corinne bodeman
MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University are collaborating on the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program. This allows students to gain practical experience with the methodologies learned in class.
Students in the program work with UP companies to identify customers, strategic partners, and suppliers critical to success.
Since the Entrepreneur Fellows Program was launched last fall with support from InvestUP, the four participating UP companies have been working to determine whether there is a viable market for their inventions and identify key customers. It was helpful. By gaining commercial traction, you can work more effectively with business incubators and economic development organizations to secure the funding you need moving forward.
NMU and MTU leverage the time and talents of their students and the experience of their faculty in technology commercialization. Corinne Bodeman, a management lecturer at NMU Business College, said it would be mutually beneficial for the Entrepreneurship Camp and the Engineering Camp to communicate with each other. “Let's speak each other's language” Effectively.
“Our students have the opportunity to work with real clients and apply what they learn in class.” Boardman added. “They are trained in commercialization and introduced to the technologies that companies are working on. This puts them in a position where they have to talk to people and ask the right questions in order to effectively research the industry and find potential paths to success. It’s coming.”
Jim Baker, MTU's vice president for research and administration, said of the collaborative approach: “Providing critical support” This is a valuable learning opportunity for companies.
“Five student fellows from each school are working on this program.” Baker said. “They are informally referred to as ‘Sherpas,’ who help carry gear on the path to key milestones related to customer engagement, partner recruitment, and investment potential. It reflects the support that climbs the mountain.”
NMU senior Josh Lewandowski, one of the program's Sherpas, recently worked with a Michigan Tech startup to help advance the business toward pilot- and industrial-scale deployments. You've found a great lead customer candidate.
Houghton-based Resurgence was founded by Michigan Technological University professor David Chonnard to commercialize plastic recycling technologies developed from his research. As a result of Lewandowski's support, Resurgence is now working with a multinational company that has large operations in Michigan. This company is a potential customer for Resurgence, both as a supplier of materials it currently purchases from other sources, and as a recycler of the company's waste.
“The Sherpa program was fun. It pushed me to think outside the box and network with others.” said Lewandowski, a PR and sustainability major. “Thanks to this program, I was able to graduate with confidence in what I wanted to pursue after college and the steps I would take to get there.”
Other students have had similar success in the program.
NMU students Liv Jarzavec and Kylie Gustafson worked with an alternative salt startup to identify potential customers, resulting in several interested potato chip companies, one of which has committed to developing test products using alternative salts.
Two MTU students, Emmanuel Teigon and Brenda Chepgeno, evaluated and validated the need for a portable, lightweight emissions analyzer, leading to the identification of a key partner.
MTU student Michael Ngala said: “The Sherpa program is a unique experience that provides you with the opportunity to develop skills such as teamwork, creativity and analytical skills, and to be part of a think tank that creates lasting change in society.”
