Prosperity today feels concentrated in a few places, leaving many Americans questioning whether the system still works for them. This panel asks how universities and the private sector can work together to address this critical issue.

Can universities help restore faith in the American dream? Not just by educating leaders, but by engaging with the private sector and generating the ideas, companies, and industries that power national growth? We will seek to have a deeper understanding of how research universities can be engines of opportunity, creating ripple effects across health, technology, and the economy, with examples that show how innovation in one place can have lasting impact across the country and around the world. What examples of private sector collaboration should we seek to replicate? Where does this relationship need strengthening? What support systems spur the best innovations, and build communities? And how can these innovative and entrepreneurial partnerships work to revive prosperity in sometimes overlooked parts of the country?

Panelists: Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder and Co-C.E.O. of Warby Parker; Steve Case, Co-Founder of AOL, Chairman and C.E.O. of Revolution; Kevin Plank, Founder, President and C.E.O. of Under Armour; Carolina Pluszczynski, Acting C.E.O. of Michigan Central; Shivani Siroya, Founder and C.E.O. of Tala

Moderator: Domenico Grasso, President of The University of Michigan

Filmed live at the 2025 DealBook Summit