By: Aaryn Richard
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University announces its 2023–2024 cohort of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. This year, sixteen accomplished Spartan alums join the program’s ranks.
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence serve as mentors and coaches, working exclusively with students participating in the Burgess Institute’s Launch venture creation program. This year’s cohort brings with them expertise, insights, and a network that will fuel student success and assist them in bringing to life go-to-market strategies.
The Burgess Institute Welcomes EIRs to 2023-2025 Cohort
The Burgess Institute announced the formation of the EIR program in 2020. With the program’s success, the team has grown from four members to sixteen in 2023. The Burgess Institute welcomes each EIR and celebrates their achievements:
Colby Cartledge (M.S. Management, Strategy, and Leadership, ‘16) is a Lead Growth Manager for Enterprise Growth Initiatives at Target. She leads multi-disciplinary teams to identify new business opportunities, ideate, and experiment with them, driving adjacent growth for Target. Over the past 5 years, Colby has worked closely with the Target Accelerators team as both a selection panelist and mentor. Before entering Strategy and Innovation, she worked in Supply Chain in both field and headquarters roles before transitioning into Theft and Fraud, where she developed new ways to identify behaviors in real time through innovative data approaches.
Todd Dunn (M.B.A. Business Administration, ‘99) is a trailblazer in the business world. Dunn lives and breathes innovation, aiming to make it as fundamental as finance in any organization. His passion for transformation isn't just talk — he believes it's deployed through educational initiatives, hands-on projects, and empowering people to unleash their potential. An expert in Business Model Transformation, Dunn is a go-to startup advisor and board member. Frequently tapped to speak and consult, his insights on transformation and innovation systems are invaluable to industry professionals. A focus on impact and systematic change drives Dunn’s pragmatic approach to leadership. He’s not just teaching innovation; he’s actively practicing it as a Lean Startup practitioner and an NSF I-Corp instructor.
John Hill (B.A. Journalism, ‘97) traded one passion for another, leading him to leave Michigan State University to become the Higher Education Evangelist at LinkedIn. He then moved from LinkedIn to become the Network Catalyst for Techstars. Hill has a thing for cool work titles and believes "changing the world" can be more than hyperbole. Building relationships and connecting people with opportunities are at his core. He relies heavily on online and offline networks to facilitate his passions.
Robin Kinnie (B.A. Human Resources Management, ‘00) is the President of Motor City Woman Studios, an audio post-production company, and runs Audio Engineers of Detroit, a trade school and recording studio. She's deeply involved in community service, advising for arts and sports organizations, like Y Arts and Detroit PAL. Kinnie also serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices in podcasting and broadcasting, Robin has penned useful guides for new podcasters. She holds degrees from Michigan State University in Human Resources Management and adult education. She’s won multiple accolades, including being named a ‘Top 25 Women Leading In Detroit’ by Walker’s Legacy and a ‘Diversity Business Leader’ by Corp! Magazine. Recently, she was honored by the Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence for her achievements in business, community service, and philanthropy.
Reuben Levinsohn Reuben has been an avid entrepreneur since his early 20s. He started his first business while attending MSU in 1995. He had his first exit at age 30 and then pursued his passion for helping other entrepreneurs make smart life and wealth choices as a registered financial advisor and founding partner of Washington Avenue Advisors. Reuben is an angel investor, advisor, and mentor to startup companies and founders. He and his partners founded Washington Avenue Ventures, focusing on investing, consulting, and partnering with early- and growth-stage companies looking to scale or exit. Levinsohn has also been deeply involved in local community and real estate development. He enjoys authentically curated adventures with his family, friends, and his new podcast, Flying with Founders.
Jillian Lorenz (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, ‘00) is the co-founder of The Barre Code, a fitness franchise that's skyrocketed since its 2010 Chicago launch. Now boasting over 40 locations, The Barre Code offers group classes focused on personal growth and self-acceptance, blending cardio, strength training, and relaxation. Jillian's love for movement dates back to her early dancing and choreography days. She holds a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State, where she was also her sorority president. Post-grad, she entered the consulting world, gaining a decade of business experience. Since starting The Barre Code, Jillian's expertise has been showcased in Forbes, Vogue, and other major outlets. She's a sought-after speaker at entrepreneurship panels, including those at the University of Chicago and Northwestern. In 2018, she won the Spartan Innovator of the Year award from the Chicago Spartans.
Pete Martin (B.A. Hospitality Business, ‘09) is a dedicated tech veteran, having spent over a decade in the industry, most recently as co-founder of B2B Saas Tech company ALTR. After moving back home to Michigan, Martin was inspired by the state's burgeoning yet underrated startup activity and is committed to boosting recognition of the great companies being built here. His expertise extends to scaling engineering teams, developing precise positioning and messaging, devising effective pricing strategies, and transitioning companies from sales-led to product-led growth. He highly values cultivating a positive culture and keenly understands go-to-market strategies.
Steve Parkis (B.A. Financial Administration, ‘92) is a tech leader who has made waves from Silicon Valley to LA, helming roles at industry giants like Microsoft, Zynga, and Disney. His portfolio boasts blockbuster products like Farmville, Xbox, and Club Penguin. With experience in high-stakes business deals, including company sales and IPOs, Steve knows how to create disruptive technology and drive market innovation. He's the force behind JoyfulMagic and collaborates with Embarc Collective, a startup incubator in Tampa founded by Jeff Vinik. Parkis currently lives in Orlando and is a startup advisor and angel investor. Steve holds a Finance degree from Michigan State and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Jack Peurach (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, ‘87) started his engineering journey at Berkeley Process Control in 1990, eventually heading their engineering team. He transitioned into management consulting at Mercer, helping tech firms plan for growth. In 2004, Peurach took a leap into the green energy sector, joining PowerLight as VP of Products. When PowerLight merged with SunPower in 2007, it quickly became a global name in solar energy, and Jack rose to be the Executive VP. Simultaneously, he co-founded Ekso Bionics, a pioneering firm in wearable exoskeletons. In 2018, he became Ekso's CEO, holding that role until 2022. Jack is a triple threat academically: he has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State, an M.S. in the same field from UC Berkeley, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Business School.
James Pita (B.S. Computer Science,'07) is a Ph.D. in Computer Science, an AI scientist, entrepreneur, and investor who has worked on and invested in AI-based solutions across industries. In 2013, he co-founded Avata Intelligence, an AI services company that was acquired by Procore Technologies in 2020. Pita's other notable accomplishments include numerous scientific publications, helping pioneer the field of security games, working as an Operations Researcher for RAND Corporation, and over a decade of experience working on AI applications for defense including the United States (US) Coast Guard, US Transportation Security Administration, and US Federal Air Marshal Service. He continues to work at Procore Technologies as a Principal Machine Learning Engineer and is an active angel investor.
Brandon Pollak (B.S. Political Science, ‘02) is a senior principal at Cityfi, a business advisory and government affairs firm. He possesses twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, startup executive, and political strategist crafting creative public policy solutions to open emerging sectors and scale high-growth businesses. With a passion for ecosystem building, Brandon co-founded DC-based startup incubator and venture fund 1776, a global hub designed for companies tackling major challenges in highly regulated sectors. Brandon serves as an advisor, convener, and connector between governments, institutions, startups, and key stakeholders on bolstering the innovation economy.
Sheela Sethuraman (M.A. Education Technology, '97) is the founder and CEO of CueThink, an application focused on improving math problem-solving and collaboration skills. She has over twenty years of experience building and implementing educational technology solutions in classrooms. Sheela was Project Director at Pearson Education, Director of Technology at CAST, and has been a member of various consortiums centered around education technology.
Amy Smith (B.S. Kinesiology and Exercise Science, ’97) is Indeed's Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Transformation and Operations. She is responsible for investment management and talent development of the SMB product, technology, and engineering organization. Previously Amy served as the SVP of Product & Partnerships at Techstars, where she was responsible for the evolution of product service offerings for founders and partners. Before joining Techstars, Amy led product management at ZOLL Data Systems. She led a team of product professionals to deliver end-to-end integrated solutions to streamline and modernize the EMS and Fire first responder and back-office workflows through telemedicine, mobile, and enterprise data management solutions.
Jun Wang (M.S. Industrial Mathematics, '04) is a seasoned Silicon Valley tech executive. After spending a decade at Twitter building and leading a global org of software engineers, data scientists, and technical program managers, he's recently back pursuing his entrepreneurial passion with Catalyte.io as the CTO, where they use Artificial Intelligence to solve America's talent shortage problems. Previously, he ran product management and data science at a venture-funded startup in the fin-tech space. Before this, he spent 5 years managing Google’s analytics and data science teams in different products: Maps, Adwords, and Payment. He started his career in risk management at HSBC after getting his master’s degree in industrial Math at MSU. Jun is a startup advisor, angel investor, tech consultant, and board member in his spare time, helping companies in various stages with business strategy, product management, and technical topics around big data and machine learning.
Kyle Welch (B.A. Hospitality Business, ‘09)is the co-founder and CEO of Chicago Scoops. Scoops owns and operates 50+ Cold Stone Creamery locations across 15 states. Prior, Welch served as Operating Partner of Chicago Caesars, a multi-unit Little Caesars franchise group and as CEO of Epic Burger, leading the brand to be named in the 40/40 List for 2020: America's hottest startup fast casuals. Mr. Welch began his professional career at Sizzling Platter, a multi-concept restaurant management company, as the lean champion, leading process improvement, market acquisition and new store openings. Welch holds a degree in hospitality business from Michigan State University. Kyle currently serves on the auxiliary board for College Possible Chicago, as a mentor at the Food Foundry Chicago and as a founding board member of Prosper Chicago, a non-profit dedicated to erasing food insecurity in Chicago. In 2020, he was recognized as a member of Crain's Chicago 40 under 40, and in 2021, was awarded the Young Alumni Grand Award from Michigan State University.
Hal Widlansky (B.A. Telecommunication, ‘92) is CEO of Sorfeo and is an experienced executive — and an “adventure capitalist” at heart. He loves finding himself at the crossroads of business and technology, where he strives to blaze new trails. His 20+ year career has spanned digital publishing, e-commerce, travel technology, and healthcare.
Bringing Value to Spartans Will.
Providing mentorship and encouraging professional networking, EIRs are chosen based on their expertise and deep connections within their respective industries. At the start of the semester, each EIR is matched with multiple student founders who have been accepted into the Launch venture creation program. Each EIR is empowered to work with their assigned students across the academic year, helping them build their ventures toward market readiness.
The Burgess Institute’s venture creation program is open to all MSU students, advancing their venture ideas through the Discovery and Launch programs. Discovery allows students to build a business plan through researching, testing, and strategic planning. Once student teams reach their tailored milestones within Discovery and are ready to take their company to market, they can apply for admission into Launch. The application process requires student venturers to pitch their startups to Burgess Institute EIRs, who, together with program advisors, decide if teams are ready to move forward.
Lori Fischer, the Burgess Institute’s director of operations, reflects on the benefits EIRs provide for student experience. “As student success remains our top priority, I am so excited to see the impact EIRs have on our student community,” said Fischer. “Every year, our EIRs are matched with students with similar interests and backgrounds. Working with like-minded professionals grants students the resources to build their startups and projects and discover the reach of their potential.”
Last year, students used these connections to advance their entrepreneurial ventures and deepen their skill sets. Serving as venture coaches for the 2023 Burgess New Venture Challenge, multiple EIRs worked directly with student competitors, lending their personal experiences to benefit aspiring innovators at Michigan State University.
Christopher Sell, the Burgess Institute’s associate director of development, has prioritized diversity when choosing this group of professionals. Alums in consideration for this critically important role were chosen based on their respective industries, professional accomplishments, geographic connectivity, and emerging or continued interest in supporting entrepreneurship education at MSU.
“It’s important to have this group of professionals mirror the diversity we see on Michigan State’s campus and the community across our venture creation and academic programs. We want to make sure we bring forward a group of alumni who collectively represent the best of the Spartan Nation in an authentic way.”
The Burgess Institute continues to spearhead entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic space. Since the inception of the EIR program, its goal has been to provide student venturers with a strong foundation of mentorship and collaboration with experts. The program's continued growth will set the 2023–2024 EIR cohort on a trajectory to further drive student success.