Zell Lurie Institute's Annual Entrepreneurship Symposium to Explore Innovation in Many Forms

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business will host its annual entrepreneurial symposium, Entrepalooza, on Sept. 21 at the University's Blau Auditorium. This year's event will feature a keynote address from Anil Arora, a 1984 graduate of the Ross Business School and the president and CEO of Yodlee, as well as panel discussions and networking centered on the theme Innovation in Many Forms.

Co-presented by the Ross School of Business Entrepreneur and Venture Club and the School's Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Entrepalooza brings together established leaders in entrepreneurship and venture capital to share the secrets behind their success with students, alumni, faculty and members of the broader business community.  It is free to attendees.

Program Features Expert Advice and Ample Networking

The day-long program will kick off with the keynote address from Arora on the theme of "Be More." It will provide lessons from his own experiences growing the Yodlee, a personal finance data platform that transforms data and insights into scalable financial management solutions for banks, entrepreneurs, and the people they serve, from 10 employees in 2000 to one of the leading financial services companies in the country with 700 employees.

Thomas Kinnear, Executive Director of the Zell Lurie Institute, will recognize Arora with the Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a prestigious honor that acknowledges significant contributions to the entrepreneurial community by a Ross School of Business graduate. Other recent recipients of the honor include Brad Keywell, co-founder of deal-of-the-day website Groupon and Jeffrey Williams, one of Ann Arbor's most notable serial entrepreneurs who held leadership positions with Accuri Cytometers and HandyLab prior to his current role as CEO of University medical device spinoff Life Magnetics.

The remainder of the program includes networking opportunities and several panel presentations that will bring together local business and venture capital executives to provide expert advice on key business development and funding topics including:

• Innovating in Corporations
• Startups: Successes and Failures
• Launching While at School
• Financing Your New Venture

Pre-Event Business Model Competition

There will also be a Business Model Competition the day before Entrepalooza. On the evening of Sept. 20, five student teams will have three minutes to pitch a business plan, followed by a three minute Q&A session with a panel of experienced entrepreneurial professionals. The winning team will receive $500 and automatic advancement to the Venture Shaping round in Zell Lurie's Dare to Dream Grant Program.

For more information or to register to attend the event, please go to http://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 / Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance 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 organization and events that serve to provide viable networks and engage the business community. The School's three student-led investment funds, with over $5M in management, immerse students in the business assessment and investment process. Members of the Advisory Board include Samuel Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments; Michael Hallman, former COO of Microsoft Corporation; and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc.  For more information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute