A Private Lunch
with Notre Dame
Dr. Michael H. Morris, founder of the Urban Poverty and Business Initiative, interviewed by Mike Flynn
Notre Dame built a model that treats starting a business as a way out of poverty, and it works. Dr. Morris founded it, ran it across continents, and it now runs here in Seattle through Seattle University. Come hear what he learned, and what it would take to do more of it in this city.
Lunch included. Seating is limited at World Trade Center Seattle. Presented by Katrina Eileen Real Estate, reSpace and The Savvy Digital Co. In partnership with Seattle University's On Ramp program.
- When
- Thursday, October 8, 2026
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM - Where
- World Trade Center Seattle
Valet parking available - Seats
- $55, lunch included
Room limited to about 100 - Benefiting
- Seattle University
With the On Ramp program
Katrina Romatowski with Dr. Michael H. Morris
Recorded in April 2026, ahead of October 8. 41 minutes.
Or listen. The Shoulders of Giants podcast is on Apple, Spotify and everywhere else.
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Conversations that matter, not panels and not pitches
Every opportunity available to us today exists because of visionary leaders who shaped the industries and communities we know. By standing on the shoulders of these giants, we get to see and create what comes next.
Shoulders of Giants convenes leaders for substantive dialogue about systems, dignity, and the work that outlasts us. Each edition asks the same two questions: whose shoulders do we stand on, and who are we willing to lift next?
Dr. Michael H. Morris
Professor | Founder | Researcher | Program Director | Author
Dr. Michael H. Morris has spent decades moving entrepreneurship from a privilege of the already-resourced to an infrastructure for economic mobility. He is not a theorist watching from the margins. He is the architect of a model that has changed how universities, cities, and communities think about poverty, entrepreneurship, and economic dignity.
He founded the Urban Poverty and Business Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, a framework that treats business formation as a pathway out of poverty when the right scaffolding exists. That model now runs in Seattle as On Ramp, through Seattle University's Albers School of Business.
His research and programs span continents, demonstrating that entrepreneurship is a universal human capacity when systems of support are built with intentionality and equity.
Urban Poverty and Business Initiative
A framework that treats business formation as infrastructure for economic mobility, not a luxury for those already resourced. Founded at the University of Notre Dame.
Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
University of Notre Dame. A global leader in inclusive entrepreneurship, with research and programs running across continents.
On Ramp at Seattle University
A ten-month program built on the UPBI model: a six-week bootcamp, twelve weeks of student consulting, and personal mentoring for aspiring entrepreneurs in economically challenged communities.
Why this conversation matters here
This is not a conference keynote being repeated in another city. Seattle is the proving ground. The work Dr. Morris pioneered is happening here, in real neighborhoods, with real people building real businesses.
Notre Dame's method, Seattle's mission
Through Seattle University's Albers School of Business, On Ramp brings the proven UPBI methodology to our backyard: ten months, a six-week bootcamp, twelve weeks of student consulting, and eight hours of personal mentoring. The full weight of a university behind people who have been told entrepreneurship is not for them.
Trust first, classroom second
On Ramp does not sit behind a desk and wait. They go into communities, knocking on doors and showing up at shelters, telling people face to face that business ownership is a real option for them. That is what makes this different.
Most programs study poverty, this one fights it
On Ramp turns decades of entrepreneurship research into hands-on mentorship, structured consulting, and a clear step-by-step path from idea to business, proving that when you build the right scaffolding, people rise.
Who you will hear from
Mike Flynn
Longtime Puget Sound Business Journal Publisher and the series' interviewer.
Peter Rowan
Lawrence K Johnson Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Executive Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Seattle University.
Janie Ng
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Economic Development, Albers School of Business.
What the afternoon looks like
A guided conversation, questions from the room, and time to actually talk to the people at your table. Two hours, no panel, no pitches.
- to
Arrive and connect
Check in, find your table, and lunch is served. The room is small enough that this part is worth arriving for.
- to
The interview
An intimate, guided dialogue between Dr. Michael H. Morris and Mike Flynn on the systems behind economic mobility and the responsibility of leadership.
- to
Questions from the room
Thoughtful audience engagement, with questions shaped by the room's collective experience in business, civic life, and community building.
- to
Continue the conversation
Time to build relationships and connect across sectors, in an environment designed for substance rather than circulation.
Times are approximate. Doors and lunch from 11:30 AM, and we finish at 1:30 PM.
Thursday, October 8 at World Trade Center Seattle
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. $55 per seat with lunch included. The room is limited to about 100 guests. Proceeds from the event benefit Seattle University.
You can also volunteer at the event, or read the full story. Attire is business professional and valet parking is available. See the full Shoulders of Giants series.