I was always interested in working more deeply with this office, so when the new position came into focus, I jumped at the chance.”
Along with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation, the Burgess Institute offers programs and resources for MSU students, no matter their home college. For Fochtman, advising students in the College of Engineering, he oversaw students declaring the minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. An entrepreneur himself, Fochtman acknowledges the value MSU alumni can receive from the Burgess Institute.
“Looking at the Burgess Institute from an MSU alum perspective, I can see the institute’s goal of extending these kinds of resources to alums,” Fochtman said. “The programs offered by the institute are things I personally would have benefitted from when I was starting out as an entrepreneur, and I am committed to helping MSU alums find success.”
Within this position, Fochtman acts as a liaison for alums continuing their ventures after graduation. Staying connected with recent graduates, he hopes to showcase the institute’s support to keep these ventures alive and to help alums to continue creating. Moreover, Fochtman will act as a resource for alum entrepreneurs no matter their graduation year.
Fochtman understands that entrepreneurship is difficult at any life stage. “Students go out into the world and get overwhelmed with life,” he said. “I want to connect with them early and let them know they will receive our support from the day they walk through our doors, and even after they graduate.”
The beauty of MSU’s community, Fochtman said, is its vastness. “It's big enough that, for any type of business entity or startup idea, there's probably an MSU alum out there who has some expertise with it. My job is to help find those experts and connect them with creators and innovators.”