Author: Ara Topouzian

For Adrian Ohmer, the 2015 MVCA Up-and-Coming Investor of the Year, making an impact on the venture community in the Great Lakes Region has been a priority, and it’s a task he’s dedicated himself to with enthusiasm since he joined the Michigan entrepreneurial community. As a principal at Detroit Innovate, he conducts company sourcing and […]

As a pioneer in Michigan venture capital investing, Tom Porter has dedicated his thirty-year career to building the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and guiding students and young professionals interested in joining the industry. His lasting impact on the Michigan venture community and his fundamental role in its creation and development will be recognized at the 2015 […]

Serial entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of a vibrant, growing venture capital community, and the Great Lakes Region is home to many successful founders who can translate their past experience into growing new companies in this area.  Over the past decade, one Michigan entrepreneur and venture capitalist has proven she has the determination to nurture multiple […]

Ann Arbor-based Duo Security had a big year in 2015.  The advanced security solutions provider well surpassed 100 employees, earning it the MVCA 100 Award at the 2015 MVCA Annual Awards Dinner.  To support that growth, the company raised a $30 million Series C round, bringing total venture funding in the company to $48 million.  […]

Great Lakes Region venture firms are attracting the attention of a broad national investor base with ever-increasing fund sizes, but one Michigan firm’s 2015 fundraise has broken state records, and within the Great Lakes Region it’s one of the top five largest funds raised. In celebration of this milestone, Ann Arbor-based healthcare venture investor Arboretum […]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Nov. 9, 2015 – SkySpecs, Inc., an industry leader in drone collision avoidance and provider of an automated drone infrastructure inspection platform, announced today that it raised $3.0 million in a Series A round led by Venture Investors. The Series A round also included new investment from Huron River Ventures, Amherst […]

A special thank you to Gregg Kaplan for Keynoting the 2015 MVCA Annual Awards Dinner! Gregg Kaplan brought a wealth of entrepreneurial experience to Chicago’s Pritzker Group investment team when he joined in April 2015. As senior director of corporate strategy and business development for McDonald’s Corporation, Kaplan founded Redbox, the ubiquitous movie-rental kiosk network. […]

By Melvin Henley, Program Manager, Detroit Creative Corridor Early and second stage tech-based startups who need creative assistance listen up!  Detroit Creative Corridor, Creative Co., and Detroit Innovate are launching a new fund that will help you get the assistance you need.  The Creative Co. Services Fund will award tech-based startups in Michigan with up […]

Sabrina Hadinoto relishes the “incredible variety and continual learning” a career in venture capital offers.  So when the MVCA Venture Fellows Program made it possible for her to join Ann Arbor-based Venture Investors full time, she didn’t hesitate.  Sabrina tells us why she’s choosing Michigan to build her career and the legacy she hopes to leave […]

Eric Meister admits his resume is pretty unique—he’s spent years at the intersection of technology and the food supply chain, first as the director of supply chain for Barilla Pasta and later as the COO of Lean Logistics, the world’s largest SaaS supply chain logistics provider to many large, industrial food supply customers. So when […]