Wayne State students as consultants? Detroit startups say yes.

When Juliana Ankouny arrived at Wayne State in 2024, she faced a challenge all too familiar to students nationwide: She needed experience to build a resume, but had few opportunities to do so.

According to 2023 data from Handshake, nearly 60% of undergraduate students have not participated in an internship while pursuing their degree. The top reason? It's hard to land one. The data suggests that demand is outpacing supply. While internship postings on Handshake declined 15% from January 2023 to January 2025, the number of applications increased: 41% of the Class of 2025 applied to at least one internship through Handshake, compared to just 34% of the Class of 2023.

But two years later, Ankouny is in a much different position thanks to her involvement in the Warrior Consulting Group (WCG), one of Wayne State's fastest-growing student organizations. Today, as WCG's internal vice president, she helps oversee its more than 220 active members. In the Fall 2026 semester alone, WCG is coordinating 14 consulting projects, involving a total of 71 Wayne State students, that connect the group and its members with founders, startups and organizations across Detroit's innovation economy.

"It's absolutely crazy to reflect on the fact I'm the vice president," Ankouny said. "I was so shy and had no experience when I first started [at Wayne State]. But getting involved with WCG brought me out of my shell. I had no clue a club like this could throw students out there in Detroit and have them work directly with founders from the start. You don't get opportunities like that anywhere else."

Ankouny's journey reflects a larger story unfolding across the university, where more students are gaining hands-on experience through entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives. What began as a small, few-dozen-member organization has evolved into one of Wayne State's most impactful experiential learning engines.

Through WCG, Wayne State students are doing something few expect from undergraduates: serving as trusted consultants on projects with real organizational and regional value.

Building bridges between students and startups

WCG addresses challenges shared by both students and employers. Students need experience before graduation, while startups need access to talent, capacity and fresh perspectives. Having students come on as consultants meets both groups' needs.

Student consultants, often organized into small teams, support organizations through market research, financial analysis, strategy development, business planning, event management, communications, and other projects as needed. And while "consulting" is often viewed as the domain of MBAs, one of WCG's hallmarks is that its members hail from an array of disciplines.

"Anybody can join. We have finance students, computer science students, engineering students and even medical students involved," Ankouny said. "It's a reflection that anyone can gain experience from WCG, and that the organizations we work with are looking for people with different skills."

That accessibility has fueled WCG's growth. Since launching in 2021, WCG has gone from fewer than 30 members to nearly 200. The group manages more than a dozen active projects per semester and has engaged with more than 40 startups and organizations throughout Detroit.

WCG president Krish Gulati believes these numbers point to a broader story.

"Students are looking for experience, founders are looking for support. WCG connects those needs in a way that creates value for everyone involved," Gulati said. "But beyond that, we're demonstrating that we can make one effective pitch to both groups: You're helping the city of Detroit, and you're investing in the future."

The city as classroom

That emphasis on serving Detroit is intentional. WCG's approach reflects Wayne State's role as an anchor institution: creating opportunity, being a good neighbor, and providing the resources, expertise and leadership needed to move the city and region forward. One of the best ways to do that is to make the city and community an extension of the classroom.

Wayne State has long been a pioneer in this regard. In 2000, it helped establish Michigan's first innovation district, which is today anchored by TechTown, Wayne State's entrepreneurship hub of more than 20 years. Since its establishment, TechTown has supported 8,000+ businesses, which have collectively created more than 3,500 jobs and raised $500+ million in startup and growth capital.

That legacy continues through more recent partnerships, such as the 2024 agreement that made Wayne State the first university to establish a formal partnership with Michigan Central, a 30-acre technology and culture hub.

That partnership gave Wayne State students access to nearby startup incubator Newlab. Before Gulati's tenure as WCG president, he used the space to meet everyone he could.

"I would literally just walk around the building introducing myself to founders," he said. "I'd explain what WCG was and ask whether they could see value in working with us. Many of those conversations eventually led to partnerships."

Now, as president, he and WCG are demonstrating what it means to be part of a collaborative, connected citywide innovation ecosystem - and the role universities and their students have in driving their success.

"Not many cities can say they have as many startups as Detroit," Gulati said. "You've got Newlab, Michigan Central, TechTown, ID Ventures - all these hubs where founders are building new things every day. Being at Wayne State puts students right in the middle of it all."

One piece of a broader entrepreneurship ecosystem

Wayne State's location at the center of Detroit's innovation ecosystem gives students access to opportunities few universities can match. WCG is one of the most visible examples, but it is part of a much broader network of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives across campus. Warriors can engage through organizations and initiatives including TechTown, the Mike Ilitch School of Business, Warrior Ventures, Warrior Impact and a growing portfolio of partnerships connecting students with the city's entrepreneurial community.

While those outcomes are meaningful at the institutional and regional levels, they are most evident in the students whose lives and careers are shaped by the experience. For Ankouny, WCG's influence extends far beyond a stronger resume or an additional line on LinkedIn.

"I've been able to recruit so many people who were like me when I started here. I know what it feels like to have no experience, to not know where to start, to be intimidated," she said. "Through WCG you can really see people grow. My favorite part is being a leader, and helping people grow is the thing I'm most proud of from my time in WCG."

By creating opportunities for students to contribute to Detroit's founders and startups, WCG is building new connections between talent and opportunity. It's an approach that has paid dividends; organizations often return with new project opportunities and extend job offers to participants after seeing WCG's results firsthand.

"We've had about 10 students receive full-time offers through relationships that started on these projects," Gulati said. "This is real client work. We're not just talking about business concepts. We're working directly with companies, on important work, and helping the city and its organizations succeed."

Around 80% of Wayne State graduates remain in Michigan. Students who participate in organizations like WCG will bring valuable skills, relationships and perspectives to employers and communities across the state. As such, it's no stretch to say WCG is helping shape the talent and the landscape that will define Detroit and Michigan's next chapter.

"There is so much to be proud of," Gulati said, "and so much more to come."

Learn more about the Warrior Consulting Group student organization, and explore entrepreneurship at Wayne State.

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