1,000 Pitches is a campus-wide entrepreneurship competition where students at the University of Michigan can pitch their ideas for new inventions, businesses, and non-profit organizations. The winning pitches in each category will receive $1,000. Click here for more information.

HOW WE STARTED

It all began at an entrepreneurship conference in March 2007 on that tiny-strip of California (Silicon Valley) when two U-M students realized the lack of entrepreneurial passion within our university compared to those in the Bay Area. MPowered’s founders, Ashwin L. and Israel V., knew that changes were needed if the Michigan was going to keep up and fast.

Their vision was to foster a culture within the student body that embraces innovation, speaks openly about their ideas and then turns those ideas into something even more. It was decided that this vision would be accomplished by MPowered Entrepreneurship, a student-run organization focused on fostering student entrepreneurship campus-wide.

So there it began a busy, to say the least, Summer with the first leadership team: holding team meetings in crowded dining areas, arguments on the website layout and deciding which logo was best. MPowered launched on U-M’s campus in Fall semester 2007. In just our first semester, MPowered held its own career fair, secured a community of over 700 students and built strong relationships with supporting faculty, alumni, and business leaders.

And the rest is history (conveniently located here for your enjoyment)!