Bob Lutz to speak on entrepreneurship-packed Friday

MEDIA ADVISORY

DATE: 2 p.m. Feb. 17 for the Clean Energy Venture Challenge awards and Bob Lutz; and 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 for the Michigan Business Challenge awards and Dare to Dream grant awards.

EVENTS: Final rounds and announcement of winners of two U-M entrepreneurship contests, the Clean Energy Venture Challenge and the Michigan Business Challenge.

Bob Lutz, retired General Motors vice chairman, will speak at the Clean Energy Venture Challenge awards ceremony (2 p.m.). In this contest, 16 student teams from six universities across Michigan are vying for $100,000 in prizes. The teams developed plans to grow clean-energy solutions into thriving businesses. Find out more about the contest and the finalist teams at www.ns.umich.edu/new/20203 . Short pitch videos from many of the teams are on YouTube at this playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist’list=PL3637A6B7D83AE5E6 .

In the Michigan Business Challenge, now in its 29th year, eight semifinalist teams are competing for $60,000 in prizes. A total of 45 teams from across U-M’s campus entered the contest this year. The challenge puts budding entrepreneurs through the rigorous business development and planning process required to commercialize a great idea. Find out more about the contest and the semifinalist teams at www.zli.bus.umich.edu/news_publications/press_releases/Release_MBC%20Round%20Two%20FINAL.pdf. At this event, a new round of Dare to Dream grants will also be awarded. The grants, which range from $500 to $10,000, encourage students to move through the business creation process.

Semifinal rounds of each contest begin earlier in the day and are open to the public. Nicole Casal Moore or Bernie DeGroat.

SPONSORS: The Clean Energy Venture Challenge is run by the U-M College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship. It was established by U-M and DTE Energy. A full list of sponsors is at the CEVC website.

The Michigan Business Challenge and Dare to Dream grant program is run and sponsored by the U-M Ross School of Business’ Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

PLACE: Ross School of Business, 701 Tappan St., Ann Arbor. Directions are at http://uuis.umich.edu/cic/buildingproject/index.cfm?BuildingID=547 . The Clean Energy finals as well as the Business Challenge and Dare to Dream awards reception are in Blau Auditorium on the floor at the Ross School.

WEB LINKS: Clean Energy Venture Challenge: http://micevc.com

Michigan Business Challenge: www.zli.bus.umich.edu/events_programs/busplan_competition.asp