Fall 2024 Sponsors

Beilein Basketball
Beilein Basketball, designed by former head coach of University of Michigan John Beilein. The Beilein is a shooting training basketball and is great for all ages to teach proper shooting form.
- Shooting Training Basketball that teaches proper ball rotation when shooting
- Black line helps the shooter analyze and correct the ball rotation
- Improves accuracy & control from any distance when shooting.
- Composite Leather cover with great touch and feel – indoor use

Black Girl MATHgic
Black Girl MATHgic's mission is to help girls build the math confidence they need to succeed in class today and society tomorrow!
The Fall 2024 team will create a successful B2B go-to-market strategy with their curated kits designed to increase math confidence and decrease math anxiety in girls on a 3rd-8th grade math level. This team can anticipate completing the funnel from outreach to client management and lead generation.

BlueConduit
BlueConduit delivers rigorously designed, predictive and decision modeling tools that empower water system leaders to make informed decisions on behalf of the communities they serve.
The Fall 2024 team will likely work to further develop BlueConduit's go-to-market strategy, increase the customer base, and increase stakeholder awareness.

Equitable Ann Arbor Trust (EA2)
Founded in 2019, the Equitable Ann Arbor Land Trust (EA2) serves as an advocate for the Ann Arbor community through catalyzing visionary plans for equitable housing, creative placemaking, and sustainable, mixed-use development.
Led by Peter Allen, a long time real estate developer and lecturer at the Ross School of Business, and U-M graduate and real estate developer Sarah Lorenz, EA2s expertise spans from real estate to sustainability, perfectly positioning us as an intermediary and broker for all future development in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor’s population continues to grow as the city faces a crisis of increasingly unaffordable housing, which forces many workers to live outside the city and commute daily. EA2 offers solutions to address these housing and transit problems, all while keeping sustainability top-of-mind.

Inspired Biometrics
Inspired Biometrics created Syne, a wearable health device that utilizes patented personalized analytics to provide real-time notifications to changes in health. Developed by Drs. Tony & Rosey Olivero, Syne provides a personalized approach to health monitoring that can enable early detection and treatment of an illness, reduce hospitalizations, and even save lives!
From infants to adults to seniors, Syne continuously monitors key biometrics and learns your individual baseline values and variations, and provides instant notifications when values or trends deviate from your norm.
We are in the midst of launching Syne and looking to partner with students to work on our digital and social media marketing, both in strategy and execution. Additional projects may include business development and strategy along with Angel Investor and Venture Capital engagements.
Poker Power
Poker Power is on a mission to amplify a network of women who play life differently. Through its virtual classes, real-life events, and mobile app Poker Power teaches decision-making, risk assessment, and negotiation skills through poker gameplay. Whether you play against the computer or join in on community games, Poker Power combines fun, personal growth and community.
Poker Power is looking to establish a strategy around merch. The brand launched its own Store in Nov 2023, but is now assessing opportunities to more strategically use merch to drive other businesses objectives such as brand awareness, growth, and retention. Students will be asked to devise a merch strategy that aligns to the company's objectives and provide recommendations for potential products, partners, and GTM strategies. The project will ideally culminate in students testing 1-2 of their ideas in market to gather data and provide actionable next steps to the Poker Power team.
Winter 2024 Sponsors

BEILEIN BASKETBALL
Beilein Basketball, designed by former head coach of University of Michigan John Beilein. The Beilein is a shooting training basketball and is great for all ages to teach proper shooting form.
- Shooting Training Basketball that teaches proper ball rotation when shooting
- Black line helps the shooter analyze and correct the ball rotation
- Improves accuracy & control from any distance when shooting.
- Composite Leather cover with great touch and feel – indoor use
CELE
Cele is a new AI startup out of the University of Michigan and Ross Business School. Cele uses Netflix and Spotify-type AI to recommend gift ideas to its users. Now, Cele is planning to integrate a ChatGPT-like feature into the product and is looking for UM students to support the initiative.
This Winter 2024 in LBLE, seize the chance to not just learn, but actively participate in shaping the integration of Large Language Models and GenAI Autonomous Agents within Cele's unique gift-giving platform. By enrolling in this course, you'll collaborate directly with Cele founders, explore the forefront of GenAI integrations, and acquire crucial insights into AI-driven business strategies.

Equitable Ann Arbor Trust (EA2)
Founded in 2019, the Equitable Ann Arbor Land Trust (EA2) serves as an advocate for the Ann Arbor community through catalyzing visionary plans for equitable housing, creative placemaking, and sustainable, mixed-use development.
Led by Peter Allen, a long time real estate developer and lecturer at the Ross School of Business, and U-M graduate and real estate developer Sarah Lorenz, EA2s expertise spans from real estate to sustainability, perfectly positioning us as an intermediary and broker for all future development in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor’s population continues to grow as the city faces a crisis of increasingly unaffordable housing, which forces many workers to live outside the city and commute daily. EA2 offers solutions to address these housing and transit problems, all while keeping sustainability top-of-mind.

Inspired Biometrics
Inspired Biometrics created Syne, a wearable health device that utilizes patented personalized analytics to provide real-time notifications to changes in health. Developed by Drs. Tony & Rosey Olivero, Syne provides a personalized approach to health monitoring that can enable early detection and treatment of an illness, reduce hospitalizations, and even save lives!
From infants to adults to seniors, Syne continuously monitors key biometrics and learns your individual baseline values and variations, and provides instant notifications when values or trends deviate from your norm.
We are preparing to launch Syne in Q1 2024 and we’re looking to partner with students to work on our digital and social media marketing, both in strategy and execution. Additional projects may include business development and strategy along with Angel Investor and Venture Capital engagements.
Fall 2023 Sponsors

BEILEIN BASKETBALL
The Fall 2023 team will likely divide into two work streams:
- Marketing and development of the product (including customer segmentation, what the actual product is we will be offering as in E-Coaching platform with basketball).
- Supply chain and logistics of the basketball (including looking to cut costs and seek a new manufacturer who can produce the same high-quality basketball, followed by the logistics of the distribution to the final customer).

Black Girl MATHgic
The Fall 2023 team will create a successful go-to-market strategy to enter the D2C (homeschool) market for a subscription box designed to increase math confidence and decrease math anxiety in girls on a 3rd-8th grade math level.
Cele
The Fall 2023 team will likely work to tackle the following projects:
- UI/UX design: incorporating customer feedback to improve the product
- Customer acquisition/ marketing: develop marketing collateral to expand the customer base and improve awareness

LENDMATE
LendMate is a user-friendly app seamlessly connecting student borrowers with a diverse range of retail lenders, streamlining the process of finding suitable lending options and empowering students to make informed financial decisions.
Winners of the '23 Business+Tech FinTech Challenge, LendMate will continue creating a G2M strategy and pitch deck for investors.
Move This World
The Fall 2023 team will likely focus on identifying stakeholder needs through interviews, focus groups, etc. Additionally, the team will likely look to expand the product and Move This World's customer base.

NRP Group
The Fall 2023 project will likely have two work streams:
- Create marketing for low-income housing and;
- Identify what stakeholders (i.e. local governments) value and how NRP can meet those needs

Relic
The Fall 2023 group will likely focus on multiple projects, including:
- Customer Acquisition and marketing
- Research funding opportunities
Winter 2023 Sponsors

15 SECONDS OF FAME
The Fall 2022 team is helping 15SoF develop a strategy that enables them to identify high-potential sponsors for their platform and develop optimal value propositions to persuade potential sponsors.

Blue Conduit
The Winter 2023 team will likely work to further develop BlueConduit's go-to-market strategy, increase the customer base, and increase stakeholder awareness.

CELE
The Winter 2023 team will be divided into the following workstreams:
- Product/Software Development - Working on UX/UI and incorporating customer feedback from beta versions into improved product iterations. This includes software architecture and data flows.
- GTM Strategy - Strategic initiatives to enter the market and generate awareness and conversions among Cele's target segments.
- Research Into Funding Opportunities - Research into VC funding opportunities and benchmark valuation comparisons, all to aid Cele’s C-suite fund efforts.

RELIC
The Fall 2022 team is performing a customer analysis through a literature review and survey, in addition to completing a detailed competitor analysis through online resources and surveys.
The team is also developing a comprehensive guide on how Relic should proceed with signing licensing deals with all the parties involved and pitch decks to present to both investors and athletes.

THE NRP GROUP
The Fall 2022 team is identifying the most pressing concerns for communities and city council members who decide whether or not to approve new affordable housing developments. Based on this research, they are creating data-driven content to educate community members on the impact of affordable housing development to alleviate these concerns.
Fall 2022 Sponsors

15 SECONDS OF FAME
The Winter 2022 team is working on two workstreams. The first is increasing brand awareness on college campuses through doing giveaways with sports social media pages on various campuses. The second is working with 15SOF to determine how to best utilize their resources and in what way and means should they sponsor a concert event that will be happening in April.
The Fall 2022 team will build upon the momentum of the winter semester, as the company prepares for a potential acquisition.

BEILEIN BASKETBALL
The Winter 2022 team is creating a more cost-friendly and efficient process to drive Beilein Baskeball’s product to its customers while developing supplementary materials for the product and refining its customer segments. The Fall 2022 team is likely to continue this work while facilitating the intellectual property of the product.

BLUECONDUIT
The Winter 2022 team's engagement focused on developing the plan for a web module which will be incorporated into BlueConduit's Google.org-based offering. The module is aimed at driving the adoption of BlueConduit's SaaS platform and services by engaging potential customers early on in their journey to secure government funding for lead service line removal projects. The team conducted extensive discovery and research to develop strategies for both the content and the high-level UX of the funding resources module. In addition, work toward a framework for tying funding resources module into demand generation/marketing efforts to contribute to lead pipeline was also completed. Finally, the team conducted research on how other civic tech SaaS companies represent the value/ROI of their services and recommended specific lead abatement-based metrics for BlueConduit to leverage.
The Fall 2022 team will likely continue this work, along with assessing and communicating Blue Conduit's impact and value metrics to its market.

MORNING BREW
The Winter 2022 team is currently working in two workstreams: commerce and education.
The commerce stream has the unique opportunity to work on the very early stages of the MB Commerce Platform. We have been primarily focused on ideating/refining new products, identifying the most attractive customer segments, and developing go-to-market strategies for MB Commerce.
The education stream is focused on expanding Learning @ Morning Brew, which is MB's education brand. The Learning @ Morning Brew team has already run several programs, including the MB/A, however their task is to create complementary products to the existing education program in order to build the Learning @ Morning Brew brand while creating more revenue streams.
The Fall 2022 team is likely to continue these scopes of work.

RELIC
Winners of the Ross FinTech challenge, Relic's mission is to offer and create a market for commemorative college football NFT tickets to drive fan engagement while creating new revenue sources for athletic departments to keep non-revenue sports on campus.
The Fall 2022 team is tasked with bringing an early stage NFT startup idea to life by building a sustainable business model and developing an MVP. They will prepare Relic for pitches to investors and university partners by analyzing successful NFT projects and Web3 industry trends to understand how best to drive college football fan engagement at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. The team will also choose a preferred protocol token for Relic NFTs and develop an MVP capable of minting Relic NFTs, accepting payments, integration with OpenSea marketplace, and underlying smart contract to send a percentage of future sales to UofM.

THE NRP GROUP
The Winter 2022 team is identifying, scoring, and recommending sites for NRP Group to build an affordable housing complex in Southeast Michigan. The Fall 2022 team will use these recommendations to submit a proposal to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority in the fall. In addition, the team will work to strengthen existing stakeholder relationships started by previous LBLE teams and explore new partnerships with local organizations.
Winter 2022 Sponsors

15 Seconds of Fame
The Fall 2021 15 Seconds of Fame (15SOF) team is working to increase brand awareness and app downloads within the college market. They are developing strategic marketing campaigns and both planning and implementing a student ambassador program focused on attracting UM student athletes and campus organizations with broad social media reach. The Winter 2022 team will build upon the momentum of the fall semester and potentially launch customer acquisition campaigns on other college campuses.

Beilein Basketball
The Fall 2021 team is identifying market opportunities for Beilein Basketball and analyzing the company's supply chain in order to increase production capacity and maximize profitability. The team is working with Coach Beilein to create a company road map that outlines how to grow into a more successful and sustainable business. The Winter 2022 team is likely to create and implement go-to-market strategies for key customer segments.

BlueConduit
The Fall 2021 BlueConduit team is developing a marketing strategy for the North American launch of BlueConduit's SaaS freemium product. This product launch is being done in partnership with Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the Google corporation, in order to make BlueConduit’s machine learning technology available to resource-constrained communities as they work to remove lead pipes from their water systems. The Winter 2022 team will likely implement marketing campaigns for targeted customer segments and determine what marketing tactics could be best practices for future product launches.

Inspired Biometrics
The Fall 2021 team is creating a launch strategy for the “Syne Tribe” online community. They are identifying target customer segments, determining value propositions, and crafting a launch plan that will raise brand awareness and increase the user base. The Winter 2022 team will likely hit the go button on the "Syne Tribe" launch and determine what new marketing tactics are required to drive customer acquisition.

Morning Brew
The Fall 2021 Morning Brew team is exploring what the company’s next paid product could be. The team is developing product pitches related to the expansion of an existing product, monetization of the interests of Morning Brew’s core audience, and creation of a new product that anticipates the needs of future customers. The Winter 2022 team will likely move forward with the development, testing, and launch of the new product.

Rensair
The Fall 2021 Rensair team is working to increase US market penetration by identifying target customer segments and outlining customer acquisition and marketing strategies for each segment. They are analyzing the company’s supply chain and determining the costs and benefits associated with US-based manufacturing and assembly. The Winter 2022 team will likely implement marketing campaigns for targeted customer segments and determine what new marketing tactics are required to drive customer acquisition.

The NRP Group
The Fall 2021 team is identifying opportunities for NRP to build an affordable housing project in Washtenaw County, Michigan, with the long-term goal of submitting a proposal to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) in April 2022. The team is identifying 5-10 sites that will maximize MSHDA Qualified Allocation Plan (WAP) scoring standards, assessing the financial viability of 2-3 potential sites by writing site plans and completing proformas, and continuing to enhance community engagement and partnership efforts. The Winter 2022 team will likely move forward with the next phase of project development with a focus on financing and community buy-in.
Fall 2021 Sponsors

15 SECONDS OF FAME
The 15 Seconds of Fame team is working on conducting a deep dive into the 15SofF Social Media application by conducting key target audience analysis, generating a platform growth strategy, and analyzing supplier networks and existing pain points to identify opportunities for growth and generate new product alignment strategies.

BEILEIN BASKETBALL
A Global MBA MAP project team will be conducting a landscape assessment and develop a market entry strategy for China. The LBLE team will pick up on this assessment and research in the fall.

BLUECONDUIT
A Full-Time MBA MAP project team is currently conducting market analysis of potential use cases for machine learning to support decision-making to protect public health. The LBLE team will pick up on this assessment and research in the fall.

INSPIRED BIOMETRICS
Develop a research plan, compile resources, and conduct expert interviews to generate a viable pre-sales strategy and establish a new digital marketing campaign for Syne.

MORNING BREW
A Full-Time MBA MAP project team is proposing the direction of Morning Brew's next paid product. They will be using an initial set of new product ideas that Morning Brew has generated, assess the viability and conduct a feasibility study of new potential Morning Brew products. The LBLE team will pick up on this assessment and research in the fall.

RENSAIR
An Online MBA MAP project team will be conducting a US market-entry strategy. The LBLE team will pick up on this assessment and research in the fall.

THE NRP GROUP
Focus on the rezoning process and understand the public rezoning markets to combine NRP's site selection process with what other successful affordable development project amenities have in surrounding areas, as well as identify key stakeholders that could serve as potential partners.
Fall 2020 Sponsors

15 SECONDS OF FAME
Past: Conducted a comprehensive customer survey, exploring market penetration and possible targeted customer opportunities.
Present: Construct a roll-out plan for 15SoF into ESPN’s College Gameday Show, using insights uncovered from the survey.
AQUORA BIOSYSTEMS
Present: Develop a go-to-market strategy by analyzing the approaches of competitors in the space and by identifying key market segments to target. Analyze national and international regulations to determine where market opportunities are likely to accelerate and where there is incentive for technological intervention.

BACKPAC
Past: Created a Go-to-Market strategy for the B2B customer segment by analyzing the target market and conducting a competitive analysis to gain insight into customer engagement. Created user journey maps to ensure the product was ready for launch.
Present: Build out Backpac’s user base and nonprofit network to gain credibility in the market and focus on furthering the market testing.

GoHealth Kids
Present: A Full-Time MBA MAP team has been asked to formulate a detailed business plan with an 18-month market entry strategy and investor presentations to secure seed round of capital fundraising. We expect future LBLE teams would help GoHealth Kids with carrying out the next phases in this project.

INSPIRED BIOMETRICS
Past: Analyzed industry competitors to evaluate differentiation in the market. Identified the highest value customer segment, and a path to positioning elements of differentiation.
Present: Create a marketing plan designed around targeting the identified highest value customer segment, in addition to generating customer personas.

MADE
Past: Validated products and services in the MADE portfolio while addressing the gap in the SME market to ensure product fit.
Present: Deploy tools for SMEs through EDOs by coaching and assisting pilot implementation while collecting feedback for iterations that drive value.

REFRACTION AI
Present: A Full-Time MBA MAP team has been asked to develop a Go-to-Market strategy for their last-mile delivery robot. We expect future LBLE teams would help Refraction AI with analyzing and implementing a growth strategy beyond food delivery.

SLOWS Bar BQ
Present: A Capstone MAP team has been asked to develop a strategy and business model for “Slows at Home”, a new lineup of food products designed for retail and direct to consumer sales. We expect future LBLE teams would help Slows Bar BQ with carrying out the next phases in this project.

STATE & LIBERTY
Past: Developed sustainable, scalable customer acquisition strategies for State & Liberty. Helped S&L better understand customer demographics and develop a playbook to boost recurring revenue at their stores.
Present: Use quantitative data collected along with qualitative observations to make recommendations about future events and partnerships. Research and seek out brand partnerships, ambassadors, and collaborations for events and on-campus marketing.

THE NRP GROUP
Past: Developed a structure for a partnership with OSU to hire MSW students, re-envisioned grant usage, and began to plan a convening of stakeholders. The data team built a survey distribution minimum viable product that will help facilitate data collection from residents.
Present: Complete phase grant and expand to 4 more developments, while standardizing data collection. The team is focused on distributing the one-pagers and marketing the relaunched resident data collection survey.

WARMILU
Past: Began researching on-market products/competitors, analyzed participant data to develop a marketing strategy. Provided Warmilu with a tool enabling analysis of pricing and profit.
Present: Expand data collection to see if there is a market for the high-frequency user segment. Work with finance and ops to reduce production costs to make products more viable. Build a detailed revenue projection for stadium cushion.
Winter 2020 Sponsors

15 SECONDS OF FAME
Past: Conducted a comprehensive customer survey, exploring market penetration and possible targeted customer opportunities.
Present: Construct a roll-out plan for 15SoF into ESPN’s College Gameday Show, using insights uncovered from the survey.

BackPac
Past: Created a Go-to-Market strategy for the B2B customer segment by analyzing the target market and conducting a competitive analysis to gain insight into customer engagement. Created user journey maps to ensure the product was ready for launch.
Present: Build out Backpac’s user base and nonprofit network to gain credibility in the market and focus on furthering the market testing.

FANTHROPIC
Past: Created a comprehensive business plan for both user experience and marketing to attract new users and digital fundraising campaigns to the Fanthropic platform.
Present: Construct integration of Fanthropic into 15 Seconds of Fame.

ILERA APOTHECARY
Past: Analyzed customer data to develop incentive/promotion structure, targeting retention of customers and increase product buying diversity.
Present: Develop a refined email marketing strategy focused on personalization, leaning on previous retention insights.In addition, generating greater overall brand awareness through social media and micro-influencers.

INSPIRED BIOMETRICS
Past: Analyzed industry competitors to evaluate differentiation in the market. Identified the highest value customer segment, and a path to positioning elements of differentiation.
Present: Create a marketing plan designed around targeting the previously identified highest value customer segment, in addition to generating customer personas.

MICHIGAN ACADEMY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURS (MADE)
Past: Validated products and services in the MADE portfolio while addressing the gap in the SME market to ensure product fit.
Present: Deploy tools for SMEs through EDOs by coaching and assisting pilot implementation while collecting feedback for iterations that drive value.
SHINOLA
Past: Investigated customer lifetime value customer churn, average customer value, and customer value by channel. Identified improved methods utilizing social media as a means of engaging customers, in addition to uncovering Salesforce implementation within store experience.
Present: Evaluate Shinola’s website organization, flow, and aesthetic to better connect with the consumer and ease search friction. Experiment with email strategy in order to drive the consumer toward the website, and ultimately a purchase.

STATE & LIBERTY
Past: Developed sustainable, scalable customer acquisition strategies for State & Liberty. Helped S&L better understand customer demographics and develop a playbook to boost recurring revenue at their stores.
Present: Use quantitative data collected along with qualitative observations to make recommendations about future events and partnerships. Research and seek out brand partnerships, ambassadors, and collaborations for events and on-campus marketing.

THE NRP GROUP
Past: Developed a structure for a partnership with OSU to hire MSW students, re-envisioned grant usage, and began to plan a convening of stakeholders. The data team built a survey distribution minimum viable product that will help facilitate data collection from residents.
Present: Complete phase grant and expand to 4 more developments, while standardizing data collection. The team is focused on distributing the one-pagers and marketing the relaunched resident data collection survey.

WARMILU
Past: Began researching on-market products/competitors, analyzed participant data to develop a marketing strategy. Provided Warmilu with a tool enabling analysis of pricing and profit.
Present: Expand data collection to see if there is a market for the high-frequency user segment. Work with finance and ops to reduce production costs to make products more viable. Build a detailed revenue projection for stadium cushion.
Fall 2019 Sponsors

15 Seconds of Fame
Project Summary: Develop a monetization and go-to-market strategy for 15 Seconds of Fame's innovative new technology product.
This project is an LBLE Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP). A Winter 2019 MAP student team has completed the first phase of work and outlined the next phase of work for a subsequent Fall 2019 LBLE team to build upon.

Daily Fuel
Project Summary: Create, launch, and manage a new revenue-producing digital media business aimed at current students and University of Michigan alumni.

Fanthropic
Project Summary: Create a comprehensive business plan for both user experience and marketing to attract new users and digital fundraising campaigns to the Fanthropic platform.
This project is an LBLE Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP). A Winter 2019 MAP student team has completed the first phase of work and outlined the next phase of work for a subsequent Fall 2019 LBLE team to build upon.

ILERA Apothecary
Project Summary: Develop an ecommerce and digital marketing strategy for an online customer engagement portal that provides customers with highly personalized product recommendations.
This project is an LBLE Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP). A Winter 2019 MAP student team has completed the first phase of work and outlined the next phase of work for a subsequent Fall 2019 LBLE team to build upon.

Inspired Biometrics
Project Summary: Develop a go-to-market strategy for Inspired Biometrics' medical device that includes recommended sales channels and a distribution plan.
This project is currently a LBLE Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP). A Winter 2019 MAP student team will complete the first phase of work and outline the next phase of work for a subsequent Fall 2019 LBLE team to build upon.

Michigan Academy for the Development of Entrepreneurs (MADE)
Project Summary: Systematically develop a model for how to support entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries and build value creating tools and processes based on that approach.

Michigan Business Education Navigator (MBEN)
Project Summary: In partnership with the Career Development Office and the Office of Strategy and Academic Innovation to design and launch a technology tool (MBEN) that provides real-time navigation guidance to students looking to optimize their curricular and co-curricular experiences while attending Michigan Ross.
Shinola
Project Summary: Gain hands-on experience in digital marketing strategy, e-commerce optimization, and retail market activation as you work with Shinola's marketing team to improve aided brand awareness from 6% to ~40% to increase competitiveness in the industry.

State & Liberty
Project Summary: Develop, test, and refine a strategy for university engagement and brand collaborations to increase brand awareness and sales.
This project is an LBLE Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP). A Winter 2019 MAP student team has completed the first phase of work and outlined the next phase of work for a subsequent Fall 2019 LBLE team to build upon.

The NRP Group
Project Summary: Establish an enterprise that develops and implements a new model for affordable housing in the U.S.

Warmilu
Project Summary: Develop and execute a market entry strategy for outdoor seating products that provide warmth via Warmilu's patented InstaWarmer technology.
Winter 2019 Sponsors

Daily Fuel
Project Summary: The LBLE team will be charged with the creation, launch, and management of a new revenue-producing, digital media business, aimed at current students and University of Michigan alumni, that leverages the Fuel platform and delivers news, thought leadership, and success stories, while also facilitating connections between students and the nearly 600,000 Michigan alums making an impact around the world.

Ford Motor Company
Project Summary: This year’s Ford LBLE Project is a continuation of the work done by our LBLE student team in Winter 2018. In April 2018, our student team presented a business solution to improve productivity and customer convenience for small business owners of Ford products. This idea was well received by the Ford executive team. In Fall 2018, Ford would like the LBLE team to refine the target market and productivity tool features to develop a business case for an application or an integration with an existing third party application.

Michigan Academy for the Development of Entrepreneurs (MADE)
Project Summary: The MADE team will systematically develop a model for how to support entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries and build value creating tools and processes based on that approach.

Michigan Business Education Navigator (MBEN)
Project Summary: This LBLE team will be focused on designing, launching, and leading a technology business that provides real-time navigation guidance to students looking to optimize the scheduling and value of their experiences in curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities while attending the Ross School of Business. Building on exploratory work done by a Ross MBA MAP team earlier this year and partnering with Gooru, an existing education technology company and Google spin-off that is currently supporting the K-12 space, the LBLE team will determine the requirements for a new technology product, the best way to serve Ross students, and the best path forward as a business. Ultimately, the solution created and launched by this LBLE business should not only serve Ross students, but should also become a source of revenue across Michigan’s campus and at universities around the world.

Shinola
Project Summary: The primary objective of the Shinola project is to improve aided brand awareness from 6% to ~40% to increase competitiveness in the industry.

The NRP Group
Project Summary: The Fall 2018 LBLE team will execute the social services data collection pilot program proposed by the Winter 2018 MAP team. The pilot aims to survey residents currently living in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties. The survey topics are industry standard, and NRP Group is exploring documentation solutions used by industry leaders.

Warmilu
Project Summary: Originating from an idea produced in Michigan’s College of Engineering, Warmilu is a new Ann Arbor based company looking to create a new line of business leveraging Warmilu’s patented InstaWarmer technology. The mission for the LBLE team will be to create and execute a market entry strategy for outdoor seating products that provide warmth via the Warmilu technology. Significant interest has already been expressed by the world’s foremost outdoor outfitter. The LBLE team will work directly with the Warmilu CEO to conduct a market assessment, complete market sizing, develop a pricing strategy, identify distribution channels, and facilitate the launch of a sizeable and profitable new line of products.