2026 Venture Capital Panel traces venture path from startup to corporate VC

On Friday, February 27, 2026, students, faculty, staff and venture capitalists from around Southeastern Michigan gathered at the Mike Ilitch School of Business to attend a breakfast learning session titled, "Venture Capital: From Startup to Corporate VC." This event was hosted by the Mike Ilitch School of Business in partnership with the Michigan Venture Capital Association.

"We were delighted to bring together Southeastern Michigan's community of entrepreneurs to the Ilitch School, for a meaningful opportunity to learn about the intricate process of building a successful business venture and giving our students the venue to be able engage with real world venture capital professionals," said Virginia Franke Kleist, Dean of the Mike Ilitch School of Business. "Events like this showcase the Ilitch School's deep commitment to fostering entrepreneurial ideals in our students, and contributing to building up the depth and strength of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our larger community."

The event began with a networking session over breakfast, followed by a keynote speech from Crystal Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of CircNova Inc., a biotechnology startup company that uses AI to identify, analyze and generate RNA sequences that may have therapeutic applications.

Brown talked about her founder's journey, starting CircNova, and the dedication that comes with being an entrepreneur.

"Entrepreneurship is not a personality trait. It's not a vibe, it's not a brand and it's not a social media activity," said Brown. "Entrepreneurship is decision making under uncertainty with consequences. It is waking up every day, and knowing no one is coming to save you, and choosing to build anyway...it's one thing to have raised $3.3 million. It's another thing to figure out how you're going to get [your startup] to scale."

Following the keynote address was a panel discussion titled, "The Strategic Advantage: Why Corporate Venture is Changing the Startup Game," featuring Kurt Baumgartner, a Partner at GM Ventures, Josh Berg, Managing Director of Magna International and Magna Tech Investments, and Ben Cohen, Vice President of Strategy for Hella Ventures/Forvia. The panel was moderated by Ara Topouzian, Executive Director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association.

The conversation included a behind-the-scenes look at managing a corporate VC fund, the challenges of balancing return on investment with corporate strategic vision, and some practical insights into creating an effective pitch deck. The discussion was followed by a Q&A session that offered useful advice on pivoting a startup to meet the needs of the market, and how to manage the uncertainty and precariousness involved in entrepreneurship.

This event was organized by Associate Professor of Teaching Kevin Ketels, visionary Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation programs at the Ilitch School and is part of the larger entrepreneurship ecosystem fostered at the Mike Ilitch School of Business through their dedication to providing high quality programming that prepares students for careers at the cutting edge of business.