University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship

What University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship does

The University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) is an academic center housed within the U-M College of Engineering that delivers entrepreneurship education and venture-formation programming to all University of Michigan students, from undergraduates through PhDs, across every school. Founded in 2008 by Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, the center operates core instructional assets — 30+ sections of ENTR courses, the 12-credit Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Entrepreneurship Leadership Program — alongside experiential platforms including the Perot Jain TechLab Series (50+ startup partners), NSF I-Corps / Great Lakes I-Corps Hub cohorts, the EHour speaker series, MBVF (Michigan Business Venture Fund), and the Fuel micro-grant program. The center is based at the Duderstadt Center on the Ann Arbor campus and reports engagement with 30,000+ students cumulatively. Its business model is institutional rather than commercial: programming is funded through U-M's operating budget, tuition, philanthropic gifts, and the MBVF seed fund, with no disclosed revenue or external sales. The center's strategic posture in 2026 includes launching a virtual I-Corps summer cohort, adding a Scandinavia study-abroad offering, and operating under newly appointed Executive Director Dr. Kurt Skifstad.

Name

University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship

Legal name

The Regents of the University of Michigan

Website

https://cfe.umich.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship is an academic center within U-M's College of Engineering, founded in 2008, that delivers entrepreneurship courses, experiential programs, and seed funding to more than 30,000 students across all University of Michigan schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education and Venture Acceleration Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAHAH

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Business Schools & Management Institutes

SECONDARYEDAMAHAC

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAMAKAK

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/College & Career Enrichment (Mentorship, Internships, Portfolio)

SECONDARYEDAMAHAA

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYFSANAHAD

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Venture acceleration
• Startup funding
• Innovation programs
• Academic courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. University of Michigan Institutional Funding: As a unit of the University of Michigan's College of Engineering, CFE is primarily funded through institutional university budgets, which include tuition revenue, state appropriations, and university-wide entrepreneurship ecosystem support. Courses count as standard academic credit billed through standard U-M tuition.
2. Graduate Certificate Tuition (double-counted within existing degree): The 12-credit Graduate Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship is available at no extra tuition cost for full-time enrolled graduate students (courses fall under their primary academic career, e.g., Rackham). Students double-count credits between the certificate and their primary degree. This is not a separate revenue stream but a programmatic offering under the existing tuition structure.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: CFE accepts charitable donations through the University of Michigan's giving portal. Donors contribute to support student programs, fellowships, and venture funding.
4. Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF): MBVF provides seed investments to life science startups at U-M, driving biomedical innovations into clinical care. This is an investment fund (not revenue-generating for CFE), managed by CFE, that fuels the life science startup ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

The University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship delivers entrepreneurship education, immersive startup-experience programs, and venture acceleration support to U-M students and researchers. It offers over 30 ENTR course sections, a 12-credit Graduate Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, the Perot Jain TechLab Series, the NSF I-Corps program, the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund, the EHour speaker series, and Fuel student-venture funding (up to $25,000 per award).

Product overview

The University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) is an educational support unit, not a technology product company. CFE offers a portfolio of educational programs including ENTR undergraduate and graduate courses covering entrepreneurship fundamentals, AI, product development, and venture creation; the Graduate Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship (12 credits); the year-long Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) with coaching and internship support; the Perot Jain TechLab Series (PJTL) providing hands-on experience with startups in autonomous vehicles, electrification, climate tech, healthtech, and aerospace; I-Corps customer discovery programs; Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund seed investments; EHour weekly speaker series; and Fuel funding program for student ventures up to $25,000 per award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP): Year-long immersive program providing deep training and mentorship for select cohort of students to develop individual leadership, operations, innovation, and execution skills
• Perot Jain TechLab Series (PJTL)
• Fuel
• EHour (Entrepreneurship Hour)
• Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF)
• I-Corps

Products and services

• ENTR Courses Over 30 academic-credit-bearing ENTR courses covering entrepreneurship fundamentals, AI, venture capital, patent law, product development, marketing, leadership, and sector-specific tracks (healthtech, climate, electrification, space, defense). Open to all University of Michigan undergraduate through PhD students from every school and college. Courses are mapped to a three-essentials framework: Entrepreneurial Mindset, Creating Ventures, and Motivating People.
• Graduate Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship A 12-credit academic graduate certificate program for U-M master's, PhD, and professional-degree students that complements their primary degree with innovation and entrepreneurship skills. Available at no extra tuition for full-time enrolled graduate students (effective July 2019), with up to 6 credits double-countable toward the student's primary degree.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) A year-long immersive program combining experiential learning with coaching to help University of Michigan students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and leadership skills. Includes ENTR 470 and ENTR 480 courses (6 credits total), coaching connection, and summer internship opportunities.
• Perot Jain TechLab Series (PJTL) Hands-on experiential programs pairing University of Michigan student teams with post-Series A startups in five sector verticals: autonomous vehicles (Mcity), transportation electrification, climate change, healthcare innovation (HealthTech), and air & space. Year-long commitment earning 6 academic credits across the Winter and Fall semesters. Over 50 startup partners and 1,500+ partner engagements to date.
• NSF I-Corps Program National Science Foundation I-Corps customer-discovery and entrepreneurial methodology program hosted by CFE through the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub. Provides experiential education to help university innovators (grad students, faculty, postdocs, undergrads, community teams) understand the potential value of their research via customer discovery and iterative testing. Free for all participants; summer 2026 virtual cohort runs July 10 – August 21, 2026.
• Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) Seed investment and startup support program that accelerates U-M treatments and technologies in therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and health IT. Provides seed investments and startup support to life-science startups emerging from U-M, bridging cutting-edge biomedical research and clinical-care commercialization.
• EHour (Entrepreneurship Hour) A weekly speaker series held every Friday during fall and winter semesters featuring intimate interviews with pioneering entrepreneurs and societal changemakers. Open to U-M students, staff, parents, friends, and the broader community. Also available as a for-credit companion course (ENTR 407).
• Fuel University of Michigan funding program supporting student innovation through non-competitive monthly awards of up to $25,000 per team, along with expert feedback from a panel of entrepreneurs to help teams achieve milestones.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 students empowered since 2008
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Programs (IPE) — U-M College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CFE collaborates with U-M's International Programs (IPE) to offer study abroad programs in innovation and entrepreneurship. Spring/summer programs in Scandinavia provide undergraduate students with global immersion experiences in international startup ecosystems. Students receive direct transfer credit through this collaboration.
• Perot Jain TechLab Startup Partners (50+ companies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFE's Perot Jain TechLab Series partners with 50+ post-Series A startups across five sectors (autonomous vehicles/Mcity, electrification, climate change, healthtech, air & space). Startups gain access to top U-M STEM talent for exploratory technical projects; students gain real-world startup experience and mentorship. Companies keep all IP associated with projects. No financial cost to companies. Partners include Adastec, AIPhas, Arbor Battery Innovation, Baraja, Biliti Electric, Buyutech, Capoom, Carmera, Civil Maps, Cowboy Clean Fuels, Deepen AI, DeepMap, Drover, ElectricFish, Flare, FleetLab, Flow Aluminum, Foresight, Fortera, Gatik, Gekot, GigXR, Grounded, Heirloom Carbon, Hippo, Humanising Autonomy, InceptEV, Innoviz Technologies, Life Magnetics, Livaq, Marel Power, May Mobility, Medicool Technologies, Mission Zero, Navya, NIFT, NX Fuels, P3Mobility, Paebbl, Point One, Polysync, Refraction AI, Retrospect AI, Ride Your Way, RightHook, Seoul Robotics, SkyNano, Spin, Tome, Trillium, Utilidata, VTI Aerospace, Xenomatix, and Zendrive.
• NSF I-Corps / Great Lakes I-Corps HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFE hosts the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub, part of the National Science Foundation's national network. The program teaches university innovators to think like entrepreneurs through customer discovery. CFE staff (Emily Demko as Assistant Director of NSF I-Corps Program, Dr. Daniela Koniczek as Innovator Outreach & Development Specialist, Christopher Eakin as Marketing & Communications Specialist) manage the regional hub. Impact reports are published annually.
• Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBVF accelerates treatments and technologies from U-M through seed investments and startup support. Managed by CFE staff (John Seamans as MBVF Manager, Dr. Nimisha Nandankar as Venture Analyst). MBVF bridges cutting-edge biomedical research and startups, driving innovations into clinical care. It is funded by the U-M Medical School and College of Engineering.
• Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies (Ross School of Business)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZLI provides business-focused entrepreneurial advising, student-led fund management, Michigan Business Challenge competition ($100,000+ in prizes), Zell Entrepreneurs Program (up to $10,000 funding), Wolverine Venture Fund, Social Venture Fund, Zell Early Stage Fund, Zell Founders Fund, Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, and Student Startup Grants ($500–$5,000). CFE and ZLI cross-refer students and coordinate the broader U-M entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Mcity (U-M Transportation Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerot Jain TechLab at Mcity uses Mcity's facilities — a U-M public-private partnership test bed for connected and automated vehicles — for student startup projects in the autonomous vehicle sector. Mcity's director Jonathan Fay serves on CFE's Faculty Advisory Committee.
• Desai Accelerator (U-M)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 2013, Desai Accelerator is a professional 7-month business accelerator open to early-stage, tech-enabled startups run by recent U-M graduates. Startups receive funding, tailored mentorship, national visibility, and resources. CFE refers advanced student ventures to Desai for acceleration.
• Ann Arbor SPARKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnn Arbor SPARK supports high-tech and innovative business, jobs, and investment in the greater Ann Arbor region. CFE partners with SPARK for Discovery Treks and ecosystem connections. SPARK also hosts Tech Homecoming events that expose students to the Ann Arbor startup community.
• Economic Growth Institute (U-M)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Economic Growth Institute bridges businesses and the university. CFE partners with EGI for the Reimagining Companies Through Innovation practicum (ENTR 420), where student teams work with real companies to analyze business, assess market potential, and provide strategic recommendations.
• Entrepreneurship Law Clinic (U-M Law School)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Zell Entrepreneurship Law Clinic provides general educational information on legal issues common to startup ventures through weekly office hours. Clinic faculty and students meet with hundreds of entrepreneurs each year, providing legal information across the U-M campus.
• U-M Design Clinic (School of Information)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U-M Design Clinic offers weekly walk-in advising for students and area entrepreneurs, with longer-term consultation based on client need. CFE refers students and ventures seeking UX/design support to the Design Clinic.
• Business+Impact (Ross School of Business)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness+Impact offers coursework and action-based learning for mission-driven organizations across sectors. CFE cross-refers students interested in social entrepreneurship and impact-driven ventures to Business+Impact programs.
• optiMize (U-M Social Innovation Challenge)minorStrategic or Co-development PartneroptiMize runs a 6-month incubator for students to turn ideas into impact, providing workshops, mentorship, and up to $20,000 in funding. In 2019, awarded $300,000 to 36 projects. CFE refers early-stage student ventures to optiMize for social innovation incubation.
• UX Design Lab (U-M School of Information)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UX Design Lab offers the only UX consulting service serving entrepreneurs in the Michigan area, including U-M students. CFE refers students and ventures needing UX research and design support to this resource.
• Student Organizations (M-Powered, V1, Shift, Biotech/Engr/Coding Club, Design+Business Club, Enactus, Net Impact, Michigan Hackers, M-HEAL, MedLaunch, and more)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFE collaborates with 10+ U-M student organizations focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture creation. These organizations serve as peer referral channels and co-host events, treks, and competitions that feed into CFE programs.
• Global CO2 Initiative (U-M)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Dr. Volker Sick (CFE faculty), the Global CO2 Initiative focuses on reducing atmospheric CO2 by transforming CO2 into commercially successful products. This initiative provides the academic and research backbone for PJTL Climate Change students and partner companies.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UMCFE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UMCFE
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMCFE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-michigan-center-for-entrepreneurship-cfe
• Instagraminstagram.com/umcfe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship