AOL Founder Steve Case Talks Ann Arbor And Why He's Investing $100K In Michigan Startup

AOL Founder Steve Case Talks Ann Arbor And Why He’s Investing $100K In Michigan Startup

ANN ARBOR – AOL Founder Steve Case brought his Rise of the Rest Venture Capital roadshow to Ann Arbor Wednesday where he meet with other private equity finance, state and city officials at Zingerman’s Roadhouse. He was interviewed by MITechNews.Com Editor and Publisher Mike Brennan.

During this 2,600-mile trip, Case will personally invest $500,000 ($100,000 each day in a local startup via a pitch competition) in emerging startups across each city. To help the finalists prepare to pitch, Case shares his take on what mistakes to avoid when you pitch investors via video HERE.

In the afternoon Case, author J.D. Vance and Mary Grove of Google for Entrepreneurs will be interviewed onstage by Emily Heintz of the Michigan Venture Capital Association in a fireside conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs. The public can RSVP to attend HERE.
Immediately following the interview eight startups will pitch Case, Vance, David Hall from Revolution LLC, Ashley Larson from Revolution Growth, Scott DeRue from the Ross School of Business and Robert J. Manilla from The Kresge Foundation. The winner will receive a $100,000 investment following the event. The public can RSVP to attend HERE.
The Ann Arbor startups will compete to win a $100,000 investment from Case on the spot at the Michigan Theatre in the evening include:

- SkySpecs | Pitching: Danny Ellis, CEO | About: SkySpecs automates predictive maintenance of energy infrastructure with drones.
- SAHI Cosmetics LLC | Pitching: Sheleen (Shelly) Sahi, Founder & CEO | About: Sahi Cosmetics provides custom makeup for women of ethnic skin tones, specifically medium skin tones.
- Pitstop | Pitching: Shiva Bhardwaj, CEO | About: Pitstop predicts vehicle failures before they happen.
- Genomenon, Inc | Pitching: Mike Klein, CEO | About: Genomenon is an interpretation software for diagnosing and treating cancer.
- Inmatech, Inc | Pitching: Les Alexander, CEO | About: Inmatech commercializes novel high-performance supercapacitors for energy storage systems.
- Warmilu | Pitching: Grace Hsia, CEO | About: Warmilu provides non-electric warmth to those who need it most.
- SurClean, Inc | Pitching: Susan Sprentall, Founder, President & CEO | About: SurClean laser surface prep removes paint, replacing old traditional methods.
- Civionics, Inc | Pitching: Gerry Roston, CEO | About: Civionics improves manufacturers’ profitability by reducing downtime.

By Mike Brennan|2017-10-13T10:17:59-04:00October 11th, 2017|Entrepreneurs, Featured|

About the Author: Mike Brennan

Founder of Michigan News Network, and serves as CEO, as well as Editor & Publisher of MITECHNEWS.COM. Brennan has worked since 1980 as a technology writer at newspapers in New York, NY, San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA., Memphis, TN., Detroit, MI., and London, England. He co-founded and served as managing editor of Pacific Rim News Service (SEATTLE), which developed a network of more than 100 freelance journalists in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.