DIFFERENT PATHS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Showcase Presentation

CrossBraining is an early-stage education technology company that has created a means for trainers and learners to break away from the factory model of education. With CrossBraining, learners demonstrate their skills through creating short, narrated videos, which allows trainers to quickly assess concept/skill mastery. The entire organization profits from embracing a more hands-on, experiential way of learning, whether in-person or remotely.

Josh Nichols is CEO of CrossBraining. He is a graduate of Spring Arbor University and a STEM/project-based learning educator for 22 years. Nichols is based in SE Michigan.

Expert Panel: Different Paths to Entrepreneurship

A panel of new and experienced entrepreneurs will discuss the various journeys they followed in starting their own businesses.

Moderator

Luke Donahue is a Consulting Director at J.D. Power, a leading Data and Analytics provider in the automotive industry. He currently specializes in data-driven analytics solutions, go to market strategy, and profit maximization consulting. Luke has been a integral member of the GAMIC Advisory Board since 2019, working in IT and social media in the global automotive marketplace. Luke is also a Director of the New Enterprise Forum in Ann Arbor. Luke earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan.

Panelists

Sarah Beatty, Founder and CEO of Culturewell, which helps hospitals prevent healthcare-associated infections through its outbreak detection platform, delivering actionable cleaning insights and cleaning audit subscriptions to stop outbreaks before they start. As former medical laboratory scientist, microbiologist, and healthcare administrator responsible for leading multiple technical teams through organizational and cultural changes, Sarah saw a unique opportunity to protect patients and hospital reputations by upending the status quo of “cleaning and hoping for the best” in healthcare. Sarah has a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Sean Carroll, Co-Founder of EnBiologics. Founded in 2016 by Ramy Habib and Sean Carroll, the Detroit-based company was originally created with the intent of producing HoneyCure, a natural veterinary wound care ointment made with UMF 15+ Manuka honey. In 2020, it pivoted from producing only its own product to helping other small businesses manufacture, package, and formulate their products.  With Sean’s knowledge of founding EnBiologics and creating HoneyCure, he uses his ideas and experiences to help other businesses grow. As a small business owner himself, he knows how to help other businesses reach their goals.  To expand his knowledge and help businesses further, he his continuing his education at the University of Michigan with a Master’s in Business Administration. 

Derrick Redding, CEO of Betterfrost. Derrick Redding brings more than 20 years of leading value creation in the automotive industry and experience with two prior startups. He has had a unique path that started in manufacturing and moved up the value chain to international leadership roles in finance, product development, sales, and innovation.  At Toyota, he led various teams in Vehicle Assembly.  Next, he moved to JCI Japan to lead finance and soon after, became CFO for the seating and electronics business in Japan.  He led a global product improvement team that doubled cost reduction.  More recently in 2014, he led a Tier 1 supplier as President. In 2017, after becoming a mentor in the Techstars Detroit program, he joined two startups as COO/CFO where he helped raise multimillion seed and grant funding and managed various product development and innovations programs. Derrick received a bachelor’s degree in physics and Economics from Beloit College, an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a Master of Engineering in Logistics from MIT.  

Networking

Come join us in person to enjoy food and drink and conversation with members of the local startup community.

Remote Viewing

Portions of this meeting will also be available for viewing online via Zoom.  For remote viewing, select an Online Ticket when registering via Eventbrite.

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