Take control of your schedule and maximize efficiency with smarter calendar management! Join the Calendar Management workshop focused on optimizing your time with Calendar Management. Learn practical tools and strategies to streamline scheduling, stay organized, and improve daily operations—so you can focus on growing your business.

This free workshop is part of LEAP’s small business support programming, designed to help business owners and entrepreneurs simplify operations and build essential skills. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your productivity and take charge of your time!

Celebrate the start of 517 E&I week with fellow entrepreneurs and innovators from the VanCamp, Alliance, and TIC incubators. This event offers a valuable opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and build connections within the Greater Lansing startup ecosystem.

The event is hosted by MSU Research Foundation and MSU Federal Credit Union.

Grand River Connection is a series of professional networking events for young professionals seeking to develop a stronger connection with others in the community to support Lansing's young and vital workforce.

This particular event, titled "Innovate & Elevate", will include roundtable discussions themed around entrepreneurship and innovation. Table hosts will include professionals from a wide range of backgrounds across the Capital Region. You won't want to miss this!

Event MC:

Seth Kissling, MSUFCU - VP of Lending Partnerships

Roundtable Hosts:

Joe Enerson, Allen Neighborhood Center - Executive Director

Sean Fochtman, Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation - Manager of Alumni Venture Support

Craig Terrill & Ty Forquer, Lansing Facts - Co-Owners

Nikki Thompson Frazier, Sweet Encounter Bakery - CEO & Owner

Dr. Matt Grossman, Hooked - Co-Owner

Kate Long, Peckham - AVP of Organizational Employment

Meredith Nicholoff, MSUFCU - Digital Strategy and Innovation Manager

Agenda:

7:30am-7:45am: Networking + Light Refreshments

7:45am-8:45am: Opening Remarks + Roundtable Discussions

8:45am-9:00am: Networking + Resources

About the Venue - MSUFCU was established 88 years ago to provide a safe place where members could borrow and save money. Over the years, we've built a strong foundation of relationships with our members - ultimately helping them achieve their dreams. Our employees live our mission every day to spark those moments for members to find financial freedom and security, as they purchase their first cars and homes, start their own businesses, and save for their children's futures.

This event is FREE to attend. There will be tea, coffee, and light refreshments provided for attendees.

The event will be held in the Community Room on the first floor of MSUFCU's Headquarters Building 1 in East Lansing. Parking is available free of charge out front the building.

Many thanks to MSUFCU, our host for this event and the 2025 Presenting Sponsor of Grand River Connection!

Join us for an exciting event where we delve into the impact of artificial intelligence on the digital landscape. Discover how AI is revolutionizing websites, apps, and online interactions. Learn from industry experts and gain insights into the latest trends shaping the future of the web. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of technology!

Join us for a Coffee Mixer! Make connections throughout the local tech community. Learn about a few of the area meetups you can look to throughout the year to continue to make and build connections.

This event brought to you in partnership with LEAP's 517 Entrepreneurship + Innovation Week.

Coffee and pastries sponsored by TechSmith.

Organizer

Capital Area Tech Hub (CATECH) is dedicated to creating opportunities to connect and grow with other area IT professionals.

Panel Discussion: Innovation in Michigan’s Sustainable Packaging Industry - How Michigan is Leading the Future of Sustainable Packaging – Industry & Investment Perspectives

As entertainment consumption shifts from only traditional TV and film, content creators are building massive audiences through social platforms. This panel brings 5 local creators with millions of combined followers together to discuss the art and business of digital storytelling. They’ll reveal what it takes to stand out, the realities of making a living in this space, and where the future of entertainment is headed.

Event is followed by a mix and mingle happy hour with the creators until the CCFF Opening Night Feature: Obex.

Startup Grind Lansing aims to connect and strengthen Greater Lansing’s thriving startup community.

Whether you’re a founder, small business owner, or just starting out, this is your chance to network with fellow innovators and be part of the momentum shaping our region’s entrepreneurial future.

Come share ideas, build relationships, and be inspired by other innovators at this social event!

About the Organizer

Startup Grind Lansing is proud to work alongside the incredible organizations sponsoring 517 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Week. Our thanks to LEAP and the Lansing Regional SmartZone, in partnership with MSU Research Foundation, MSU Innovation Center, and the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Bring your public relations, branding, marketing, social media and all things communications questions for coworking at Amp Inclusive Coworking. Members of the team from Piper & Gold Public Relations will be on-hand to cowork, collaborate and create new ideas to support small businesses and entrepreneurs with growth and outreach.

Host by Piper & Gold Public Relations

Join us for the seventh annual Student Venture Capital Fund (SVCF) Investment Celebration, hosted by the MSU Research Foundation and the Broad College of Business Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurial Finance. This event showcases the work of MSU students enrolled in the FI 444: Entrepreneurial Finance course.

Throughout the semester, students have engaged in venture capital processes, including sourcing early-stage startup companies, conducting due diligence, performing market and competitive analyses, and making investment recommendations to Red Cedar Ventures, a venture capital subsidiary of the MSU Research Foundation.

At the celebration, students will present the selected Michigan-based startups recommended for pre-seed investment.

Organizer

MSU Research Foundation supports the MSU ecosystem with resources that increase the impact of research and innovation.

Discover how to turn your tech idea into reality—no coding experience needed!

Learn to leverage AI and no-code tools to build tech products from scratch for less than $100. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or innovator, this hands-on session, hosted by the Capital Area Startup Studio, will equip you with the knowledge and resources to bring your ideas to life.

Hosted by the Capital Area Startup Studio

Bridging Entrepreneurship: Connecting Campus & Community is the capstone event of 517 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Week. Featuring a moderated panel of local entrepreneurs at different points in their entrepreneurial journeys and representing food, material tech, and augmented reality industries, as well as a keynote from Jillian Lorenz, Venture Partner at Exit Quotient Ventures and co-founder of nationally acclaimed fitness franchise The Barre Code, this event will explore and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of the Lansing Region and the many resources available on campus and in the community to launch your ideas into action.

Speaker & Panelist Bios

Keynote Speaker

• Jillian Lorenz -- Venture Partner at Exit Quotient Ventures (EQV), Co-Founder of The Barre Code and, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Panelists

• James Curran -- Founder of Great Lakes Reality Labs

• Yuktha Pulavarthi -- Founder of Macaronza

• Douglas Salazar -- Co-founder of Mowr Technologies

• Marcus Leslie -- Owner of Mr. Leslie's Cheesecakes

Join us for an exciting night of fresh ideas, community support, and business innovation! The Hatching is a free and interactive event where the audience gets to watch local entrepreneurs pitch their ideas, cheer them on, and witness innovation in action.

📍 Where: Lansing Shuffle
📅 When: Friday, April 4, 2025
🎤 Youth Edition: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
🎤 Main Event: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Bring your energy and support local entrepreneurs as they take the stage! 

This event is for you if you are ready to be Empowered by Business Experts in Marketing and Branding, Grants, Access to Funding and Business Credit, Networking and more.

Check out some of our expert presenters:

• Astera Credit Union, Executive Lender, Laura Blanding: Get your money and credit right. There is so much power in your credit score.

• Award Winning Project Manager, Nikki Flores, Technology to Advance your Career:  My Top 10 Tips

• PR, Marketing & Branding with Dr. Pam Perry

• Community Foundation, LaToya Turner, Learn how to access grants

• More experts to share their story throughout this hands on event with Q&A

About the Organizer

Transformation GEMS is a nonprofit organization founded in 2017. The mission is to empower and educate women to start and accelerate their businesses to create systems, legacies and to become recession-proof.