Michigan Founders Fund

At Michigan Founders Fund (MFF), we believe in the power of collaboration – we’re truly better together. A great example is happening this Saturday, February 15th, at the Belonging Blueprint: Black History Month Innovation Summit in Detroit! 🌟 This partnership was sparked by Tim Moore, founder of Clixie AI and MFF member, was in Brazil at a Google AI gathering when he convinced Google for Startups to “swarm” Michigan Central Station and NewLab. Soon after Johnnie Turnage & Alexa Turnage of Black Tech Saturdays and De'Lon Dixon, M.A. of Think Technologies combined efforts as co-organizers. 🔥 Why is this so important? “Detroit’s success is tied to diversifying its economy and embracing tech. This isn’t just an issue for entrepreneurs of color; it’s an issue for all of us.” - Johnnie Turnage The Belonging Blueprint isn’t just an event; it’s a celebration of community and collaboration. As Tim Moore said: “The Belonging Blueprint is about people helping people — Founders helping Founders, Funders helping Funders, and artists sharing creativity. A win for one is a win for all!” Join us for an inspiring day and don’t miss out on the chance to connect, get inspired, and support local BIPOC innovators! 🌟 🎤 Be sure to catch the MFF member highlights and speakers below: 10:00 AM, Opening Remarks: Johnnie Turnage, Rishi Moudgil, and many special guests 11:45 AM, The Power of Personal Experience: Using lived experience to design tools that meet people where they are: Katy Kelly 11:45 AM, Venture 101: Why Venture is Important: adrian fortino , Crystal Brown 1:00 PM, Lifecycle of a Student Founder: Tim Moore, Elliot Smith, PE 2:00 PM, Crafting Your User Persona: Hiền Lâm 2:00 PM, The Financial Power of Personal Data: Michael Polk 2:00 PM, Mind-Body & Community Wellness for Success: Madala Mathurin 2:45 PM, The Future of Detroit & Beyond: AI, Community, and the Startup Ecosystem: Darren Riley, Mykolas Rambus, Ashton Keys 3:00 PM, Women Shaping the Future of Tech Panel presented by Think Technologies: Christina Fair, Achsha Jones 🎤 11:00 AM – MFF Pre-Accelerator powered by gener8tor has Real Talk with Early Stage Founders: Arabia Simeon, Jessica Black, Sheri Washington, Matthew Burnett, Darrell Marshall, Brittni A. Event Details: 📍 Location: Newlab Michigan Central 📅 Date: Saturday, February 15 ⏰ Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM See you there! 🙏 #Innovation #Collaboration #BlackHistoryMonth #Entrepreneurship

Here’s how we know that demand for high-growth, founder-centered support is higher than ever in Michigan: More than 200 startups from Southeast Michigan applied to participate in the MFF Pre-accelerator powered by gener8tor! Normally, this type of early-stage program could expect to receive 40-50 applicants, but we have a robust group of founders in this region. Meet the startups in our inaugural cohort below! 🔬 Total Analysis – Darrell Marshall, PhD (Founder & CEO) Transforming pathogen detection with Helios 1, an advanced molecular fingerprinting system for instant germ identification. With a $275K NSF SBIR grant and a utility patent filed, they’re on a mission to prevent infectious disease outbreaks and enhance global public health. 🌍🦠 🧼 Berry Bot Soap Maker – Jessica Black (Founder & CEO) An automated cold-process soap-making machine that reduces production time from 3 hours to 15 minutes. Designed for professional soap makers, spas, boutique hotels, and remote communities, this patented technology makes soap production faster, safer, and more scalable. 🏨🛁 📍 'round Here – Matthew Burnett (Founder & CEO) The go-to platform for Michigan entrepreneurs, centralizing grants, funding opportunities, co-working spaces, and business resources. With 350K+ users and $250K in event ticket sales, it simplifies access to essential tools while fostering a strong startup community through AI-powered matching and networking. 🚀📊 🚛 Michigan Mobility and Logistics LLC (MML) – Sheri Washington (Founder & CEO) A cloud-based logistics platform connecting commercial vehicle drivers with customers needing large-item transport. Their $210K+ contract with Michigan Works Southeast and partnerships with major retailers are revolutionizing on-demand delivery for businesses and consumers. 📦📲 🗳️ Politics on the Go (POGO) – Arabia Simeon (Founder & CEO) Redefining civic engagement for young voters through an interactive, gamified app. With 1,200+ users, a 48% waitlist-to-download conversion rate, and funding from grants and investments, POGO is bridging the gap between Gen Z, Millennials, and the political system—making voting intuitive and accessible. 📢📱 These startups are shaping the future! Excited to see what’s next. 🚀 Read the full release here —> https://lnkd.in/gT9DNgnM From L to R: Jake Pollastrini (gener8tor), Darrell Marshall, Matthew Burnett, Dorothy Johnson, MAHS (gener8tor), Jessica Black, Sheri Washington (on screen), Arabia Simeon, Brittni A. (MFF + gener8tor), Rishi Moudgil (MFF), and Nate Domenighini (gener8tor). #StartupInnovation #MichiganStartups #Entrepreneurship #TechForGood 🚀

InfoReady Corporation Founder & CEO and MFF Member Bhushan Kulkarni has truly set the bar high in 2024, achieving remarkable growth and solidifying its leadership in the higher education market 🏫. They are a leading provider of program administration solutions for universities, corporations, and research organizations. With an impressive 67% market share among very large research institutions (Carnegie R1) and clients across 49 states, InfoReady’s innovative solutions have transformed program administration by streamlining processes ⚙️, enhancing collaboration 🤝, and driving efficiency 📊. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list for the fifth year and earning its 8th FastTrack Award 🏆. As they look at 2025 goals, InfoReady’s commitment to innovation and customer success continues to shine. With plans to expand their impact in medical institutions and corporate markets, launch new initiatives, and deliver cutting-edge solutions, they’re poised for even greater achievements 💡. Congratulations to the entire InfoReady team on this well-deserved success—here’s to an incredible year ahead! 🚀 Learn more about their success and what’s ahead.👇 https://lnkd.in/g5MsuUVY #Innovation #Growth #InfoReady #MFF

🚨 TOMORROW! is your 🎯 golden chance on February 7th to connect with high-growth founders from across Michigan, share real-world challenges, exchange valuable insights, and build meaningful relationships that can help propel your startup forward. Whether you're looking for support, partnerships, or just a space to exchange ideas, this is the place to be! Check out the locations and incredible hosts: 📍 Traverse City ELEV8 Climbing and Fitness Gym | Host: Broc Crandall, co-founder of Stocked | Time: 9:00 am 📍 Grand Rapids Start Garden | Host: Terra Osman, founder of Farmish & andrea wallace, founder of Opnr | Time: 10:00 am 📍 Royal Oak Bamboo | Host: Christina Fair, co-founder of Hum | Time: 9:00 am 📍 Ann Arbor Cahoots | Host: Prashant Salla, co-founder of Goodhood | Time: 9:00 am 📍 Sterling Heights Velocity | Host: Ryan J. LaPensee, MSQA, founder of PanOptic Quality Systems | Time: 9:00 am 📍 Detroit Newlab | Host: Arabia Simeon, founder of Politics on the Go | Time: 9:00 am 📍 Houghton The Lakeshore Center | Host: Jordan Ruth Craven, founder of Sizeologic | Time: 05:00 pm 🔗 Last chance to register: https://lnkd.in/g6DqCYgD 💡 Don’t miss out on this must-attend event for Michigan’s startup community! #FoundersFirstFridays #MFF #Michigan

As we celebrate Black History Month, MFF is honored to support an incredible upcoming event, The Belonging Blueprint: Black History Innovation Summit! Conceived and led by founders and members who strive to continue to make history in Michigan as a leader in innovation, we look forward to this celebration at Michigan Central on Feb. 15. In partnership with Google Developers Group, Google, Black Tech Saturdays, Clixie AI, Compass Detroit, National Society of Black Engineers, DTE Energy, and Think Technologies, this large-scale summit will bring together a thousand innovators, founders, and funders to celebrate technology, AI, and entrepreneurship in the heart of Michigan’s tech renaissance. 🔥 What to Expect: ✅ Google Certification – Upskill with hands-on learning ✅ Student Founders – Empowering the next generation ✅ Founders & Funders – Unlock funding and growth opportunities 🚀 Google for Startups Accelerator will be on-site, giving away $200K in Cloud credits ($350K for AI startups)! Don’t miss this chance to scale your startup. 💡 Michigan Founders Fund members will take the stage: 🔹 Johnnie Turnage & Alexa Turnage – Co-founders of Black Tech Saturdays 🔹 Tim Moore – CEO of Clixie AI 🔹 Elliot Smith, PE – Co-founder & CEO of motmot 🔹 Paris Plain – Founder & CEO of Ultrium Inc. 🔹 Special panel session of early-stage founders from the first cohort of the MFF Pre-Accelerator powered by gener8tor. This summit will be a vibrant experience, uniting thought leaders, executives, investors, founders, and tech-curious individuals from across the country. With 30 vendor tables, food, interactive exhibits, and more, it is a day to inspire. Michigan history is Black history, and Michigan’s Black entrepreneurs continue to influence the nation’s progress today. It is our goal to help make Michigan the most inclusive startup ecosystem in the nation. We’re proud to participate in such a groundbreaking event. Let us know if we’ll see you there! The Belonging Blueprint: Black History Month Innovation Summit 📅 Feb. 15 | 📍 Newlab Michigan Central | ⏰ 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Register Now 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHHq6ZYM Learn more about Black Tech Saturdays and their recent Black History Month kicks off event: https://lnkd.in/gUikP5ZV #BlackHistoryMonth #Michigan #Entrepreneurship #Startups

Don't miss out on Founders First Friday happening next week, Friday, February 7th! 🚀 High-growth founders across Michigan are coming together to share challenges, give advice, and build valuable relationships. 🚀 This is your chance to: ✅ Connect with high-growth founders across Michigan ✅ Share challenges, swap advice, and brainstorm solutions ✅ Build relationships that could transform your journey 🚀 🌍 We’ve added new locations – where will you join us? 📍Traverse City ELEV8 Climbing and Fitness Gym | Host: Broc Crandall, co-founder of Stocked | Time: 9:00 am 📍Houghton The Lakeshore Center | Host: Jordan Ruth Craven, founder of Sizeologic | Time: 05:00 pm 📍Marquette Zephyr Winebar + Café | Host: Dhruv C. Patel Co-Founder Syncurrent | Time: 5:00 pm 📍Royal Oak Bamboo | Host: Christina Fair, co-founder of Hum | Time: 9:00 am 📍Ann Arbor Cahoots | Host: Prashant Salla, co-founder of Goodhood | Time: 9:00 am 📍Detroit Newlab | Host: Achsha Jones, founder of TripSlip | Time: 9:00 am 📍Sterling Heights Velocity | Host: Ryan J. LaPensee, MSQA, founder of PanOptic Quality Systems | Time: 9:00 am 📍Grand Rapids Start Garden | Host: Terra Osman, founder of Farmish & andrea wallace, founder of Opnr | Time: 10:00 am 💡 Don’t miss out on this must-attend event for Michigan’s startup community! 👉 Register now: https://lnkd.in/g6DqCYgD Let’s build, grow, and thrive together! 💪

We've all had a long January 🫠 so how about a few more days to get those Midwest Madness Pitch Apps in? 🚨 🚨 That's right...loud noises again...we're extending the deadline to enter the Midwest House Midwest Madness Pitch Competition - and the College Pitch Competition - till next Tuesday February 4th, 2025. 🚨 🚨 Use the link below to apply to be part of our virtual Field of 64 or even our the Elite 8 group founders who'll be traveling with us to Austin to pitch on stage for a chance to win $10k!!! What:Midwest Madness Pitch Competition Who: Midwest Startups Application: https://lnkd.in/eAK6tite Deadline:February 4th, 2025 Field of 64 Announcement: February 10, 2025 Elite 8 Announcement: February 24, 2025 Final Midwest Madness Pitch Competition will take place at  Midwest House in Austin, TX March 7-11th And that's not all...this year adding a College Pitch competition to the schedule powered by our friends at Maximize. We’re opening up the competition to student entrepreneurs from all over the Midwest to join us in Texas and pitch from our stage. Applications for the Collegiate Pitch Competition are live now too: https://lnkd.in/edB7yaTB 2025 is going to be our biggest and baddest year yet, so please spread the word, get those applications in, and we'll see ya in Texas!!! Midwest House Michigan Economic Development Corporation World Business Chicago Ann Arbor SPARK ID Ventures Michigan Founders Fund Start Garden Spartan Innovations University of Michigan Michigan State University Elevate Ventures Cintrifuse TechNexus Venture Collaborative Grand Ventures TechRise Chicago Startup Grind Grand Rapids Startup Grind TechTown Detroit Bamboo EcoMap Technologies, Inc. 1871 Midwest Founders Community

As momentum continues to build around the state in fueling and supporting founders, last week’s Detroit Regional Policy Conference centered innovation, equity, and entrepreneurial opportunity in the Detroit area. As Alexa Turnage, co-Founder of Black Tech Saturdays said: ✨“As a city and as a state, too often, people have counted Detroiters out, Michiganders out…As we continue to build innovation here in Detroit and Michigan, all of us together are the calling card.”✨ Many MFF founders and advisors shared what it takes to make Detroit an 💖inclusive,🌳sustainable, and🔥innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem: Dug Song (Song Foundation): 💬 "Founders want to be where founders are … founders want to do what’s right." Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYZRs-2w Darren Riley (JustAir): 💬 "Before you put something in that community, you have to get permission from the community … so they have fewer anxieties of that device and what you’re doing." Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/g5KKsjub Lisa McLaughlin (Workit Health): 💬 "We have the skilled workforce; we have the cost of living advantages …[and] already have a number of exited founders from other states coming to Michigan." Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVNsVF8n Nia Batts (Union Heritage): 💬 "We’re always going to be behind if we don’t take those big swings!" Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/g6UjS_-D Alexa Turnage & Johnnie Turnage (Black Tech Saturdays) 💬 Johnnie Turnage said "A garden keeps growing, so we have to plant seeds that allow for people to grow and understand that we all bring gifts to the garden. Sometimes you’re going to plant seeds that you might not see the return on immediately, but once you plant that seed, it blossoms into something else." Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/gKw7bkVB Rishi Moudgil (Michigan Founders Fund): 💬 "Industry can play a major role in innovation, we have some of the best concentration of engineering talent in the country right here… [and corporations] can also provide capital and serve as first customers to founders." Watch 👉 https://lnkd.in/ghkAkAaZ 🤝 And thank you to many of our other MFF partners who also laid out future goals, including: Ben Marchionna Chris Rizik Jessica Robinson Glenn Stevens Lisa Lunsford Ned Staebler Mary Culler Detroit is on the cusp of a technological renaissance. As Dug Song, MFF co-founder and co-chair said: ✨“It’s not just how we set a table, but how we invite folks to it.”✨ 👏 Hats off to the Detroit Regional Chamber for curating an inspiring event. Go here to watch more videos and review recaps: https://lnkd.in/ghZGn9Dz 💬 What were your key takeaways from the conference? #DetroitPolicyConference #Leadership #Innovation #Progress #Detroit

Last year, Michigan electric RV startup Grounded has demonstrated remarkable progress in scaling its operations, delivering innovative solutions, and solidifying its position in the market. Founder & CEO and MFF Member Sam Shapiro has shared his personal and professional lessons learned throughout this transformative journey, offering a transparent and inspiring perspective on leadership and resilience. 2024 Key Achievements: 👇 📈 5x Revenue Growth from 2023 to 2024! 💰 $3.5M Pre-Seed Round Closed: Led by The 81 Collection and Also Capital, with participation from esteemed investors, including Sidecar Ventures first Michigan investment and leaders from SpaceX. 🚐 10 Vehicles Delivered: Spanning camper vans, mobile health clinics, luxury hospitality vehicles, and more. 👩💻 Strategic Leadership Addition: Matt H., with a distinguished background at SpaceX and Amazon Project Kuiper, appointed as VP of Engineering & Operations. 🏭 Operational Improvements: Transitioned manufacturing to a scalable model, achieving production of one van per month. Vision for 2025: 👇 🚀 Achieve $10M in Booked Sales. 🏆 Establish Grounded as the US Leader in Outdoor Recreation and Vehicle Up fitting. 🏭 Expand Manufacturing Capacity with Advanced Systems and Facilities. 📊 Implement Robust Financial and Operational Controls. 💡 Foster a High-Performance Team Culture. 🤝 Enhance Post-Sales Customer Experience and Support. Sam’s reflections underscore a renewed commitment to clear planning, measurable outcomes, and decisive action when goals are not met. 💬 Sam’s Commitment for 2025: “To lead Grounded with persistence and resilience while fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and results-driven action. Decisive leadership, informed by strategic planning, will be the cornerstone of our journey forward.” Grounded is poised to redefine innovation in outdoor recreation and vehicle up fitting, with 2025 set to be a pivotal year for achieving new milestones. 🌟 Visit Grounded at https://lnkd.in/gAtdpiQP #Grounded #YearInReview #Innovation

🚀 The Spring 2025 UnDemo Day® application is now open! Renaissance Venture Capital hosted this highly anticipated virtual event on April 9, 2025, this is your opportunity to connect with top venture capitalists, showcase your innovation, and drive your startup’s success to the next level. What Makes Spring UnDemo Day® Unique: 🌟 Free for all participants. 🤝 Curated 1:1 virtual meetings between startups and VCs, tailored to your sector and stage. 🎯 Two large virtual pitch rooms featuring the top 20 startups, selected by investors. 💡 Educational sessions on essential topics: building a board, financial wellness, marketing/PR, recruitment, and more. Who Should Apply? UnDemo Day® is looking for startups that are: 📍 Based in the Midwest or Central U.S. 🌈 Led by underrepresented founders or CEOs (e.g., Arab American, Black, Hispanic/Latine, LGBTQ+, Native American, veterans, or women). 🚀 Venture-ready with innovative technology, high growth potential, and equity readiness. Key Details: 📅 Virtual Event Date: April 9, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET 🕒 Application Deadline: February 13, 2025 🌟 The top 20 startups will earn spots in the pitch rooms and be featured on the 2025 Renaissance Startup Hotlist, distributed to hundreds of VCs. This is your chance to make valuable connections, secure funding, and drive innovation—all at no cost. 💻 Apply Today: undemoapp.com 📧 Questions? Contact Christina Drake at christinad@renvcf.com. Let’s come together to spotlight innovation, empower underrepresented founders, and strengthen the Midwest startup ecosystem. Share this opportunity with your network and help us reach the brightest minds! #Midwest #Startups #DiversityInTech #Innovation #UnDemoDay