Our perspective.

For Abdullah Haydar, continuing his career in computer engineering in Michigan after several stints out of state had become a priority.  After growing Amazon’s Detroit office to nearly 50 employees very quickly, it was clear to Haydar that the next step within Amazon would take him back to Seattle or elsewhere.  “I’d been out of Michigan […]

With record attendance, the 2015 MVCA Annual Awards Dinner focused on the tremendous growth of the entrepreneurial and investment community in Michigan and the broader Great Lakes Region. Our Executive Director Maureen Miller Brosnan welcomed our members and guests to an evening of celebration and reflection, and took a moment to recognize some special guests in […]

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. […]