Michigan Entrepreneurial & Investment Landscape Map

Early-stage tech investing is our passion. We love being involved in the first institutional capital round (typically the Series A)—early enough to be able to truly partner with you and materially impact the growth trajectory of your company. We limit the number of investments in each portfolio to ensure adequate capital and partner bandwidth per company to maximize the chances of success across the board. With .406, you do not get one or two partners, you get the resources of our full team—every investment team member touches every company. We are also dogmatic about never investing in competitive companies, so we will be explicitly aligned with you. We invest in companies aiming to disrupt industries that we know extremely well and where we have the networks to truly accelerate company success.

At 1776, we know that startups can change the world and we’re building the global community to provide the intellectual, social, and financial capital to help them make that a reality. At its core, 1776 is a global incubator and seed fund that helps engineer the success of the world’s most promising startups tackling important challenges in areas like education, health, energy & sustainability, and transportation & smart cities. Our Focus We’ve purposely chosen challenging, government-dominated markets because our roots in Washington, DC give us proprietary connections, insights, and tools that can be used to drive massive scale revenue growth. The key to it all is connections. We connect our startups to the latest wisdom on how to build highly scalable businesses through our curriculum. To expert mentors who can help startups quickly solve problems. To markets through our institutional and corporate partners. To capital through our investor network and the 1776 Seed Fund. And to talent through our community relationships across the globe.

4490 Ventures is a technology-focused, early-stage venture capital fund

5AM's portfolio of advanced life science technologies is diversified within the healthcare industry's biopharmaceutical, medical, technology, and research instrument sectors. Within each sector, 5AM evaluates innovative platform technologies, corporate spin-offs and products with shorter development cycles and invests across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbCelex Technologies develops single-domain antibodies delivered through animal feed for the prevention of foodborne illnesses. Its initial product targets Campylobacter, the most common foodborne illness. The product is delivered as a feed additive for seamless integration into existing farming practices and is cost competitive with significant indirect cost savings compared to traditional solutions, none of which have proven to be effective.

ACRE AgTech, a non-profit corporation, specializes in providing ag-tech connections, resources, and expertise to help entities commercialize their ag-tech innovations.

A native mobile advertising platform connecting with their target audience in apps.

Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) develops on-farm diagnostic test tools for the early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. It offers QScout Farm Lab, an on-farm diagnostic analyzer system that exposes infection in dairy cows long before symptoms occur; and QScout Milk Leukocyte Differential Rapid, an on-farm diagnostic test that identifies, differentiates and provides the ratio of three predominant leukocytes (white blood cells) in the milk of each quarter to detect the presence of subclinical mastitis before symptoms are visible to the producer.

Agrivida is developing highly differentiated products in three areas: animal nutrition, stable detergent enzymes and inexpensive cellulosic sugars for biofuel production. Animal nutrition: By producing feed enzymes in corn grain, COGS is reduced to roughly ¼ that of current fermentation production. Stable detergent enzymes: Agrivida’s technology keeps detergent proteases inactive until used, improving shelf life of these expensive self-digesting enzymes and replacing expensive inhibitors. Inexpensive cellulosic sugars for biofuel production: A longer-term opportunity includes biomass crops, which produce their own enzymes for cellulosic ethanol or other biofuel production.

We specialize in control systems and components for electronically adjustable suspension that improve ride comfort, handling and safety for any vehicle in any market.

Allos invests in early-stage companies, augmenting the capital provided by founders and angel investors who have helped the companies reach a stage at which they have initial customers and are ready for their first institutional financing round. Allos believes an “engaged” approach to venture capital investing is critical to the success of these companies. The firm works closely with its partner companies to help them leverage the business-building skills and resources developed by their team over the past 15 years, as well as those of their investors, most of whom are successful entrepreneurs.

Ambassador empowers marketers to increase customers, referrals, and revenue by leveraging the power of word-of-mouth. Our marketer-friendly software simplifies referral marketing, automating the process of enrolling, tracking, rewarding and managing your customers, affiliates, influencers, and partners. Consumer brands and B2B companies worldwide are rapidly implementing, scaling, and optimizing their referral marketing programs with our pioneering software. We're also one of the fastest growing private companies in America according to the prestigious Inc. 500, with offices in Metro Detroit and Denver. Hundreds of companies leverage our referral marketing automation platform, including Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Ria Financial, SunPower, Frank+Oak, NutriBullet, and the American Marketing Association.

By definition, we’re a venture capital group, but we like to think of ourselves as catalysts for what’s next. We understand that you want to impact this world. We’re prepared to help.

Amherst Fund makes venture capital investments in early-stage companies and also makes private equity investments in later stage companies. While investing carefully to achieve sound returns, Amherst Fund offers flexibility in structuring investments to best meet the needs of the company. Amherst Fund investments have included equity, subordinated debt, and senior debt structures where appropriate.

Amy Cell Talent was launched in March of 2015 to help Michigan startups and small businesses have access to high quality, yet affordable talent acquisition services. In the prior decade, Amy had led talent programs for Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and had designed dozens of programs to help attract, retain and develop talent. She understood the gap in programs to help job seekers and employers, and felt that she had a unique background and passion for this issue. Since launching her "talent agency" her team has grown and has been able to help dozens of employers and hundreds of job seekers connect to resources and each other. She is honored to work with an incredible team, an amazing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Michigan, and with hundreds of people that trust her resources and support to find their next career adventures.

Ann Arbor Angels was founded in 2004 and has evolved into a member-driven angel investment organization, comprised of former CEOs and founders as well as business and investment leaders in the Ann Arbor community. Ann Arbor Angels invests in young companies with breakthrough products or services. In addition to providing capital, they share expertise, provide mentoring, and facilitate connections to the broader marketplace.

Ann Arbor SPARK advances the region by encouraging and supporting business acceleration, attraction, expansion, and retention. The organization identifies and meets the needs of companies at every stage, from startups to large organizations. Ann Arbor SPARK collaborates with business, academic, government and community investment partners to position the region as a destination for innovation.

Apex Venture Partners, established in 1987, is one of the oldest venture capital firms in Mid-America. The firm has invested in over 150 companies throughout the United States. Apex's guiding investment philosophy is to provide exceptional returns for our investors by partnering with entrepreneurs and executives to build significant value in their companies.

Apjohn Ventures is a life sciences-focused fund which does deals in Michigan and the Midwest. Nine portfolio companies with several exits were part of the fund, including Afmedica, ProNAi, ZyStor, Ikano, Asterand, Cytopherx, Renamed, Svelte, Kereos. The partners have been involved in starting a third of these companies and assisted in raising over $300M in financing.

Aquaro Biosystems provides solutions that improve workflow efficiency, quality, and consistency in the histology lab.

AquaSpy develops, manufactures, markets and distributes moisture sensors and smart information technology for the irrigation market. Its intelligent water monitoring systems have broad agricultural applications and are designed to help farmers manage and reduce irrigation costs.

Arbor Dakota is a company dedicated to growing Great Ideas into Great Companies. Simply put, we help early stage companies implement growth strategy which will in turn, enhance shareholder value. We focus on early stage tech companies and have particular expertise with “Software as a Service” (SaaS) businesses. We help these companies with their growth acceleration strategies, strategic marketing plans (How to Win) and sales discipline. We understand that the holy grail to valuation is high growth, profitable companies that have recurring and defensible revenues. We have combined years of technology experience and knowledge in early stage companies with practical strategies and tools that have proven to create exciting companies with great referenceable customers, outstanding growth rates, and high valuations. We have experienced the “end game” and know how to implement a plan to get from “resource-constrained” to “high growth/profitable”. And most importantly, we will help you to think differently about your business. We are experts at Blue Ocean Strategy development and know how to disrupt markets and help you take on entrenched and fierce competitors and make them irrelevant. We love the challenge.

Arbor Partners provides equity capital and entrepreneurial assistance to early and growth-stage enterprise software and technology-enabled services businesses.

Arboretum Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in the healthcare sector. Founded in 2002, the firm manages $450 million in capital and has invested in more than 30 companies. It focuses on medical device, diagnostic, healthcare IT and healthcare service companies that can achieve significant milestones and value creation in a capital-efficient manner.

ARCH Venture Partners is a premier provider of seed and early stage venture capital for technology firms, with a special competence in co-founding and building firms from start-up. Our mission is to deliver promising technologies from the earliest stages to successful commercial application – from concept to commerce.

Arsenal is a growth-stage venture capital firm that focuses on the intersection of the government, large corporations, and emerging technology companies. The firm partners with visionary entrepreneurs to build exceptional businesses in the enterprise, commerce/logistics, healthcare and resource efficiency sectors.

Athenian Venture Partners invests in early stage Technology and Healthcare companies. We identify transformative businesses in rapid growth markets and partner with next-generation leaders to build great companies, enabling them to deliver truly innovative products and solutions.

The ATLAS network provides affordable cloud based solutions for space access in the rapidly growing global space market. Our network utilizes both ATLAS owned and cooperative antennas to provide our users S, X, and UHF band coverage and TT&C at a fraction of the cost. Built around the ATLAS Freedom software platform, our team has developed a proprietary way to cut costs, and efficiently schedule all of our customers. The ATLAS Freedom platform allows us to offer the lowest prices on the market without skimming on quality. We like to call that a win, win situation.

Atlas Venture is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in life sciences startup companies in the U.S.

Augment Ventures invests in software, software-enabled hardware, and physical sciences innovations that drive impact in efficiency, sustainability, and health and wellness through products we use at work and home.

We are experts in strategic intellectual property portfolio development, providing high-touch IP portfolio management services. Our dedicated services connect the IP, technology and business strategy for each client, providing fuel for rapid growth and strategic management.

Automation Alley is a technology business association and business accelerator dedicated to growing the economy of Southeast Michigan and enhancing the region’s reputation around the world. Automation Alley offers talent and business development programs and services to tech-focused businesses of all sizes — from startups to large corporations — to help them grow and prosper.

We partner with disruptive B2B founders to accelerate their ideas to market. We’re focused on high-growth enterprise software opportunities across functions and industries, including Infrastructure Software, SaaS and Data Services, Marketing Tech, FinTech and Healthcare. We invest in great founders, with investments ranging from $1 million of seed capital through $100 million of growth equity.

Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investments in strategically targeted sectors around the world. Baird Capital’s venture team invests in early and expansion stage technology-enabled B2B services and healthcare companies. Having invested in more than 300 companies over its history, Baird Capital partners with entrepreneurs and leverages its executive networks to build exceptional companies. The venture team has partnered with many of today’s leading emerging businesses in the targeted sectors, including such companies as Accuri Cytometers, Interlace Medical, MI Bioresearch, NeuMoDx Molecular, Autobooks, and Strata Oncology.

Bamboo Detroit is the largest co-working space for entrepreneurs in Detroit. It offers 24/7 access to shared offices downtown, conferences rooms, fiber Internet, coffee and tea, workshops and events, and a talented network of support for growing businesses.

Barton Consulting Services was founded in 2006 by successful corporate executives wishing to apply their skills toward creating sustainable value for a variety of enterprises. Strategic development is a generic process which can be successfully applied in any industry or organization, and similar approaches are required whether the business is for-profit or nonprofit, well established or starting up. We work with the technical, marketing and financial resources within each organization, and add process expertise to channel that knowledge to determine the best way forward. Incorporated into that expertise are Decision Analysis, Six Sigma and Lean Organization concepts. Our relationship with each client is a synergistic partnership; we listen carefully and work within the existing culture to help the client both understand what they do know and identify what they don’t know, and then use our experience and education to determine the specific needs of and best approach for that client.

We are a global, technology-focused investment firm pursuing the most promising companies and ideas. Founded in 1983, our firm makes venture-capital and private equity investments from offices in Boston, Silicon Valley and Israel. We work hard, but humbly, and are guided by data-driven processes. We seek out extraordinary businesses and leaders who operate the same way.

BBCetc manages the Michigan SBIR/STTR Assistance Program, which provides SBIR/STTR training and proposal development services to technology companies with most costs covered by the state. BBCetc is nationally recognized for its success in helping emerging companies win funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and use those funds strategically to propel growth. Its Michigan clients have been awarded over $205 million in funding since 2002.

Beaumont Health, a major healthcare system serving Michigan and beyond, recognizes the inherent value of research as a major contributing factor to future improvements in healthcare delivery and the health of its local and global communities. Beaumont Research Institute strengthens Beaumont’s ability to conduct medical research and supports strong translational research in numerous areas, including Orthopedics, OB-GYN, Urology and Radiation Oncology. Beaumont Commercialization oversees the development, patenting and licensing of Beaumont technologies with the goal of bringing technology from idea to market and can also serve as a conduit to outside parties seeking collaborations with Beaumont researchers.

BELLE Michigan's mission is to provide superior returns for investors while serving the early stage capital needs of women-led companies. The companies invested have access not only to BELLE's capital but to a network of limited partners who bring years of experience as entrepreneurs, professionals, and corporate executives to support the success of portfolio companies.

Beringea is a private equity firm providing growth capital to market-leading businesses. The firm’s team offers portfolio companies the resources to grow their businesses and create value for shareholders. Beringea invests $2-15 million in equity and/or subordinated debt in companies seeking capital for business expansion and growth, ownership transitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and refinancing.

Immersive virtual reality telepresence platform that aims to revolutionize the way people work, play, hangout, and collaborate.

BioArbor, an entirely volunteer-run organization, hosts educational networking events for the life sciences industry in the greater Ann Arbor area. BioArbor events explore technology commercialization (product, device, and service), financing strategies, business development, regulatory affairs, marketing, and other topics useful to life science entrepreneurs. Each event, held six times per year, features a networking session, invited speaker(s), and a post-presentation Q&A period. Invited speakers from both the national and local ecosystem share experience on topics such as drug discovery and development, medical devices, diagnostics, and tools. BioArbor events are open to the public and are especially suited for those interested in starting or growing life science businesses.

BioStar Ventures is a strategic venture capital partnership focused on accelerating value creation for medical device technologies in cardiovascular and orthopaedic medicine. Combining the insight of seasoned venture capitalists and world-renowned medical thought leaders, BioStar Ventures identifies proprietary technologies that serve unmet patient needs and fit the acquisition criteria of leading medical device companies. BioStar Ventures fills an important gap in translational medical device innovation and acts as a true value-added investor, providing both capital and clinical expertise to mitigate risk, optimize product development, and secure successful exit.

The BlueWater Angels Investment Network is a private, for-profit organization established to provide members a significant return on equity investments. While providing risk capital to promising businesses, BlueWater Angels recognize the value of supporting and nurturing the entrepreneurial community for the economic benefit of Mid-Michigan and the State of Michigan.

Brandid / Try

Focused on the development of major trade programs in China providing business services to Chinese enterprises such as CADF, SINOPEC, CNPC, SNPTC, Foton, FAW, Sino Truck. . and provide a bridge between Western companies and Chinese businesses focused on M&A, JV, Technology Cooperation, and Corporate Training Programs.

Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) is the state’s business roundtable, composed of the chairpersons, CEOs or most senior executives of the state’s largest job providers and universities. Together, our members power one-third of the state’s economy and educate nearly one-half of the state’s university students, which makes us a powerful driver for economic development and change. BLM’s work is concentrated on developing strategy, raising awareness, advocating policy and championing initiatives that grow the state’s economy. Our members know what it takes to make the economy grow and create new jobs, and they’ve distilled that knowledge into the Building a New Michigan Plan, a comprehensive strategy for making Michigan a “Top Ten” state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy. Our organizational activities are geared toward achieving the goals outlined in that plan. What’s more, we keep our focus on the cutting edge by continually researching and benchmarking new data and strategies that can help advance Michigan’s growth. BLM is a private, nonprofit organization. We communicate our agenda through a variety of ways including two political action committees.

Founded and incorporated in the State of Michigan in August 1989, CAEtech has clearly established itself as a leading provider of high-tech services and solutions in Information Technology and Engineering. Our vision, philosophy and guiding principles helped us become a preferred supplier to many major corporations including Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, DaimlerChrysler, Delphi Automotive, and many other tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers. Our reputation for quality service delivery and performance helps us maintain consistently higher ranking amongst our competitors. Our services and solutions are designed to assist both manufacturing industry and commercial businesses, large and small. Our Small Business Solutions strategy offers customized products and services to small to mid-size companies in the areas of Engineering, Information Technology and Human Capital Management. CAEtech is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), certified by the Michigan Minority Business Development Council affiliated with the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Also, we are an 8(a) Certified business with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Our success is evident from the fact that we were ranked three times as the Fastest Growing Company amongst Michigan Private 100 during the last decade.

This is the place for friends—oodles and oodles of them. Looking for support? Solutions? We’re here to help you face all the challenges of your journey—and to have some fun along the way. We want kids with special needs and their families to get social, have fun, be confident, be calm, and be themselves. Get ready to find your confidence, your swagger, to start talking, doing, making friends, tackling new situations, trying new experiences.

Campaign is a vertically integrated online furniture brand. In today’s world of fast furniture, “assembly required” usually translates to “disposable.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can have portable furniture that moves easily and still lasts a lifetime. Crafted in the spirit of the “campaign furniture” that travelled with British soldiers in the 19th and 20th centuries, Campaign sits at the intersection of quality and mobility. Our mission is to design products that complement the way you live, not constrain it.

Capital Community Angel Investors is a nonprofit organization that seeks to introduce qualified entrepreneurs to its member investors. The group looks for Michigan-based “disruptive” early stage investments that offer sustainable competitive advantage.

Capital Midwest Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in advanced manufacturing, B2B, and healthcare technology companies based in the Midwest. The fund concentrates on investments where companies have excellent management and technology, and will address significant markets. We look for management with successful previous experience; markets that are established and growing; defensible IP positions; and sustainable competitive advantages. The principals of the fund are professionals who have operated in the investment banking, investing, and technology industries for many years. They have significant experience in raising money for early-stage companies and sourcing deals. In addition, they have significant experience in assisting management teams prepare viable business plans, evaluate strategic partnerships, and craft lucrative exits.

We created the "CARROT Wellness" mobile app to help motivate people to lead healthier, more active lives. The first version of CARROT was launched in December 2014 for iOS, and then in May 2015 for Android. The CARROT Health & Wellness Program was formally introduced with the release of CARROT 2.0 in January 2016.

Cascade Partners is an investment banking and private investment firm serving entrepreneurs, businesses and investors active in the middle market. Drawing on the deep management, investment and transaction experience of its principals, Cascade Partners provides the guidance and resources necessary to navigate the complexities of managing growth through acquisitions, divestitures, financing and other strategic initiatives. Cascade Partners manages Cascade Growth Partners (CGP), an operationally focused private investment fund that provides growth capital to healthcare, value-added manufacturing and technology-enabled service businesses. CGP funds growth financings, acquisitions, management buyouts and change-of-control transactions. CGP invests in the lower-middle market companies with EBITDA between $500,000 and $5,000,000. CGP targets healthcare, value-added manufacturing, and technology-enabled businesses that have strong growth potential.

Venture Capital Firm

Coal Grill & Bar

We specialize in launching female-led companies and new businesses targeting the female demographic

Chrysalis Ventures manages one of Mid-America's largest funds for early-stage and growth investments, with approximately $400 million under management. Since 1993, Chrysalis has invested in over 65 companies, primarily in the Healthcare and Technology sectors.

Circadian Risk Inc. was established in 2015 to create a risk standard by taking the approach to develop software as a service to collect micro and macro data for risk analysis.

The mission of the City of Grand Rapids Economic Development Department is to retain and foster employment opportunities by improving our business environment and encouraging sustainable business development. Our economic development effort is aimed at facilitating greater levels of economic prosperity through innovation, collaboration and the linking and leveraging of resources. This is primarily accomplished through numerous programs, including the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, tax abatement programs, the SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority, and Corridor/Business Improvement Districts.

Claremont Creek Ventures is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm, founded by experienced entrepreneurs to partner with other entrepreneurs in building ambitious, exceptional technology companies.

Cleanly is the easiest way to get laundry done. The mobile app provides an easy to use, on demand laundry & dry-cleaning delivery experience. A Cleanly Valet comes to you, weighs your laundry, then takes it to our cleaning facilities to be professionally cleaned, and returned back at the time requested in the app. Cleanly provides affordable convenience and more free time to busy people everywhere.

The College of Business Administration offers an innovative, high quality, business-connected learning environment to prepare students for a variety of careers in the ever-changing world of business. The college offers a quality education through the School of Accounting and the Departments of Business Information Systems, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance and Law, Management, and Marketing and Hospitality Services Administration.

The CMU Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship is a campus-wide early stage entrepreneurship and innovation center that provides education, experiential learning, and support for student entrepreneurs to create and incubate business ideas and launch startup ventures. Support programs include workshops and events covering ideation/concept crafting, team building, customer discovery, business model generation, lean startup concepts, pitch competitions, investor presentations, and startup coaching by a pool of alumni and faculty mentors and advisors. Student teams are connected to resources and opportunities throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state of Michigan. Top teams earn seed funding to launch their business and have the chance to participate in a summer accelerator program.

CMURC is a leader in advancing economic development in the Great Lakes Bay Region by leveraging the resources of Central Michigan University, the Mt. Pleasant SmartZone and its local, regional and State-wide partners to accelerate the success of entrepreneurs, growing businesses and jobs.

Conservis develops an enterprise software farm management system embedded in a farm’s existing work flow. The company sells a software-as-a-service platform with a broad range of features including harvest tracking, inputs tracking and inventory management.

We connect decision makers to rich and dynamic risk insights on public and private firms driving renewal in a wide range of industries, using our AI-driven KeyStone Compact platforms. Servicing both buy-side and sell-side financial firms, as well as municipal and federal clients in the government sector, we operate a suite of modular desktop and API products that transform non-financial data derived from a wide range of social media and other sources into actionable investment signals.

Cleary University's vision is a world where everyone understands, experiences and benefits from innovation and entrepreneurship. As America’s foremost applied for business university, Cleary University will be the country’s preferred partner for innovation and entrepreneurship education. The mission of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Cleary University is to enrich the community of students, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, managers, corporations and small business owners in Southeastern Michigan through knowledge, skills, credentials, and resources that are accessible, innovative and experiential. Their resources include space, services, events, and education.

Cue Ball Capital is a venture firm build around human capital. They are business builders with an operator-mindset who have started, scaled and led companies from the seed stage to public company Fortune 500′s. This means having an experience base that can be drawn upon as needed and “entrepreneurial empathy” for any speed bumps along the way. The evergreen structure of our fund is unique – giving us a permanent and flexible capital pool that has only a single fund with a single investor base at one time and a fund without an arbitrary fund life that may or may not map to your time line for value creation.

Cultivian Sandbox is a venture capital firm focused on building next generation disruptive agriculture and food technology companies capable of generating superior returns. As early investors and active board members, Cultivian employs a hands-on approach to building companies and is often directly involved in setting company strategy, recruiting key executives, and raising additional capital.

Curo provides family with reassurance that their loved one is remaining independent and can continue to care for themselves. Using non-intrusive sensors in the home Curo provides insights via a smart phone application which aims to change the way the world looks at ageing-in-place and the relationship between family and their loved ones. Curo shifts the focus away from emergency call-outs to better understand the wellbeing, care and ultimately the independence of the elderly. The Curo smartphone application loads directly to a daily task list, which gives the carers access to current information such as: Completion of expected daily or weekly tasks At home or away status Current house temperature Last activity monitored

Dandelion is data, design, media and technology for the public and social sector. The organization helps government and nonprofit agencies redefine the way they engage community, activate underutilized assets and deliver services.

Descartes Labs measures the health of global commodity crops daily, in order to quantify their acreage and yield. Using remote sensing science and deep learning algorithms, optimized on decades of satellite, weather and other data, Descartes Labs’ models enable accurate and timely prediction of USDA releases of national supply forecasts, but with granularity down to the county and farm level.

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center works to strengthen Detroit's creative economy by supporting the growth of creative businesses, raising awareness of the role of design in the economy, and advocating on behalf of it. It works with businesses across the Detroit region and focuses its impact on the city of Detroit.

Venture Capital Firm

The Detroit Regional Chamber is a well connected and influential force powering the economy for Southeast Michigan. Serving the business community for more than 100 years, the Detroit Regional Chamber is one of the oldest, largest and most respected chambers of commerce in the country. Chamber activities and initiatives are centered on four strategic pillars: economic development, regional collaboration, education reform and member value.

Detroit Venture Partners (DVP) invests in seed and early-stage technology startups. The firm looks for companies that can be synergistic with DVP’s collective experience in product development, operations, sales, and marketing. DVP intends to help rebuild Detroit through entrepreneurial fire.

Dow Venture Capital — an investment arm of The Dow Chemical Company — is focused on pursuing strategic investments that enable and accelerate Dow’s business growth while adding value to its portfolio companies.

Draper Triangle Ventures is a Pittsburgh-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on technology investing in the Midwest. With $200 million under management across three funds, the firm focuses on early-stage technology businesses with enormous market potential, helping entrepreneurs achieve their maximum potential through team building, partnership, advice, and support, as well as investments.

The Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County is a regional non-profit economic development agency that has served the Blue Water Area for over 60 years. The EDA is supported by public and private sector investors and works closely with community stakeholders and regional partners to stimulate the economy and drive job growth and investment. EDA attracts new industry to the county with a focus on the advanced manufacturing, automotive plastics, automation, logistics and transportation, and the Internet of Things related to global mobility and smart cities. EDA manages The Underground Incubator in the Port Huron SmartZone and the Eastern Michigan Manufacturing Association.

The University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute leverages the University of Michigan’s expertise, research, technologies, and other resources to work with small- and medium-sized enterprises to foster innovation and boost local, state, and national economies.

EDF Ventures is a leading venture capital firm investing in early-stage healthcare companies. The firm focuses on young companies that are developing breakthrough technologies to address large, well-recognized problems or transform existing markets. The individuals pioneering these kinds of solutions require far more than just capital; they need venture investors who are committed for the long haul, true partners who can help transform their vision into strong, profitable companies.

Located in Plymouth, MI, seated alongside our manufacturing partners’ 50,000 sqft advanced design and assembly space. The FDA registered facility has been manufacturing and delivering devices to the Fortune 500 community for over fifteen years. The location was carefully chosen to allow EhmetDx the ability to drive prototypes efficiently through the design stage allowing rapid adaptation to market needs.

eighteen94 makes minority investments in companies pursuing next-generation innovation, bolstering access to cutting-edge ideas and trends. The investment mandate includes start-up businesses pioneering new ingredients, foods, packaging, and enabling technology.

eLab Ventures is an early-stage technology venture capital fund created to capitalize on the growth of emerging entrepreneurial markets outside of Silicon Valley and to create bridges to those markets to seek startups with disruptive innovations, exceptional teams, and capital efficient business models that have the potential to serve large markets. The firm focuses on auto mobility, big data, security, cloud computing and digital healthcare opportunities.

At Eastern Michigan University (EMU), much of their research has the end goal of developing or improving a product with commercial potential. The Technology Transfer Office at EMU is responsible for business engagement and dissemination of University-developed technology into the marketplace, much of which has broad application in industry. Numerous opportunities for collaboration on research projects or with EMU I-Corps teams are available.

Endeavor Detroit provides Michigan-based entrepreneurs with a world-renowned suite of services and programs along with access to an exclusive mentorship network to accelerate the growth of their companies. Benefits of selection to Endeavor Detroit include introductions through a network of more than 3,000 local and international business mentors along with access to capital, talent and international markets. Globally, Endeavor supports more than 1,400 entrepreneurs leading over 900 high-impact companies which have created 650,000 jobs and generated over $10 billion in revenue last year. Endeavor currently operates in 27 markets throughout Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Energy Foundry invests venture capital in today’s most promising energy innovators, and we work with the world’s leading energy companies to build and scale new ventures. Our approach merges venture capital with the perks of partnership, and includes an arsenal of essential tools and relationships to help bring great ideas to market.

enEvolv engineers microorganisms to produce bio-based products. The technology, which was developed at three world-class research labs (George Church of Harvard, Farren Isaacs of Yale and Jay Konieczka of MIT), allows rapid genetic improvement of fermentation microbes, condensing into months the work which now takes years.

The Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan's provides small businessed and entrepreneurs with, access to capital, business plan development training and networking opportunitites. As an entrepreneurial resource for Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Shiawassee Counties, the organization strives to economically strengthen the businesses, entrepreneurs and communities they serve.

Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Detroit is a peer-to-peer network of the most driven and accomplished entrepreneurs in Southeast Michigan. They are a local chapter of The Enterpreneurs' Organization, which is comprised of over 150 chapters worldwide. Laser focused on creating, building & innovating, members fuel each other's passions through killer learning & social events, meaningful experience shares, accountability partnerships and once in a lifetime experiences. With 105 members accounting for more than $1.4 billion in revenue and more than 6,300 employees, EO Detroit is not a club, a networking group nor a marketing “target” —it's a business, family, self and community game changer!

We are an innovative medical device company bringing to market the next generation of spinal orthotic treatment. Our first product is an active lumbar support brace designed for physicians in the operating room: the ExMS-1.

Fontinalis Partners, founded in 2009 and with offices in Detroit and Boston, is a venture capital firm strategically focused on next-generation mobility (i.e., the efficient movement of goods, people, and services). The firm invests across all facets of the world’s mobility systems on a stage-agnostic basis.

Foodstand helps you build good eating habits through community powered Challenges. Good choices count, not calories.

Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare Partners is a leading provider of growth and venture capital to healthcare companies. With nearly $3.0 billion total capital raised, Frazier has invested in over 170 companies, with investment types ranging from company creation and venture capital to buyouts of profitable lower-middle market companies. The Life Sciences team invests in therapeutics and related areas that are addressing unmet medical needs through innovation. Frazier has offices in Seattle, WA and Menlo Park, CA, and invests broadly across the US, Canada, and Europe.

Our goal is set the standard for blood function diagnostics in Sickle Cell Disease and a wide range of bleeding and clotting disorders.

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