Jarlan Poteat and Brandon Green pose in a Forbes cover display
By Sherry DiBari
Strome College of Business students Brandon Green, a senior digital marketing major, and Jarlan Poteat, a senior finance major, were selected to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit.
The Under 30 Summit is a four-day immersive conference featuring business leaders, celebrity and motivational speakers, entrepreneurs and exhibitors. Participants included those from the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30, a list of the most creative young entrepreneurs of the year.
More than 9,000 people attended the annual event, which features panels, demonstrations, pitch contests, networking and performances. The event focuses on "connecting, learning, teaching and building." Topics included artificial intelligence, marketing and entrepreneurship.
Green and Poteat attended many of the tracks that focused on Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) at large companies. Speakers included CMOs from Target, Rocket Mortgage, Tinder and Postmates.
"As a digital marketing major, it was definitely super informative and gave me a better idea as to what this career path looks like later down the road," Green said. "Seeing so many different startups and entrepreneurs all in one room was truly something special. The best part was how accessible these founders made themselves, so I got hear a lot of unique stories."
Celebrities such as Kevin Durant, Chain Smokers, Blake Griffin and Serena Williams also spoke at the summit.
"The Forbes Under 30 Summit was a great opportunity to learn and network with successful entrepreneurs, CMOs and celebrities," Poteat said. "What I enjoyed most, without a doubt, was the people. I loved networking and talking to other scholars at the event. They were so insightful and motivating."
Poteat graduated in December with a degree in finance. Green plans to graduate in May.
