PRIOR Speakers

past Speakers

Click on photos for speaker bios.

Christopher Taylor

Building Smarter Cities: Innovation in Detroit and Ann Arbor

Lisa Lunsford

Move It: How Three Women Sparked Michigan’s Energy Revolution

Kevin Heras

Turning Customers into Capital: Raising Millions Through Early Adopters

Rasmus Bendvold

The Proof is in the Pilot: Working with Corporate Partners as a Tech Innovator

Kathryn Snorrason

The Proof is in the Pilot: Working with Corporate Partners as a Tech Innovator

Luke Cooper

MFF Venture Competition

Ian Washington

Michigan Entrepreneuer Summit

Jeni Olney

University Startups: Taking advantage of all the entrepreneur resources on UMich campus

Paul Brown

AI Launchpad Pitch Competition

Joe Kaiser

Tim Slusser

Ethan Linkner

Justin Turk

Co-Founder and CEO

Constrat AI

Katie Hall

Chening Duker

Deirdre Roberson

Co-Founder

The Lab Drawer

Kristen Wolff

Terra Osman

Dhani Jones

Investor of Adventure Capitalists

Chase Lee

Founder & CEO

Kelly Sexton

Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation Partnerships

Vanessa Lane

Co-Founder & CEO

BetterPlay Studios

Mike Duggan

Mayor of Detroit

Sharon Matusik

Dean of the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Johnnie Turnage

Hill Harper

Lawyer, Actor, Union Organizer, Founder

Ryan Landau

Lindsey Kilbride

Principle

Detroit Venture Partners (DVP)

Natalie Fang

Matthew Burns

Managing Editor

TechCrunch

Melanie de Vries

Ashley Williams

Ben Kvalo

Kurt Skifstad

Michael Meadows

Ryan Morrison

Co-Founder & CEO

Maximize

Stewart Thornhill

Executive Director

Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies

Ted Velie

Fireside Chat with Dhani Jones

Midwest House

Meagan Ward

Mike Vichich

Doug Neal

Jonn Behrman

Chelsea Plant

Jessica Willis

Founder & CEO

Pocketnest

Amanda Lewan

Kurt Baumgarten

Tansley Stearns

Tim Lewis

Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II

Lt. Governor

State of Michigan

Kelly Crandell

Better Together

2024 Speakers

Our speakers are dynamic leaders positioned to guide Michiganders to impactful careers and entrepreneurial successes state-wide.

Carla Walker-Miller

Founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services

Charles Hudson

Board Chair, National Venture Capital Association

Dug Song

Founder & Funder, Song United

Sophia Bush

Actress, Producer, Activist, and Entrepreneur

Greg Schwartz

President, COO, and Co-Founder of StockX

Stacy Brown-Philpot

Founder & Managing Partner of Cherryrock Capital

David Woessner

Co-Founder and Partner at FutureOf

Peter Walker

Head of Insights at Carta

Marlin Williams

Founder and CEO, Marlin Williams Enterprises