Sticky Lab works with startups, growth stage companies, and community organizations at the intersection of strategy, business design, and leadership development. My consulting practice includes work with tech companies and tech-enabled businesses, marketplaces, platforms, food supply chains, climate and sustainability, local economies, new media, and community development.- I help people focus and prioritize, build and lead effective teams, connect with resources, develop… Show more Sticky Lab works with startups, growth stage companies, and community organizations at the intersection of strategy, business design, and leadership development. My consulting practice includes work with tech companies and tech-enabled businesses, marketplaces, platforms, food supply chains, climate and sustainability, local economies, new media, and community development.- I help people focus and prioritize, build and lead effective teams, connect with resources, develop partnerships, and tell better stories. - I help organizations evolve to meet the changing environment, from product and market development and iteration, to designing and improving operational processes that enable scale and sustainability.Some recent feedback:"Erika has an uncanny ability to quickly grasp the wide landscape of challenges and opportunities available to our small organization and to identify and implement appropriate structures and methods to strategically develop and evaluate ideas and courses of action. She's nimble and flexible, able to respond to changing conditions as they arise, pivoting and identifying new paths as needed. She's is a trusted voice of reason and a valuable strategic thinking partner.""We're calling you Erika 'Un-Blocker.' Our discussions helped me get 'unstuck'. I'm getting critical stuff done and I'm more confident addressing internal issues directly when they come up.""Erika acts as a critical sounding board for important decisions. She has knowledge and connections that produce out of the box ideas I would never generate on my own, and she brings enormous energy and enthusiasm for my business that help me keep things moving forward." Show less

I am on the faculty of both the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business. For the CFE, I teach Creativity and Product Development and Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI. For Ross, I teach Integrated Product Development, an interdisciplinary course co-listed with the Stamps School of Art & Design and the College of Engineering.Teaching enables me to support up-and-coming problem solvers, inventors, innovators, and leaders in… Show more I am on the faculty of both the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business. For the CFE, I teach Creativity and Product Development and Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI. For Ross, I teach Integrated Product Development, an interdisciplinary course co-listed with the Stamps School of Art & Design and the College of Engineering.Teaching enables me to support up-and-coming problem solvers, inventors, innovators, and leaders in developing the mindset and ethos that will enable them to help define and create a sustainable future.I focus on creating educational experiences that touch on five themes of successful entrepreneurship:- Curiosity and Creativity- Purpose and Focus- Value and Values- Empathy and Storytelling- Navigation and Ownership - Persistence, Flexibility and Resilience Show less

Mentor companies in the Aspire ClimateTech program, the American-Made Solar Prize and the Egypt AIMS program. Lead Instructor and connector for the Michigan Ascend Energy & Mobility Accelerator.

A founder-led community of high-growth entrepreneurs committed to fellowship, cultural intention and funding solutions that uplift communities across the state where we live and operate. Members pledge 1% of equity, carry or profit to support impactful local organizations throughout the state who are doing the work to better our communities and enrich quality of life.

Planet Detroit is a community-driven environmental and public health news publication. Our aim is to raise Metro Detroit residents’ awareness about critical environmental and public health issues that impact their communities. Our mission is: Hold power accountable. Uncover solutions. Reflect and serve the community.We believe the environment is the most important issue of our time, and threats to it, particularly global warming and the climate chaos it is creating, are real. We believe… Show more Planet Detroit is a community-driven environmental and public health news publication. Our aim is to raise Metro Detroit residents’ awareness about critical environmental and public health issues that impact their communities. Our mission is: Hold power accountable. Uncover solutions. Reflect and serve the community.We believe the environment is the most important issue of our time, and threats to it, particularly global warming and the climate chaos it is creating, are real. We believe that independent journalism is the most critical component of our democracy and that it is only through seeking and exposing the truth that we can overcome the environmental challenges facing us.https://planetdetroit.org/ Show less

Investing in and supporting early-stage companies led by diverse founding teams working to address climate change, improve health, and expand economic opportunity.Learn more: https://www.stickylab.com/investing/

Saganworks is an immersive knowledge management platform that works the way our brains work, tapping into the power of visual and spatial memory to organize, contextualize and make use of our digital knowledge.The tools we currently use to save our digital information rely on our ability to remember a keyword, or how we tagged it, or what folder we put it in. But our brains are wired to process visual information more easily than text. The more we use the internet to gather information… Show more Saganworks is an immersive knowledge management platform that works the way our brains work, tapping into the power of visual and spatial memory to organize, contextualize and make use of our digital knowledge.The tools we currently use to save our digital information rely on our ability to remember a keyword, or how we tagged it, or what folder we put it in. But our brains are wired to process visual information more easily than text. The more we use the internet to gather information and artifacts, the harder it gets to keep track of and “re-find” what we collect.Saganworks makes it easy to create 3D spaces where you can organize, find and share your digital knowledge. Show less

Local Orbit is the supply chain platform for people who are creating a new, connected food economy. Local Orbit’s infrastructure enables buyers to efficiently purchase from local farmers, food makers & aggregators, while maintaining complete supply chain transparency. We power local marketplaces and supply chain networks in 32 states and provinces, supporting over 13,000 buyers and suppliers. By enabling efficient, decentralized supply chains that can meet the demand for food… Show more Local Orbit is the supply chain platform for people who are creating a new, connected food economy. Local Orbit’s infrastructure enables buyers to efficiently purchase from local farmers, food makers & aggregators, while maintaining complete supply chain transparency. We power local marketplaces and supply chain networks in 32 states and provinces, supporting over 13,000 buyers and suppliers. By enabling efficient, decentralized supply chains that can meet the demand for food produced closer to where we live, while saving money for foodservice buyers and increasing market share for small and mid-size food producers.Local Orbit offers multi-disciplinary expertise in technology, business process, data visualization and supply chain development. We’ll work with you to find the right strategies, processes, and partners to grow your business — and accelerate your local and sustainable food journey.By enabling efficient, decentralized supply chains that can meet the demand for food produced closer to where we live, Local Orbit is helping people build a more equitable and sustainable food system. Show less

I helped people without a lot of time or technology experience understand how online tools could support their business goals and processes. I worked with organizations to develop affordable, manageable strategies that leverage social networks, blogs, user-created content and online services to tell stories, engage stakeholders, streamline collaboration and increase efficiency. I also worked with companies to develop long term programming and strategic plans.Representative… Show more I helped people without a lot of time or technology experience understand how online tools could support their business goals and processes. I worked with organizations to develop affordable, manageable strategies that leverage social networks, blogs, user-created content and online services to tell stories, engage stakeholders, streamline collaboration and increase efficiency. I also worked with companies to develop long term programming and strategic plans.Representative projects:• Early planning and proposal writing for a viral community action project that raised over $250,000 for Barack Obama in one minute. • Market & regulatory research and feasibility planning to establish a credit union for under-served communities. • Developing a blog strategy and content plan for a technology company. • Developing an online community for an arts organization. Show less

I co-founded Walk & Squawk Performance Project and served as its Co-Artistic/ Producing director overseeing programming, board development, marketing and financial management. I managed cross-sector partnerships and projects in the US, Great Britain and South Africa. I also led the renovation of a vacant building in Detroit into the Furniture Factory, a theater, gallery and bar. My hybrid approach to community building and social media draws from my work as a director, writer, teacher… Show more I co-founded Walk & Squawk Performance Project and served as its Co-Artistic/ Producing director overseeing programming, board development, marketing and financial management. I managed cross-sector partnerships and projects in the US, Great Britain and South Africa. I also led the renovation of a vacant building in Detroit into the Furniture Factory, a theater, gallery and bar. My hybrid approach to community building and social media draws from my work as a director, writer, teacher and producer, creating community-centered art and civic dialogue projects that connect people across geographic and demographic boundaries.Interviews for the last piece I worked on turned into an "accidental" customer discovery process for Local Orbit, a tech startup that began as a performance and civic engagement project called A History of Eating. Projects include:• Renovating a vacant, 20,000 square foot building in a Detroit Enterprise Zone into a multi-disciplinary arts venue, with theater, gallery, bar, studio and office space.• Producing, directing, and presenting dozens of multi-disciplinary theater, music, visual arts and and community events.• Co-creating and directing The Walking Project a 4–year arts and civic dialogue project that explored desire lines, or paths, made by people who walk across fields in South Africa and across vacant lots in Detroit – and what connects them. With a team of artists and community partners in the US and South Africa, the project reached over 15,000 people in both countries through performances, humanities events, public walks and conversations, voter registration drives, visual arts exhibits, poetry slams, music, and workshops at schools, universities and churches. • Co-creating and directing an award-winning exchange project with 10 South African artists that reached 8000 people in Southeast Michigan, including 4000 young people, through workshops, performances and community events during a 6-week residency. Show less