Our perspective.

MiSpringboard is Varnum’s statewide initiative designed to remove some of the barriers associated with starting a business by providing free legal services to Michigan startups. Varnum launched the MiSpringboard program in 2011 as a way of helping Michigan’s then-struggling economy with a commitment of $1 million in free legal services. MiSpringboard was our way of […]

St. Louis, Oct. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Deck Commerce, the St. Louis-based software company announced today that it closed $7.8MM in Series A funding led by Plymouth Growth, a growth equity firm based in Ann Arbor, MI. This new partnership will allow Deck Commerce to enhance its product offering to feature even more robust direct-to-consumer capabilities for leading brands. The company intends to use the funds to expand its strategic alliances, amplify sales and marketing […]

Michigan’s Venture Capital Ecosystem is Thriving by Fredrick Molnar, Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Michigan Economic Development Corporation Now more than ever, our recovering economy needs entrepreneurs. And now more than ever, those entrepreneurs need supportive ecosystems to thrive. Robust entrepreneurial ecosystems were once considered to be the exclusive domain of the Coasts, […]

Fishman Stewart Managing Partner Michael Stewart Receives Vistage Michigan’s 2021 Soaring Eagle Award  Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; [email protected]; 248.260.8466  Troy, Mich. —October 4, 2021—Fishman Stewart, PLLC, an intellectual property specialty law firm, is pleased to announce that Michael Stewart, co-founding member and managing partner, has received the 2021 Soaring Eagle award from Vistage […]

Michigan Venture Capital Association Celebrates State’s Entrepreneurial and Investment Successes at 2021 Annual Awards Dinner The Awardees of the 2021 MVCA Annual Awards Dinner are Orbion Space Technology, LLamasoft, Facility Health and The Renaissance UnDemo Day September 30, 2021 – Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA), the trade association for the venture capital and angel community […]

At the Mackinac Policy Conference this week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer detailed her economic agenda, including unveiling the three pillars of her $2.1 billion MI New Economy plan to support Michigan’s small businesses, grow the middle class, and invest in communities. This plan utilizes the historic influx of federal resources to make critical, long-term investments in […]

Nathan Owen is now a Partner at Grand Ventures. He has collaborated closely as a trusted advisor with the fund for several years, and we are thrilled to welcome him onboard as full-time team member! He will focus on deals in the DevOps, cybersecurity, and open source software industries. Nathan brings 20 years of operational […]

Allay Therapeutics Completes Oversubscribed $60M Financing to Advance Ultra-Sustained Pain Platform Financing led by Arboretum Ventures. Managing Partner Nicole J. Walker to join Allay Therapeutics Board of Directors ATX-101 to advance to Phase 2b development in total knee replacement surgeries in 2021 Financing will also support broader development of ATX platform for ultra-sustained pain relief  […]

Ann Arbor, Michigan – September 7, 2021 – Bank of Ann Arbor (“Arbor”), and Nicolet National Bank (“Nicolet”), today announced that Arbor has entered into an agreement to buy the Birmingham, Michigan Branch of Nicolet located at 260 East Brown Street, Birmingham, Michigan. This was a branch of the former mBank, recently acquired by Nicolet. […]