Homecoming Innovators & Entrepreneurs Panel

Marc Talluto ’94

Marc Talluto ’94 is a serial entrepreneur and venture investor who has built and collaborated on numerous technology services and products companies. He founded Fruition Partners and grew it from a bootstrapped startup into a global system integrator for cloud software company ServiceNow. Fruition was awarded a place in the Inc. 500, it was Forbes #1 inner city company in 2014 and was recognized by Brill Street as a top 50 employer. Fruition was acquired by DXC where Marc further expanded the Fruition platform by globally consolidating and integrating numerous ServiceNow regional partners.

Currently Marc is doing it all over again as Chairman of Thirdera and continues his pursuits as a limited partner, board member, educator, philanthropist, random hobbyist, husband, and dad.

Corey Schieler ’97

Corey Schieler ’97 is Director of State Farm Ventures®. He is responsible for finding and executing strategic venture capital investment opportunities on behalf of State Farm with a focus on investments that help make the Company more innovative and competitive. He has more than 25 years of institutional asset management experience, including equities, fixed income and venture capital. State Farm Ventures® is a $200 million fund that has made 25 investments since its inception in 2018.

Corey received a B.A. in Risk Management & Economics from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1997. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2002 and in 2003, he completed his MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with a concentration in Accounting & Finance. Corey also holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

Corey serves on the Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees and is vice chairman of the IWU Endowment Investment Committee. Corey also proudly serves as a volunteer wish granter for the Illinois Chapter of the Make-A-Wish® Foundation since 2011 and has helped grant over 35 wishes. In 2021, he was named the Make-A-Wish Illinois Volunteer of the Year and in 2022 was named the Chicago Bears Fan of the Year for his community work and was sent to the Super Bowl.

Joan Cinquegrani ’06

Joan Cinquegrani ’06 (she/her/hers) grew up with “Type A” tendencies. She planned her family vacations starting from age 13, she color-coordinated her closet (despite her mother’s eye rolls), and she continues to be the one to organize get-togethers for friends and family. Joan founded Five Grain Events (derived from Joan’s married last name: in Italian, cinque = five and grani = grains) in 2010 and since then has planned and executed hundreds of events from intimate milestone gatherings to street festivals with thousands in attendance. Joan is a 2023 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and currently serves as an Alumni Ambassador for the program. When finding time away from her work, she enjoys singing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and spending time with her four kids and husband, Patrick, in and around their home in Chicago.

Will Jenkins ’12

Will Jenkins ’12 graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in April 2012 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He has spent most of his career in sales, and for the last six years, he’s been building MoLo Solutions, the freight brokerage company he co-founded in July 2017.

MoLo has been widely recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America, winning awards from Inc. Magazine in 2021 and The Financial Times in 2022 for their rapid growth. Will helped scale MoLo from zero to $615 million in annual revenue before the business was acquired by ArcBest in November of 2021 for $235 million. During 2022, MoLo grew to 800+ employees and generated $1.25 billion in annual revenue. Will has led training, operations, sales, technology, and business processes at various times since MoLo’s inception.

He also serves on the board of a few local Chicago charities; C4 Chicago, A Greater Good Foundation, and ATF. Will actively consults/invests in start-ups and is an advisor/mentor to various entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and founders.

Dr. Alan Gregerman

Dr. Alan Gregerman is the founder, president, and chief innovation officer of VENTURE WORKS Inc. He is also an award-winning and best-selling author, entrepreneur, consultant, teacher, keynote speaker, and community volunteer who has been called “one of the most original thinkers in business today” and “the Robin Williams of business consulting.” His talks on innovation and unlocking genius have inspired more than 300,000 people around the world.

Alan’s work, research, speaking, and writing focus on helping people and companies to innovate, grow, and deliver the most compelling value to their customers. His three books — The Necessity of Strangers, Surrounded by Geniuses, and Lessons from the Sandbox — have been translated in fifteen languages and challenge our thinking in a fun, accessible, and impactful way about people, the world around us, how innovation and brilliance actually occur, and how to reach our full potential as individuals, leaders, and organizations.