The risks to startup culture are a two-way street. Not only must you convince investors to make a calculated leap of faith, you also need talent that's willing to commit sweat equity to an uncertain future. The Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship Program is looking to make the second half of that equation a little easier while applying a slow-food strategy toward fostering local entrepreneurship.

With the successful exits of Esperion and Accuri, CEO's Roger Newton and Jen Baird could have taken the money and run. Instead, they're establishing new local ventures, reinvesting in Michigan's future, and helping to grow our entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Born and schooled in Michigan, Greg Schwartz did what most ambitious U-M graduates do: He moved to New York City to find success. But then the digital biz director for Warner Music Group did something few Big Apple bigwigs would ever consider: He moved back to Michigan to run a start-up.

Back in 2001 Larry Eiler, CEO of Eiler Communications and director of the Small Business Association of Michigan, wrote an essay comparing our entrepreneurial landscape with Silicon Valley. Needless to say Michigan came up lacking. Boy, what a difference 10 years makes. In this week's guest blog Larry updates his assessment and finds more than a few encouraging trends.

From laboratory to marketplace, U-M's Tech Transfer Office plays matchmaker, introducing local venture capitalists to promising new technologies. And with $850 million in research and over 300 discoveries each year at the university the potential for crossover is tremendous.