Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC) SmartZone is the Western U.P.'s hub for entrepreneurship, based in Houghton-Hancock, Michigan. We partner with local founders to help them develop their ideas into market-ready businesses through education, mentorship, resources, and strategic connections. Since 2012, we have helped grow 106 companies, which has created 757 job opportunities and generated $180M in sales for our clients and community. Our commercialization process and statewide network allow entrepreneurs to access the knowledge, funding, and people necessary to grow. We serve high-tech and small business entrepreneurs from all industries in pursuit of our mission to help build a prosperous regional economy. Getting started with us requires just two elements: a wild idea, and the Sisu fueled courage to act on it.
External link for MTEC SmartZone
600 E. Lakeshore Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931, US
Application for the 2025 AMMP Program is open now! Apply before February 21st using the link below ⬇️
The wait is over... applications for our 2025 Cohort are now open! First-round applications are due by Friday, February 21st. More information and qualifications are in the introduction of the form. Please reach out if you have any questions regarding the program or process. Application Link - https://lnkd.in/gDx3Te-R #AMMPAccelerator
MTEC SmartZone is proud to announce the appointment of Grace Hsia Haberl, Ms.E. (She/Her/Hers) as the Program Director for the AMMP Accelerator. In this newly created role, Grace will oversee the strategic planning, organization, and direction of all phases of the AMMP Accelerator programs. https://lnkd.in/gkfjMvxp #MTECSmartZone #AMMPAccelerator #NewHire
Very proud of our team and this program for a great run in 2024. Excited for what the 2025 cohort will accomplish!
2024: A Groundbreaking First Year for the AMMP Accelerator 🎉 Our inaugural year has been nothing short of inspiring, and we couldn’t be more proud of the amazing strides made by our startups. Here’s a look at our key highlights from year one: 8️⃣ Hit Meaningful Business Milestones 7️⃣ New Team Members Recruited 5️⃣ Graduated Companies 3️⃣ Companies Re-Branded A huge thank you to all the entrepreneurs, mentors, partners, and supporters who have been part of this incredible journey. This year, we have accomplished a lot by developing the program from the ground up. Numerous people have dedicated countless hours to developing this accelerator program and supporting the 2024 Cohort. We wanted to take a moment to thank a few of those key supporters. There is a lot of work behind the scenes to launch and run AMMP. First, this program is hosted by MTEC SmartZone but would not be possible without grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) with partial matching funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). MTEC SmartZone staff included David Rowe, Jason Mack, Patrick Visser, Cheryl LeClaire, and Annalina Van Hercke. To support the program, MTEC hired three highly experienced individuals to run the operations of AMMP, including our Co-Directors Katherine Kirsch and Grace Hsia Haberl, Ms.E. (She/Her/Hers), and our Entrepreneur in Residence Carolyn Yarina. Your dedication has been the driving force behind this success! We can't wait to see where the next year takes us. A reminder that our 2025 cohort application is due by Friday, February 21st, 2025. More information on https://lnkd.in/eU6Edmxc #ammpaccerlator #2024recap #innovation
2024 - A Year of Growth, Innovation, and Impact 🚀✨ At MTEC SmartZone, we’ve proudly supported our community with a growing innovation ecosystem. Together, we’ve seen: 🔹 127 Unique Businesses Served 🔹 52 Jobs Created 🔹 12 New Companies Launched 🔹 $74.9M Additional Funding Raised As we look to 2025, we’re excited to continue driving economic growth and shaping the next wave of innovation. Here's to another year! 🥂 #MTECSmartZonne #2024impact #SmartZoneImpact
MTEC SmartZone reposted this
In Michigan, even the sky isn’t the limit. For Lyon (Brad) King, the path to becoming a rocket scientist always led back home to Michigan. Born and raised in Calumet in the Upper Peninsula, King pursued his love of aerospace at the University of Michigan, earning multiple degrees in rocket science. Despite career opportunities that took him to Colorado and beyond, his heart remained in Michigan. Determined to live where he loved, King created his dream job, founding Orbion Space Technology in 2016 and building advanced satellite propulsion systems that are revolutionizing the space industry. Orbion thrusters now guide satellites for Earth observation, communication, and more, all manufactured in Houghton. With support from organizations like the MEDC and MTEC SmartZone, King tapped into Michigan’s unparalleled entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Michigan is set up to do mass production of vehicles, even ones that fly in space,” he says, crediting the state’s manufacturing expertise, research universities, and venture capital for Orbion’s success. For King, the answer is clear: Michigan offers the perfect mix of opportunity, resources, and quality of life to make even the biggest dreams—like building a rocket company—a reality.
Applications for our 2025 AMMP Accelerator Program open up in January! Excited for year two of this program, it's incredible to see the growth of these companies in 3 months. More information at https://lnkd.in/eU6Edmxc
We're looking for startup companies for our 2025 AMMP accelerator program! AMMP stands for advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and is designed for early-stage companies in need of acceleration on the commercialization pathway. 2024 was our inaugural year and we can't wait to connect and help your startup accelerate in the summer of 2025, right here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! Stay tuned for more information to apply to join our 2025 Cohort. #AMMPAccerlator #UpperPenisula
Congratulations to Steelhead Technologies on securing $12.5 million series b funding. Another exciting milestone for Steelhead 👏 https://lnkd.in/g-JpjYY4
MTEC SmartZone reposted this
2024 was our first year of the AMMP Accelerator Program. We successfully executed 14 weeks of entrepreneurial programming, including 60 classes, 40 guest lecturers, 180 class hours, and over 3000 branded content pages. Throughout the program, the cohort had Expert-Led Guest mentorship opportunities. This included 17 office hours focusing on legal, accounting, manufacturing, and operations during the accelerator period. We are excited to take this program, which was developed in 2024 and expanded into 2025. Stay tuned for more details on our 2025 AMMP Accelerator.
Celebrating National Women Entrepreneurship Day – Today we focus on some of the amazing entrepreneurs in our ecosystem. Highlighting their journey to pursue their entrepreneurial ventures. Read the full article of some of our incredible entrepreneurs: https://lnkd.in/gXj-XGDm #MTECSmartZone #WomenEntrepreneurshipDay #EntrepreneurialJourney
Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs – Ellen R Campbell, CEO of NECi Superior Enzymes NECi Superior Enzymes is a women-owned business located in UP that specializes in designing and producing recombinant proteins for inclusion in quantification test kits. The company was founded in 1993 using Dr. W.H. (Bill) Campbell's academic research on plant metabolism as the foundation. After their initial work was published in Nature and attracted a flurry of inquiries, Dr. Campbell and Ellen R. Campbell plunged headlong into the business world. Located in Lake Linden, MI Ellen expressed how location can impact your journey to commercializing. “Starting a business in a small university town can be a great path,” added Ellen. “Qualified candidate employees and affordable real estate - for your company and for employee housing - are more available. Quality of life is highly valued these days.” We mention it a lot, but we are very fortunate here in Houghton County to have an incredible ecosystem of support for these entrepreneurs! Read Ellen's extended entrepreneur story on our Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Article that will be posted tomorrow! #MTECSmartZone #WomenEntrepreneurs #EntrepreneurialJourney