Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University

What do Ann Arbor, Evanston, and Herzliya have in common?

One word: Zell

Last week we visited our sister programs, the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurship and the Kellogg Zell Fellows Program, coming together as one global community driven by our shared entrepreneurial ambitions and leadership goals.

A few highlights:
• Touring Kellogg and the Ross School of Business, and visiting Urban Tech Exchange and Newlab in Detroit to see firsthand where building happens
• An inspiring visit to Equity Group Investments office with Scott Peppet, Ellen Havdala, and Aaron Zell
• Lectures from Steven Franconeri, Gina Fong, and Kevin McTigue at Kellogg
• Hearing from Jon Oberheide and Pete Martin about building and scaling in Michigan
• A candid VC panel on the Michigan ecosystem featuring Lindsey Kilbride, Turner Novak, Diana Callaghan, paul brown, and Brandon Schram

What makes Zell so powerful is the people and the lifelong, international network behind it. Grateful to everyone who made this trip possible and continues to strengthen this community.

Scott Peppet, Ellen Havdala, Aaron Zell, David Schonthal, Gregg Latterman, Steve Janssens, Drea Shipp-Caldwell, Mike Golas, Jennifer Herold, Liat Aaronson, Ori Schnitzer, Tali Pais, Naomi Scheinman

People often glorify what it means to be a CEO, but the full picture looks very different up close.

We were lucky to host three incredible Zell alumni: Dan Benjamin (former CEO of Dig Security, acquired by Palo Alto Networks), Raz Ronen (CEO of Wisor), and Yarden Gross (CEO of Orca AI). They spoke honestly about what the role actually feels like day to day.

In short, what we heard is that being a CEO is simultaneously the best and worst job. Their advice and real stories helped our fellows understand the reality behind the title and connect it to the journey they are on today.