Kurt Skifstad
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@kurt-skifstad-4b42b5
A product of Michigan Engineering (BSE CompE ’86, MSE CSE ’87, Ph.D. CSE ’90), Kurt brings to this role more than 25 years of experience leading successful early- and growth-stage companies.
After founding his first company following graduation and leading that business through international expansion and ultimate sale, Kurt held CEO and other senior executive roles in several innovation-driven, venture capital-backed companies. With three of those companies having their roots in university research, Kurt understands the unique challenges faced by these types of ventures. Most recently, Kurt was recruited by investors to lead a comprehensive turnaround of a healthcare analytics company, where he rebuilt the team, technology base, and go-to-market focus while quadrupling revenue over a five-year period.
Kurt’s enthusiasm for the opportunities afforded by entrepreneurship education was sparked when he taught IOE 422 (Entrepreneurship) for several semesters in the early 2010s. He is particularly drawn to the challenges and pace of change in innovation-driven startups. He is a strong advocate for the foundational importance of a company's culture.
Kurt is active in the local ecosystem as an advisor and mentor to early-stage entrepreneurs and has served on local and national nonprofit boards.

Sessions
Catch the speaker at these sessions
There is a reason that the University of Michigan produces the most startup founders of any institution across the globe (#7 for undergraduate founders and #16 for graduate alumni founders) - dedicate startup resources, mentors, accelerators and capital opportunities on campus! Learn how to access all that UMich has to offer to work on your startup with leaders from each of the innovation centers across the campus sharing more about how to work with them.
Sessions
Catch this year's 70+ speakers at MTW 2023 from October 9-12.
Where’s the event?
MTW 2023 will take place at the University of Michigan football stadium - Big House! - on Oct 9-10 and at Venue 4M on Oct 11-12. Doors open at 8:00 am and the event programming experience will run from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (EST.)
Food & Drinks will be provided!
Sharon Matusik
Peter Walker
Kathryn Snorrason, David Woessner, Sasi Prabhakaran PhD, Rahul Gayam, Rasmus Bendvold
Carla Walker-Miller, Lisa Lunsford, Maria Thompson
Charles Hudson
Jenn Onwenu & Tim Lewis
Lara Pender, Alison Accavitti, Edi Demaj, Kevin Heras
Priya Gogoi, Chase Lee, Ben Chehebar, Matthew Burns, Adrian Fortino
James Meeks
Priya Gogoi, Margarita Hernandez, Kalyan Handique, Roger Newton, Len Middleton, David Bloom
Lisa Katz, Sarah Gretter PhD, Maragarita Hernandez PhD, Tom Steward, Joe Thiel
Chris Yeh
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Hilary Doe, Mayor Christopher Taylor & Mayor Mike Duggan
Stacy Brown-Philpot, Greg Schwartz
Devon Townsend & Mike Vichich
Johnnie Turnage & Hill Harper
Justin Turk, Chelsea Plant, Kurt Baumgarten
Austin Yarger, Vanessa Lane, Natalie Fang, Ben Kvalo, Fred Schmidt
Terrance J.L. Reeves, Ashton Keys, Shalanda Armstrong
Dhani Jones & Ted Velie
Kelly Sexton, Jeni Olney, Kristen Wolff, Stewart Thornhill, Kurt Skifstad
Ryan Morrison, Michael Meadows, Melanie de Vries, Jonn Behrman, Ian Washington
Meagan Ward
Nia Batts & Sophia Bush
Ryan Landau, Chening Duker, Deirdre Roberson, Terra Osman
Lindsey Kilbride, Will Fung, Alison Todak, Jim Tenzillo, Chris Thomas, Joe Kaiser
MTW 2023 Now On Sale
Body: Tickets are on sale now until October 8. Tickets will be available at the gate.
Good news! Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarship tickets for individuals to attend MTW 2023. If you would like to request a scholarship ticket, please complete this form and our selection team will contact you if you are eligible for a scholarship ticket.
If you’re interested, tell us about yourself by submitting a scholarship application by 10/4!