Entrepreneurial Opportunities

UMSI is now accepting project ideas for Fall 2025 UMSI courses and programs! 

• Website or app redesign sketches or prototypes based on user research
• Reports with findings from user interviews, testing, surveys and more
• Solutions to improve visibility or access to actions such as “donate” or “volunteer” on website
• Improved layout of information to better align target users with your services

Data Analysis:

• Data visualizations, including dashboards
• Analysis of data to highlight trends, impact, or other meaningful insights
• Strategies for combining and analyzing datasets from multiple sources
• Machine learning models to identify patterns and make predictions

The EMU Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center is launching the sixth cohort of the ECE and the $30,000 Venture Challenge.

Specifically, this program is for aspiring Michigan entrepreneurs with scalable and growth-oriented startup ideas who are actively involved in their idea, product development, or launching phase. Participants will meet for a half-day on eight consecutive Saturdays. There will be four in-person and four Zoom meetings. This program will not only offer comprehensive entrepreneurship training but will also bring a variety of industry experts, mentors, professional coaching teams, entrepreneurship service providers, and leading pre-seed investors to interact with the participants. In addition to graduation, the final Saturday (November 22) will host a venture challenge where participants will pitch their ideas to leading pre-seed investors in our state.

Please share this opportunity with innovators, engineers, and emerging entrepreneurs, including student’s and any others interested in starting a scalable and growth-potential venture in Michigan. The application deadline for the Fall cohort is Monday, September 8th. Potential participants can get more information about the program by visiting the link provided below.

For any specific questions, interested candidates can email entrepreneurship_center@emich.edu.

Join SPARK staff and your fellow entrepreneurs as we share a meal together and get to know each other better. Lunch will be provided in the Main Event Space (and patio if weather permits) at the SPARK Central Innovation Center. You are welcome to bring a friend, family member, or colleague who has launched, or is thinking about launching, a startup, or someone who isn’t yet familiar with SPARK and the local startup ecosystem.

This event takes place on June 18th at 12:00 pm (noon). To RSVP, contact Charlotte Dillard at charlotte@annarborusa.org.