INNOVATE STATE:
Emerging Leaders: Brittane Rowe | Burgess Institute, FY26

Join us for our Emerging Leaders Speaker Series featuring Brittane Rowe, CEO and Co-Founder of Awkward Games, a tabletop games company on a mission to spark real, unfiltered connection.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.

Min Kyu Kim is the founder and CEO of Kimchi Box, one of the fastest-growing fast-casual Korean restaurant chains in the Midwest. After studying at Michigan State University, Kim left his career in consulting to launch Kimchi Box during the pandemic, using his business background and family roots in Korean cuisine to scale the brand rapidly. Today, he’s known for blending bold Korean flavors with an accessible, modern concept and for his ambitious vision to expand Kimchi Box nationwide.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.​

Lauren LoGrasso is a multi-passionate creative whose mission is to help people express themselves fully. As a podcaster, musician, creative coach, and keynote speaker, she empowers others to embrace authenticity and unlock their creative potential. Through her Webby Award–winning podcast, Unleash Your Inner Creative, Lauren has built a global platform that inspires listeners to claim their creativity, overcome self-doubt, and pursue lives aligned with their passions.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change

INNOVATE STATE: Dan Gilbert | Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, FY26

Dan Gilbert is the founder and chairman of Rocket Companies and a visionary entrepreneur known for transforming the mortgage industry through innovation, technology, and customer-first thinking. As a prominent business leader and philanthropist, he has played a major role in revitalizing Detroit and shaping the future of fintech and real estate.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.​

Pallavi Sharma is the Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of witOmni AI Marketing, a pioneering firm that helps businesses transform their go-to-market strategies through artificial intelligence. With over two decades of experience leading marketing and brand strategy at global companies such as GE and HP, she brings a deep understanding of how innovation and technology intersect with business growth.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.​

Matt Maloney is a proud Michigan State University alumnus and the co-founder and former CEO of Grubhub, one of the leading online food delivery platforms in the U.S. After earning his master’s degree in computer science from MSU, Maloney went on to revolutionize the way people order food by combining technology, convenience, and entrepreneurship.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.​

Join us for our Emerging Leaders Speaker Series featuring Caleb Conley, Growth Capital and Program Manager at TechTown Detroit and Venture 313. In this session, Caleb shares insights on Building Community, Capital, and Culture, exploring how strong networks, access to resources, and inclusive ecosystems fuel entrepreneurial success.
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The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University empowers students to lead lives of impact through entrepreneurship. With an education-first approach, we equip Spartans with the mindset, experience, and community they need to create meaningful change.

Innovate State: Elevating Performance, hosted by the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation on April 2, at Michigan State University, featured Todd Anderson, Founder at Dream Recovery.

The Innovate State Speaker Series brings both emerging and accomplished Spartans back to campus for a fireside chat-style interview. These 60-minute sessions offer the chance for guests to share their perspectives on a wide array of topics like innovation, startup life, investments, and career paths. Students get the opportunity to hear firsthand about the hard knocks of the entrepreneurship & innovation hustle to maintaining work/life balance. These are stories of success, stories of failures, and stories of uncommon will.”

Emerging Leaders: Learning Without Limits, hosted by the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation on March. 12, at Michigan State University, featured Seth Killian Founder & CEO at Lingco.

The Innovate State Speaker Series brings both emerging and accomplished Spartans back to campus for a fireside chat-style interview. These 60-minute sessions offer the chance for guests to share their perspectives on a wide array of topics like innovation, startup life, investments, and career paths. Students get the opportunity to hear firsthand about the hard knocks of the entrepreneurship & innovation hustle to maintaining work/life balance. These are stories of success, stories of failures, and stories of uncommon will.”

Innovate State: Driving Digital Transformation, hosted by the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation on Feb. 20, at Michigan State University, featured Sanjay Baskaran, Operating Partner and Industrial Advisor of Advent International.

The Innovate State Speaker Series brings both emerging and accomplished Spartans back to campus for a fireside chat-style interview. These 60-minute sessions offer the chance for guests to share their perspectives on a wide array of topics like innovation, startup life, investments, and career paths. Students get the opportunity to hear firsthand about the hard knocks of the entrepreneurship & innovation hustle to maintaining work/life balance. These are stories of success, stories of failures, and stories of uncommon will.