Several founders who received NEF coaching in past years will rejoin us to share inside stories of their journeys down the path of entrepreneurship. They will share their initial visions for their companies and how those have grown or evolved over the years of interacting with their customers and investors.

Moderator

New Enterprise Forum will be presenting Skip Simms, former Ann Arbor SPARK vice president and Michigan Angel Fund managing member, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his substantial contributions to the startup ecosystem in the state of Michigan. This award will be presented by Rick Snyder, Co-Founder and CEO of SensCy and the former Governor of Michigan. Skip and Rick w

Our panel will explore the different kinds of startup accelerator and incubator partners, and how founders and entrepreneurs can identify the right one for their business.

Moderator

Selected entrepreneurs will each give a four-minute pitch of their business plan to a panel of investor judges in a “Shark Tank” format.  PowerPoint slides are not permitted. Think of it as the proverbial “elevator speech.”

After each pitch, the judges will give detailed feedback and score the business. At the end of the evening, the person with the highest score will receive a $250 cash prize.as well as the opportunity to receive a free Business Readiness Assessment from NEF.

Contestants

• Amika Adams I from Latrenae’ Collection
• Austin Pollock from Reel Free
• Tyler S