University of Michigan's Annual Entrepalooza Symposium to Feature Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business announced that it will host its annual entrepreneurial symposium, Entrepalooza, on Friday, Sept. 12 from 8:30am to 2:00pm at the Michigan League, located at 911 N. University Ave. in Ann Arbor, Mich. This year's event will feature a keynote address at 9:00 a.m. from Rob Pelinka, BBA '93, JD '96 and founder and CEO of Landmark Sports Agency, who will be introduced by Zack Novak, BBA '12 and three-year U-M men's basketball captain.

The annual university-wide symposium is sponsored by the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Ross School of Business Entrepreneur and Venture Club, the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovate Blue, the School of Information and Ann Arbor SPARK, and is free to attendees. It brings together entrepreneurship and venture capital leaders to share their insights and experiences with students from many areas of study, alumni, faculty and members of the broader business community.  

Pelinka and Panelists to Share Secrets of Success with Budding Entrepreneurs
The half-day symposium will begin with a keynote from Rob Pelinka, a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Business and Law Schools. While at U-M, Pelinka played on three NCAA Basketball Final Four teams, and won an NCAA Basketball National Championship in 1989. After graduating from Michigan, Pelinka began a career in sports law, where he became one of the world's preeminent sports agents by representing such global icons as Kobe Bryant and James Harden through Landmark Sports Agency, which he founded. Pulling from his own educational and entrepreneurial experiences, Pelinka will speak about his business endeavors and share anecdotal advice with the motivated entrepreneurs in the audience.

The program also includes concurrent panel presentations by leaders in the local entrepreneurial and venture capital community to provide expert advice on topics including:

• Young Entrepreneurs Make their Mark 
• Pathways to Entrepreneurship
• Innovating in Corporations

Confirmed speakers for this year's event include Tyler Paxton (MBA '11), founder of Are You A Human; Andrew Bank, co-founder of Larky and Techstreet; Doug Cass, co-founder of Kahootz Toys and Giddy Up; Paul Schrems (Eng Sys MSE '12), co-founder & director of product development at TurtleCell; Danny Ellis (MSE Aerosp '13, BSE Aerosp '11), co-founder & CEO of SkySpecs; and Cavan Canavan (MBA '12), co-founder of Focus.

Post-Event 'Lunch and Learn' Offers Insights from Leading Resources
Following the event, there will be an informal luncheon from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. that will provide students the opportunity to have small group discussions on a variety of selected topics with experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about the different stages of the start-up lifecycle and starting businesses in different industries.

For more information or to register to attend the event, please go to www.epalooza.bus.umich.edu/. To receive event updates or share your thoughts from the symposium, use hashtag #epalooza on Twitter.

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business, bring together a potent mix of knowledge, experience and opportunities from the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investments. The student learning experience is further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial clubs and events that serve to provide viable networks and engage the business community. The School's three student-led investment funds, with over $6.5M under management, immerse students in the business assessment and investment process. Founding Board Members include Samuel Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments, and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. For more information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

About the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. At the Ross School of Business, our mission is to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society.

The Ross School is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA (Evening and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, BBA, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers non-degree, open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute