When it comes to building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, Kurt Riegger, COO of OcuSciences, argues that there's no lack of ideas or innovations in Ann Arbor. Talent with enough experience to execute on those ideas may be another question. Riegger has launched, funded, and advised 26 companies, and chats with Concentrate about what our community needs to succeed.

The student-run MPowered is U-M's startup for startups. Living up to its name, it has not only prodded the university into offering more classes in entrepreneurship, it has also attracted a community of business-minded students through its 1000 Pitches Summit and annual Career Fair. This year they debut "Startup Weekend," a 54-hour event which seeks to create a web or mobile applications business in a weekend.

If you attended our October speaker event it was pretty clear that Chris Leinberger is a really smart guy. A senior fellow at the Brooking's Institute, U-M professor, and real estate developer, he brings real world, on-the-ground experience to urban planning theories and research. We chat with Leinberger about southeast Michigan's suburban communities and how their DDA's can pave the way to a more prosperous and vibrant future.

It was 50 years ago, on October 14, that Senator John F. Kennedy stood on the Michigan Union steps and delivered his famous Peace Corps proposal stump. This week we'll hear from Michael Drake, director of corporate relations for U-M's College of Engineering, on the implications of having an international perspective and his own experiences while volunteering in Krygyzstan.