Ross Innovation Conference Returns to San Francisco for a Third Year of Alumni-Led Insight and Connection

The Innovation Conference is shaped each year by the broader University of Michigan community in the region. Several U-M and Michigan Ross alumni served on the planning committee, helping craft a program that balanced forward-looking ideas with practical, real-world insight.

“I was honored to help plan the third annual Innovation Conference in San Francisco, and to see our community show up with such energy and curiosity,” said Planning Committee Member Gina Fratarcangeli, BA ’95, managing director at Google, who focuses on global strategic initiatives and serves as an AI Ambassador. 

What made the day powerful was the combination of big ideas and real operator perspectives. Those are the discussions that help leaders move from possibility to execution.

Exploring Ideas and Innovations Shaping What’s Next

Sharon F. Matusik, the Edward J. Frey Dean of Business, officially opened the conference with welcome remarks emphasizing the value of bringing together the Leaders & Best to engage with one another on consequential innovation topics.

The morning’s first featured session, “The New Health Ecosystem: Data, AI, and Personalized Care at Scale,” explored how emerging technologies are reshaping health and wellness. Moderated by Richard Lui, MBA ’01, the panel featured alums Neil Shah. BSE ’03, Xi Zhang, MSE ’13, PhD ’16, and Chitra Shah, BSE ’04. Together, they examined how data and AI are enabling more personalized models of care, as well as the operational and trust considerations involved in implementing these approaches at scale.

After a brief break, the conference shifted to entrepreneurship and company-building with “Founders in Motion: Turning Bold Ideas into Breakthrough Companies.” Moderated by Mike Jung, MBA/JD ’96, the conversation featured Inertia Co-Founders Jeff Lawson, BS ’03, and Annie Kritcher, BSE ’05, who focused on what it takes to move from idea to execution—building teams, iterating through uncertainty, and sustaining momentum as organizations grow.

“It was an honor to speak at the Ross Innovation Conference and share the work we’re doing at Inertia to bring fusion energy from the lab to the grid,” said Lawson. “The proven physics of the NIF experiment, where Dr. Annie Kritcher and team first demonstrated fusion ignition in 2022, serves as the foundation for our grid-scale power plant powered by clean, safe, cheap, and abundant fusion energy. 

Conversations like this are invaluable because they bring together leaders who understand what it takes to move bold ideas from breakthrough science to real-world impact.

Following lunch, attendees reconvened for a Keynote Conversation with Juliet de Baubigny, Partner and Co-Head of Global Technology at BDT & MSD Partners, and Waymo Public Policy Executive Annabel Chang about autonomous vehicles, including what’s ahead for Waymo and the broader AV ecosystem. The discussion explored the intersection of technology, commercialization, public trust, and regulation—and what leadership looks like when innovation meets real-world complexity.

Dean Matusik returned to the stage for closing remarks, reflecting on the importance of convenings such as the Innovation Conference in strengthening community and expanding dialogue across industries. The day concluded with a reception and networking hour, giving attendees the opportunity to continue conversations sparked throughout the program, deepen relationships across the Bay Area Ross network, and explore new ways to collaborate.

Recognizing Alumni Leaders Behind the Conference

While Michigan Ross facilitated and hosted the event, the planning of topics and speakers was made possible thanks to the following Innovation Conference Planning Committee members: Asheesh Birla, BS ’02; Gina Fratarcangeli, BBA ’95; Mike Jung, MBA/JD ’96; Ridhima Kahn, BBA ’11; Eugene Lee, MBA ’08; Matt Malden, BS ’90; Hugh Manahan, MBA ’15/JD ’15; and Gordon Rubenstein, BBA ’93.

To learn more about engaging with Ross as an alum, visit michiganross.umich.edu/alumni.