Category: MEMBER NEWS

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]