Michigan Tech Week

✨💼 Michigan’s Startup Ecosystem is Accelerating! 🚀 Timing is everything when it comes to accelerators. So, what are the opportunities in Michigan? 📈 Shoutout to andrea wallace, Prentice Keller, Dawn Batts and Katherine Kirsch for sharing their thoughts during the "So You're Considering Joining an Accelerator Panel" at #MITechWeek2024. 💡 Accelerator Programs From university programs to organizations like: 🔹 TechTown Detroit 🔹 Ann Arbor SPARK 🔹 Techstars Detroit These hubs offer mentorship, funding, and networks to turn ideas into thriving businesses. 🌱 🌟 Michigan Founders Fund Pre-Accelerator powered by gener8tor 🗓 Applications close on January 12th for this 7-week, no-equity program that provides: 💰 $15K non-dilutive grants 🤝 Mentorship & programming Huge congrats to Brittni A., recently hired to lead the program! With her leadership, the Pre-Accelerator will prepare underrepresented founders from Southeast Michigan for future equity-based accelerators and investment opportunities. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e69HqVMj 🤝 Bamboo Co-Founder Mixer Find your next co-founder or exec hire in a space where real partnerships happen! 💼✨ 🔹 Hosted by Bamboo Try Bamboo Ann Arbor's Private Offices for free here: https://lnkd.in/eJGWddNP 🏠 Catalyst Accelerator / Detroit Hacker House Focus on building your startup with 12 weeks of subsidized living! 🔥 🔹 Powered by Maximize and Detroit Black Tech Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e9SViMk5 🚀 These are just a few of the programs driving innovation in Michigan! 💬 Know of more opportunities? Drop them in the comments below! 👇 #MITechWeek #Startups #Accelerators #FounderLife #VentureCapital #Innovation

🎓College Day at Michigan Tech Week 2024 spotlighted Michigan’s top student innovators. 🔥 40+ students from 10 universities competed in the Student Hackathon & Pitch Competition, solving real-world challenges. 🏆 Hackathon winner Pathwayze earned $5,000 for their career pathing platform aimed at connecting users with real-time growth opportunities. 🏅 Meanwhile, Alivio Medical secured $7,500 in cash and $5,000 in legal services from Varnum LLP for their hospital bed attachment preventing bedsores, addressing a critical healthcare need. A special thank you to Ryan Morrison & Maximize, the co-organizer of College Day, for their incredible work in bringing this event to life. We also extend our gratitude to the mentors who guided students through their projects: Nando Felten, Irene Watts, Margarita Hernandez, PhD, Clay Phillips, and Lauren Bigelow, PhD. And to our judges, who shared their time, expertise, and insights to evaluate these groundbreaking projects: Belvin Liles III, Christina Fair, Prashant Salla, Chris Powers, Grace Hsia Haberl, Ms.E. (She/Her/Hers), and Chening Duker. Finally, we couldn’t have done it without our College Day sponsors, whose support made this event possible: - Paul Jaques, Managing Director of Venture Creation at Michigan State University – Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation - Kevin Ketels, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs at Wayne State University - Julie Messing, Director of Entrepreneurship at Central Michigan University - Beth Smith, Administrative Assistant at Western Michigan University - Rishi Moudgil, Executive Director at Michigan Founders Fund - Nicole Paine Dietrich, Business Development Manager at Lake Trust Credit Union - Marcus Sprow, Managing Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP - Amanda Lewan, Co-Founder and CEO at Bamboo - Jacob Whately, Attorney at Varnum LLP Your dedication, mentorship, and support made this event an unforgettable experience for all involved! 💡 ✉️ Sign-up to our newsletter for in-depth recaps of events from Michigan Tech Week 2024, like College Day! https://lnkd.in/gjRa2hGK #MITechWeek #CollegeDay2024 #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #FutureLeaders

This year’s Michigan Tech Week was a powerful reminder of Michigan's strength in innovation and entrepreneurship! 🌟 Serial Innovators & Entrepreneurs Panel: We heard from incredible serial entrepreneurs Jen Baird (Culturewell), Sergio Rodriguez, and Raffaele Mautone (Judy Security). They shared the highs, lows, and lessons learned through roles as founders, C-suite execs, investors, and co-founders in the innovation space. Saving Hearts & Lives Panel, One Start-up at A Time: Health tech innovators Lisa McLaughlin (Workit Health), Anthony Chang, PhD (BAMF Health), and Mike Klein (Genomenon, Inc) showcased how their groundbreaking work in healthcare technology is directly saving lives and transforming care. Ask Me Anything Panel: Robert W. (Moosejaw Mountaineering, Zeck) shared insights on building companies rooted in Michigan, while Sara Chen (Pangoo Apparel) discussed breaking barriers for women building in the outdoor industry. If you missed it, watch our recap reel to relive the highlights! 📹 And stay tuned—there’s so much more ahead for Michigan’s startup ecosystem. #MITechWeek #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

What a week at Michigan Tech Week 2024! This year, Detroit’s Michigan Central buzzed with entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders from all over Michigan. "If you didn’t know, now you know" -- #Michigan is a powerhouse for #tech and #innovation! #MITechWeek

Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors for Making Michigan Tech Week 2024 a Success! We couldn’t have organized Michigan Tech Week 2024 without the incredible support of our presenting and hosting partners, Michigan Founders Fund and Michigan Central. Your dedication to fostering innovation in Michigan is unmatched! Special shoutout to our Planning Council: Amanda Lewan and Ricardo Garcia (Bamboo), Andria Romkema (The Right Place, Inc.), Chevonne Robinson (1011 Prime), Clare Braun (Michigan Central), Diana Callaghan (Endeavor), Ryan Morrison (Maximize), Monica Wheat (Techstars Detroit), Tu Le (TechTown Detroit), Emily Samar, Meagan Ward, Pete Martin, and Rishi Moudgil (Michigan Founders Fund). We are beyond grateful for your leadership and guidance! Anchor Sponsors: We are proud to be backed by these powerhouse organizations that are committed to strengthening Michigan’s tech ecosystem: - Song Foundation - Michigan Economic Development Corporation - William Davidson Foundation - University of Michigan Official Sponsors: A special thank you to our 2024 sponsors who have helped make this week unforgettable:   Grand Circus (a Dexian company), MSU Federal Credit Union, Gunderson Dettmer, gener8tor, Newlab, Mercury, Kapor Center, Velocity, Venture 313, and Knight Foundation. And a big thanks to our many other special event sponsors, affiliate activity organizers, panel sponsors, and competition sponsors, who contributed to Michigan Tech Week's success! Stay tuned for more highlights from the week as we continue to build Michigan’s innovation future together! #MITechWeek

💡 Michigan Tech Week showcased incredible innovation and tech talent from across the state! A huge congratulations to MFF member Elliot Smith, PE, founder of Motmot, for winning first place in the eLab Ventures AI Launchpad Pitch Competition and securing $50,000 for his startup! Motmot is revolutionizing the drinking water infrastructure industry by providing cost-effective asset management solutions. Their innovative inspection services help engineers, utility managers, and public works professionals prevent critical failures, reduce operational costs, and optimize asset management strategies. We can’t wait to see how Motmot continues to make an impact in this essential space! #MITechWeek #Startups #Innovation

🎉 A big congratulations to all the winners of the Student Pitch Competition at Michigan Tech Week! Shoutout to Hank Greeves and Saanjh Khattar from the University of Michigan for taking 1st place with Alivio Medical, earning $7,500! 🎊 2nd place: CyberBuddy - Cielo Rosas-Ocampo (Eastern Michigan University) - $4,000 🥈 3rd place: Odin Classroom - Saransh Mehta (Michigan State University) - $2,500 🥉 People's Choice: Wave RF - John Woods and Eric Andrechek (University of Michigan) - $1,000 👏 It’s inspiring to see such incredible innovation and talent from students across Michigan’s universities. Keep pushing boundaries and solving big problems—your futures are bright! 🚀

Day 4 of #MITechWeek brought together both College Day and Outdoor Innovation Day! These communities came down to Newlab #Detroit from both peninsulas to showcase their products, businesses, and best pitches. They won tens of thousands of dollars in investments for building a better tomorrow - both on campus and outdoors! Full listing of winners coming soon! #College #Tech Maximize Motmot #Outdoors Pangoo Apparel #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

Day 4 of #MITechWeek is kicking off NOW Newlab join us for keynote sessions this morning, Outdoor Pitch Competition at 1p, College Pitch competition at 1:30p, and Hackathon at 3p! #InnovateInDetroit Michigan Founders Fund Michigan Central

Rewind to some of our favorite moments from Day 3 of #MITechWeek! 🔥 Huge congrats to our $120K pitch competition winners! 🎉 Stay tuned for more fun, innovation, and big money moves ahead! 🚀💡💰 Newlab Michigan Tech Week City of Detroit Michigan Founders Fund