DETROIT – The Michigan entrepreneurial ecosystem has come a long ways in the past couple of decades, but it was still missing a key piece, a platform to showcase startups, connections to funders and tech hubs.
On May 20, the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator will takes the wraps off StartupMichigan.Tech, what Chris Rizik CEO and Fund Manager, Renaissance Venture Capital in Ann Arbor, said the state desperately needs.
“It’s a tool developed by StartupNation in Israel,” Rizik said. “It’s been adapted for Michigan. We Went two months ago to meet with MIBA and saw the demo. It was terrific. It’s the type of tool we’ve been missing, that most places are missing, and it lets you see the entire startup community to get meaningful information about them, articles arisen about them and more.”
Chris Rizik
Rizik said now Michigan can gather information about the most promising startup companies and share their stories with Venture Capital funds around the country.
“To have a central depository that contains this information speeds the process and lets these funds continue to monitor our startups,” he said. “It will make it much easier for funds around the country to track what’s happening in Michigan.”
Michigan will join the countries of New Zealand and Thailand as licensees of the discovery platform, created by Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central, an independent non-profit that builds contacts in the Israeli entrepreneurial network, including more than 6,000 companies, investors, accelerators, universities, and research centers.
The StartupMichigan.tech database currently features pages on more than 335 startups, 25 investors, 27 innovation hubs, and more. A search option allows users to filter startups by business model, funding stage, location, product stage, and more. Results can be saved to a user’s personal collection or exported.
StartupMichigan.tech has received funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the William Davidson Foundation, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the Paul E. Singer Foundation and the New Economy Initiative.
“Michigan has a long history of entrepreneurial innovation, whether through early stage funding, mentorships, or university programs that foster the next generation of entrepreneurial talent,” said Jeff Mason, MEDC CEO. “We are committed to supporting emerging high-tech startups in the state. StartupMichigan.tech is an opportunity to extend our startup ecosystem and foster both the spirit of innovation and economic development opportunities.”
Visit www.startupMICHIGAN.tech after May 20 for more information.
