Behind the Scenes at the Impact Studio’s Bootcamp

By Katie Moore (BA ’25) and Erica Yang

The Impact Studio at the Ross School of Business has a more ambitious vision than ever before, with a new space, new coaches, new programming , and more students than ever — all in pursuit of the goal of being able to support more impactful ideas being generated by students. The culmination of months of planning and dreaming came to fruition as we kicked off the year with a three-day, intensive bootcamp, putting to the test Founders and Fellows alike in a series of design challenges. Take a look inside their schedule:

Day 1 (Thursday): Get-to-know-you dinner and two expert panels

Enter a kick-off dinner that allows students to rub shoulders with industry experts and leaders of start-up incubators throughout the University of Michigan. At the dinner, Impact Studio Innovator-in-Residence Moses Lee, and Business+Impact Managing Director Cat Johnson hosted two sets of speaker panels where students could learn from experts and educators alike.

First up was a series of icebreaker cards. Mentors, educators, founders, fellows, and administrators filled out a series of small questions including degree program, position at the Studio, and a variety of conversation starters, ranging from “What’s your secret superpower?” to “What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?” Conversation bubbled across the room as newly-accepted Impact Studio participants met prospective co-founders, learned from professionals in the field, and got to know the Studio staff and coaches they’d be learning from every Friday.

Next up was a panel from successful entrepreneurs-turned Impact Studio mentors. From a Boston Consulting Group project leader to a seasoned tech founder to an ex-COO, the panelists fielded questions about what it takes to get your business up and running, and their varied journeys to selling their startups to much larger companies. Fellows and Founders alike hung onto their words, and though the panel ended with the next course, the mentors will return throughout the semester to provide feedback on these growing ventures, with much more personalized advice using the expertise they teased at the panel.

As attendees dug into delectable desserts, a second panel took place, but this time with leaders from the Impact Studio’s partners at the Zell Lurie Institute, the Center for Entrepreneurship, and optiMize — all start-up incubators and entrepreneurial spaces at the U-M campus dedicated to fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among students. Each panelist discussed the various offerings their program includes, as well as what they’ve seen succeed in the past with ventures they’ve aided. Students took in the resources and support that the entrepreneurial community at U-M has to give, and tips from those who’ve helped many startups before.

Finally, attendees mingled and lingered after the meal, exchanging names, ideas, and LinkedIn profiles. Fellows and founders said their goodbyes — but not for long. In less than twelve hours, they’d be back together again, but this time at the Impact Studio.

Day 2 (Friday): Bootcamp day #1

Lit by the pale morning light streaming in from the ceiling-high windows spanning the east side of the Studio, Fellows and Founders gathered at 8:30 Friday morning for the first day of bootcamp. The students were greeted with hot breakfast, coffee, and the shining blank surfaces of whiteboards, primed for their ideas. After some initial chatting, participants gathered in the main room, perched on stools or lounging on brightly-colored couches to listen to Applebaum Innovator-In-Residence Moses Lee explain their design challenge for the day: solve a sustainability-related problem on campus using core design-thinking and equitable design principles.

Placed into small groups, Fellows and Founders first brainstormed in the Studio and then went out to the Diag and beyond, interviewing UM students going about their daily lives and gathering detailed notes about their responses to the various issues they’ve encountered living a sustainable life in Ann Arbor. Impact Studio participants managed to garner responses from students outside Ross, near North Quad, and even on some of the blue buses on their way to class.

Upon returning, students assembled a lunch catered by Jerusalem Garden on compostable plates and debriefed with the rest of the team on what they’d discovered. To finish off the day, Lee introduced the rest of the Impact Studio team, and encouraged students to share what they’ve learned, and what they’re planning for the next day. That day, Founders and Fellows left full from food and ideas alike, having forged new connections and inspired for the final day of bootcamp.

Day 3 (Saturday): Bootcamp day #2

On the third and final day of the kickoff bootcamp, participants took on a new stage: prototyping. Gathering back into their groups and fueled by a catered breakfast from the Produce Station, Founders and Fellows took to the tables and modeled their ideas in real life using everything from string to tinfoil to Legos.

Once they felt that their prototype was worth pitching, the Impact Studio took to the streets to again survey their desired users. Approaching everyone from professors to undergraduates, the groups received practical and honest feedback about the validity of their prototype. When they returned, they implemented and revised their business ideas based on the Impact Business Model Canvases — a framework they’ll continue to use throughout the semester.

Wrapping up with another lunch and closing speeches, the Impact Studio closed that day buzzing with new ideas and connections — and more prepared than ever before to truly begin building their businesses during the Impact Studio’s weekly Coworking Friday sessions for the rest of the semester.