Consultants and Coaches

ZLI Advisory Board Support

Shaily Baranwal

Kenneth Buckfire

Jonn Behrman

ZLI Advisory Board Support

SPECIAL THANKS TO MEMBERS OF THE ZELL LURIE INSTITUTE ADVISORY BOARD AND PITCH COACHES FOR SUPPORTING THIS PROGRAM THROUGH IN-KIND CONSULTING AND PITCH PRACTICE FOR OUR ZLI ALUMNI PITCH WINNERS.

Shaily Baranwal

Founder-CEO

Elevate K-12

U-M MBA 2007

In-kind Consulting

Shaily Baranwal is the Founder-CEO of Elevate K-12, one of the largest livestream teaching EdTech companies that is solving the nation’s teacher shortage. By creating a livestream teaching ecosystem with both schools and teachers, Elevate K-12 is building a new category and transforming the way K-12 schools work now and in the future. Elevate K-12 has grown at a 100%+ CAGR, completed a Series C round of funding and attracted capital from some of the best investors and venture capital firms focused on social mission and transformation.

Baranwal is a mission-focused entrepreneur building products and services that deeply impact the lives of consumers and disrupt traditional markets, challenging the status quo to make an impact in the educational field and beyond. She leads the company by encouraging a diverse workforce and embodying a collaborative culture at all levels. The idea of Elevate K-12 was created while she was an MBA student at the Ross School of Business.

Prior to starting Elevate K-12, Baranwal was a management consultant at Kearney and founded a chain of pre-schools and restaurants in India, which she later sold to India's largest F&B conglomerate, Dabur.

Baranwal is a Production Engineer, with a teaching degree in Early Childhood Education and an MBA from the University of Michigan-Ross School of Business where she received the Sam Zell Entrepreneurial Scholarship. She is also on the Board of the University of Michigan Zell Lurie Institute where she advises students who want to continue the path to entrepreneurship. In her non-Elevate time, Baranwal can be found immersed in a book, diving or surfing on an island.

Kenneth Buckfire

Managing Director & Co-President

Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC

U-M BA 1980, Columbia MBA 1987

In-kind Consulting

Kenneth A. Buckfire, Managing Director and Co-President of Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC, specializes in the restructuring and refinancing of highly leveraged companies. Over the course of his career, he has advised clients in a broad range of industries, including telecommunications, energy, food products, building products, broadcasting and information services, and has also managed principal investments in distressed companies. Prior to co-founding Miller Buckfire in 2002, he was a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Financial Restructuring Group of Wasserstein Perella & Co. He has been a director and co-founder of several public and private corporations.

Mr. Buckfire received his BA in economics and philosophy from the University of Michigan (1980) and his MBA from Columbia University (1987).

Jonn Behrman

Serial Entrepreneur, Angel Investor and Digital Marketing, Software & ecommerce Veteran

BeyondHook Ventures

U-M BA 1996

In-kind Consulting

Jonn Behrman is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing, software & ecommerce veteran.

Currently Jonn runs an Angel Investment group, BeyondHook Ventures and offers management & strategic consulting to companies looking to launch new products or scale into new markets.

His most recent start-up AgelessRx, is a telehealth ecommerce business focused on longevity and preventative health. The business was launched in 2020 and has grown from concept to thriving business ($0 to $30MM/ARR) over the past 3 years. As COO Jonn was responsible for marketing, operations, technology, HR & finance.

His previous start up, HookLogic, was acquired by Criteo on Nov 2016 for $250MM. HookLogic (Now Criteo Sponsored Products) is the global leader in e-commerce search advertising. The company enables marketers to advertise their products to in-market shoppers on the world’s largest retail sites. E-commerce partners included Walmart, Target, BestBuy, Macy's, Costco and Home Depot.

Mr. Behrman was one of the pioneers of the interactive advertising space. He founded Beyond Interactive in 1995 while still attending the University of Michigan. The Ad Agency grew rapidly into a global interactive marketing leader known for its technology and data driven methodology. Over a 6-year period the company grew to 300 employees with offices in Ann Arbor, San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. Clients included Oracle, Adobe, P&G, Mars, Hasbro & Reebok. In 1999, Beyond Interactive was sold to Grey Advertising, one of the world’s largest advertising companies.

After leaving Beyond in 2005, Mr. Behrman helped launch two other Ann Arbor start-ups, Spirit Shop Inc, an ecommerce company focused on selling custom printed apparel to the educational market and uRefer, a marketing technology company designed to help businesses manage their own referral programs.

As an interactive advertising industry leader and experienced entrepreneur, Mr. Behrman has appeared and been quoted in a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, DM News, Ad Age and Ad Week.

A Venezuelan native, he graduated from the University of Michigan Business School with a Computer Information Systems and Marketing degree.

Lawryn Fellwock

Student Engagement Program Coordinator

U-M Center for Socially Engaged Design

BGSU MA 2021

Pitch Practice

Socially Engaged Design (C-SED), assisting and supporting all aspects of student engagement and retention.

She serves as one of the welcoming faces for the center for students who visit C-SED both virtually and in person and responds to student inquiries and requests for space, involvement, and student programming. Lawryn also manages C-SED’s online presence to not only be accessible to students and C-SED affiliates but to recruit and retain the next generation of complex problem solvers. As a newer member of the C-SED staff, she was drawn to the center’s dedication to equity, sustainable problem-solving, and the student experience.

Prior to her role at the University of Michigan, Lawryn served as the Assistant Director of First-Year Students at Coe College, a small, private liberal arts college in Iowa where she learned first-hand about the student experience across various backgrounds and identities. Lawryn holds a Master of Arts (MA) in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa. She holds a Certificate in both Leadership Studies and Cultural Competency from her time at Iowa.

Get in touch with Lawryn about: C-SED’s Programs, Innovation in Action, qualitative research methods, disability identity development, disability leadership and activism, audiobook recommendations, and Dungeons & Dragons for beginners!

Sarika Gupta

Managing Director

U-M Zell Lurie Institute

U-M BSE Mechanical Engineering 2002, MBA 2010

Pitch Practice

Sarika is the Managing Director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies (ZLI) and Lecturer of Business Administration at Michigan Ross. She manages the team and day to day operations of the Institute, oversees the development and execution of ZLI’s strategies and programs, advises student and alumni entrepreneurial teams, and engages with the entrepreneurial ecosystem at U-M and beyond. Sarika has extensive startup experience as a founder, manager, and mentor. She served as CEO of Dance Telephone - a group party game, COO of V-teractive - an online gaming startup, and Associate at MyBandStock.com - a digital platform for music fans. Previously, she was a Senior Quantitative Research Associate at Cambridge Associates - an investment management firm, and an Aviation Noise Consultant at Harris Miller Miller & Hanson - an environmental consulting company. Additionally, she serves as the VP of DEI for the Women in Business Alumni Association and sits on the LDFA Screening Committee for Ann Arbor SPARK. She holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and an MBA from Michigan Ross.

Erin Moore

Associate Director, Engagement Strategy

U-M Center for Socially Engaged Design

U-M MBA 2020

Pitch Practice

Erin Moore is an Engagement Strategist at the Center for Socially Engaged Design, leading outreach and engagement efforts with students across the center’s programs and initiatives.

She serves as the first point of contact for students who are eager to engage in the many co-curricular design activities C-SED offers. Erin also works to establish and maintain strategic partnerships across U of M and beyond. As the lead for the center’s flagship program, Innovation in Action, she is particularly passionate about helping students connect their passion with action.

Erin previously served as the Assistant Director for Student Engagement at the Center for Socially Engaged Design and was the Program Manager in the office of Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, Erin was a partner at Good Eye Video, a digital storytelling company for non-profits, and worked in production on independent feature films. Erin holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a dual degree in Film Studies & Political Science from Barnard College.

Get in touch with Erin about: C-SED’s programs, Innovation in Action, storytelling, pitch practice, business models, tv and podcast recommendations, and social justice!

Josh Sukenic

CEO

Leadoff Labs

U-M Bachelor's Economics 1998, MBA Northwestern

Pitch Practice

Joshua Sukenic is a CEO of Leadoff Labs, a go-to-market advisory helping customers in SaaS, manufacturing and distribution develop sales strategy and create repeatable sales processes to accelerate revenue and expand margin. Josh also serves as a mentor-in-residence for ZLI and teaches a course at Ross School of Business.

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