On Friday, Sept. 23, the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation opened its doors to the public, kicking off its inaugural two-day gathering, Venture Summit. This year’s event marked the MSU Hatch’s decade-long service to Spartan venturers. Venture Summit drew nearly 200 entrepreneurs, investors, makers and shakers — alums and students alike — to East Lansing.

“We wanted to create an event that celebrated the Hatch, showcased student success and strengthened ties to our ecosystem,” said Laurel Ofstein, the Burgess Institute’s faculty director. “We also wanted to give returning alums the chance to see how we’ve grown, including spaces like the new Venture Kitchen at the MSU Union.”

Spread across several venues, attendees began with the open house, where they had the chance to network and tour the MSU Hatch and the Venture Kitchen. From there, revelers headed across campus to the Minskoff Pavilion. At the Entrepreneurship Lab, attendees could speak with six student startup teams or choose to attend a four-part lineup of speakers. The celebration did not end there.

From the Minskoff Pavilion, the moveable feast headed to the MSU Broad Art Museum, where entrepreneurship student scholars were honored for their achievements.

“Our students are at the heart of what we do here,” said Christopher Sell, the institute’s director of alumni and entrepreneur engagement. “The awards ceremony opened the space for our community to celebrate both the generosity of our alumni community and our students’ hard work and successes.”

To read more, visit entrepreneurship.msu.edu.