Author: Ara Topouzian

Lucian Taylor, new VP of Product at Grand Rapids’ Varsity News Network (VNN), admits his long-time passion for fiction writing seems unlikely for a high-tech software guy. But he insists it’s a skill that actually lends itself well to his day job. Indeed, telling the story of VNN’s chief offering—a nation-leading digital communication platform for high […]

Ann Arbor, Michigan – October 09, 2015 From blood to food to medicine, cells are all around us. However, the current methods of separating those cells from their surroundings for research, diagnostics, and cell therapy–also known as cell sorting–can be time-consuming, costly, and damaging to the cells. To address this, Ann Arbor-based startup Akadeum Life Sciences […]

Supply chain technology company continues to push innovation in the marketplace ANN ARBOR, Mich. (September29, 2015). LLamasoft, a supply chain software innovator, announced that it has closed a $50 million Series B financing round with affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co.  The minority investment will be used to fund numerous technology development and growth initiatives.  […]

Three Leaf Ventures’ Sean Kearney readily traded one venture capital hotbed for another, in a move from Denver, Colorado to Ann Arbor this year.  What the three-time Boston marathoner isn’t sure about is if the lower elevation of Southeast Michigan makes up for the higher humidity he’s now running through 100 miles a week.  He says: ““Your […]

By Maureen Miller Brosnan, Executive Director, MVCA Ni hao! Last month, the Michigan Venture Capital Association was invited to join an international delegation of experts from the global entrepreneurial and investment economy for the International Forum on Innovation and Investment, which took place at three different events in three cities –Qingdao, Beijing and Dezhou.  Leaders […]

Recently, MVCA was successful in working with the Senate Committee on Economic Development in passing an amendment to HB4195 and HB4196 that allows for income earned by the State as a result of venture capital investment to go back to fund future state investment in venture capital vs. the general fund.  The Michigan venture capital […]

Startup Angels Michigan: Accelerating the Midwest Angel Community Don’t miss this half-day conference for experienced and aspiring angel investors on the state-of-the-art in startup investing and ways to capitalize on the global entrepreneurship phenomenon. Hear from top investment leaders, like Paul Singh of 500 Startups, and Andy Jenks of Drive Capital, on the future of […]

Great Lakes Angels is hosting the Angel Investing Overview, an Angel Resource Institute education program on angel investing, at UHY Advisors (27725 Stansbury Blvd., Suite 100, Farmington Hills, MI 48334) on December 3rd. Angel Investing Overview (AIO) is the leading seminar for educating angel investors, entrepreneurs, and startup support professionals about how to execute the angel investment […]

Molly Theis officially joined the Michigan Venture Capital Association staff Monday, as the new Events and Program Manager for the Ann Arbor-based organization.  But Theis has been behind the scenes for MVCA’s largest and most prestigious event for two years, in her previous role as the Inn at St. John’s Executive Meetings and Events Manager.  “I had […]

Hoping to help people better navigate Michigan’s entrepreneurial and investment community, MVCA is pleased to launch its new Michigan Entrepreneurial & Investment Landscape Guide, a guide profiling all the funding and professional resources available in Michigan.  Profiles of investor organizations list funding amounts and investment criteria, contact information, and firm highlights.  Entrepreneurial resource and service provider profiles detail […]