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Greg and Dawn Williams Make Historic 1 Million Commitment to MSU and Spartan Athletics
Dec. 5, 2025 By Tim Day, Matt Larson Michigan State University today announced a historic 1 million commitment from Greg and Dawn Williams. Made through the university’s “Uncommon Will, Far Better World” campaign and in support of MSU Athletics’ FOR SPARTA initiative, this is the largest single commitment in the history of MSU and one of the largest single amounts in college athletics history. Their generosity will dramatically transform Spartan Athletics and fuel academic excellence across multiple disciplines, reinforcing MSU’s mission to empower students and serve communities across Michigan and beyond. “The commitment that Greg and Dawn are making represents…
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MSUWE Hosted Their Annual Pitch Competition Featuring Nine Ambitious Students
Dec. 5, 2025 By: Helena Najar, Red Cedar Log; Photography by Sloane Barlow MSU Women in Entrepreneurship’s WE Pitch Competition, November 10, 2025. Their mission is “to inspire and support women interested in entrepreneurship by fostering a collaborative, innovative, and empowering community”.On Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, Michigan State University’s Women in Entrepreneurship organization hosted their seventh annual Pitch Competition. The MSUWE Pitch Competition gives young female entrepreneurs at MSU the opportunity to compete to have their businesses funded. “The whole purpose behind the event is to give women founders a chance to comfortably practice pitching as well as earning some…
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Steve Lang Advances Spartan Entrepreneurship Through Experiential Learning
Dec. 1, 2025 By Katie Haley A longtime business leader, investor, and champion of Northern Michigan entrepreneurship, Steve Lang has committed his career to building companies, supporting founders, and strengthening the ecosystems that help them grow. Through his recent gift to the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, he’s opening those same doors for the next generation of Spartans. Throughout his career, Lang has been a builder of systems — not just businesses. He launched into a career that spanned the energy industry, HR leadership, and eventually the financial services sector. He helped found and lead Forethought Financial Services before…
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Michigan State University’s Entrepreneurship Program Ranked No. 3 in the Midwest by The Princeton Review
Nov. 12, 2025 By Katie Haley The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has once again earned national recognition by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur.com, securing the No. 3 spot in the Midwest and No. 8 in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. This marks the eighth consecutive year that MSU has been recognized as a leader in entrepreneurship education and the first time the university has broken into the top 10 nationally. This ranking recognizes MSU’s continued leadership in fostering student innovation and preparing entrepreneurs for real-world success. “Our entrepreneurship ecosystem isn’t confined to one college or one kind…
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Farewell to the MSU Hatch
Oct. 27, 2025 By Katie Haley During Venture Summit: Rivalry & Resilience, Michigan State University’s annual gathering of Spartan entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders, the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation announced the closure of the MSU Hatch at the end of this year. For more than a decade, the MSU Hatch has been the beating heart of the entrepreneurship ecosystem at MSU. Located just off campus on Grand River Ave., the incubator space served as a launchpad for Spartan dreamers, doers, and builders, a place where ideas came alive, friendships formed, and ventures took flight. A History of Innovation Since…
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From East Lansing to Silicon Valley: Spartan Startups Are Scaling Through Y Combinator
Oct. 27, 2025 By Katie Haley Each year, tens of thousands of startups apply to Y Combinator. This highly selective accelerator program provides funding and mentorship to early-stage companies, including famous startups like Airbnb, Stripe, Instacart, Reddit, and more. For founders, earning a spot in the program is a sign they’re building something with the potential to change the world. Over the past several years, a growing number of those founders have shared something powerful in common: they’re Spartans. From AI to EdTech to productivity and entertainment, Michigan State University alums have earned their place among the world’s most promising…
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Mark and Marcia Hooper Establish Entrepreneurial Scholarship at Michigan State University
Oct. 20, 2025 By Katie Haley For Mark and Marcia Hooper, entrepreneurship has always been more than a career path; it’s a mindset built on integrity, hard work, and service. Now, the 1976 graduates of Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University are investing in the next generation of Spartan entrepreneurs through the newly established Mark and Marcia Hooper Entrepreneurial Scholarship, a ,000 annual award supporting students engaged with the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The Hoopers’ Spartan journey began nearly five decades ago. What started as a shared passion for learning and discovery grew into a…
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Inaugural Venture Summit Cements New Fall Tradition, Marks MSU Hatch’s Tenth Anniversary
Contact(s): Diego Fernandez and Aaryn Richard On Friday, September 23rd, the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation opened its doors to the public, kicking off its inaugural two-day gathering, Venture Summit. This year’s event marked the MSU Hatch’s decade-long service to Spartan venturers. Venture Summit drew nearly 200 entrepreneurs, investors, makers, and shakers — alums and students alike — to East Lansing. We wanted to create an event that celebrated The Hatch, showcased student success, and strengthened ties to our ecosystem, said Laurel Ofstein, the Burgess Institute’s faculty director. We also wanted to give returning alums the chance to see…
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MSU Entrepreneur Leadership Camp Inspires Michigans Next Generation of Innovators
June 10, 2025 By Katie Haley Each summer Michigan State University becomes a hub of ambition and innovation for the next generation of entrepreneurs. From June 23-26, high school students from across Michigan arrive to campus ready to embark upon their entrepreneurial journey. From Grand Rapids to Detroit and everywhere between students come not just as visitors, but as emerging innovators ready to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset. Founded in 2022 by MSU’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Multicultural Business Programs (MBP), the Entrepreneur Leadership Camp transforms the Entrepreneurship Lab at the Eli Broad College of Business into a…
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Six Spartan Startups to Showcase at 16th Annual “Making It In Michigan” Trade Show
May 5, 2025 Six student-led startups from Michigan State University will showcase their products at the 16th annual Making It In Michigan (MIIM) Trade Show on May 7, from 11:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m at the Lansing Center. Hosted by the MSU Product Center and sponsored by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), MIIM is the state’s premier event for food and agriculture entrepreneurs to connect, sell, and promote their Michigan-made products. The five Spartan ventures, supported by MSU’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, will join more than 200 vendors and exhibitors showcasing their products and…