The Innovation Alliance is a first-of-its-kind statewide effort to bring together partners of Michigan’s innovation ecosystem, including investors, universities, corporations, founders, and startup companies to strengthen Michigan’s innovation economy. We’re focused on aligning strategy, improving access to capital, and enabling more companies to start and grow in Michigan. This is not a top-down mandate, it is a grassroots coalition of more than 85+ organizations working together to align Michigan’s strengths and advance shared goals for the state’s innovation economy.
ATTENTION FOUNDERS! The UnDemo Day® startup application deadline has been pushed to Friday, July 31st!
We hear you, founders! Summer schedules are packed, and we want to ensure every venture-ready startup gets their shot. 🚨 DEADLINE EXTENDED: We are pushing the UnDemo Day® startup application deadline to Friday, July 31st! You have 2 more days to submit your application to be considered for 1:1 meetings with investors at UnDemo Day®. 🔗 Submit by July 31 COB: https://undemoapp.com
Who's ready for the next PitchMI Championship! #PitchMI
Applications are now open for the 2026–2027 PitchMI competitions! Michigan-based startups will compete in four semifinal competitions across the state, with $250,000 in prize funding awarded to each winner, plus a chance to compete in the statewide PitchMI Championship for an additional $1 million. This year’s semifinal competitions represent Michigan’s strengths in Defense & Aerospace (Grand Rapids); AI & Software (Kalamazoo); Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, & Outdoors (Marquette); and Healthcare & Life Sciences (Detroit). If you’re building a high-growth startup in Michigan, learn more and apply at PitchMI.org MSU Research Foundation | Michigan Economic Development Corporation
The UnDemo Day® application deadline is quickly approaching. Check out the details below!
What happens when you connect national capital with Midwest grit? Over $3.5 Billion in venture funding invested into Michigan startups. UnDemo Day® isn’t a standard pitch contest—it's a intentional accelerator for curated, high-value connections. Don't miss your seat at the table. The application deadline is quickly approaching. 🙌 This impactful work wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to driving Michigan’s venture landscape forward. 🔗 Apply here: https://undemoapp.com
Michigan has all the ingredients of a top 10 innovation economy. The question is whether the state will commit to building one. That was the throughline of a conversation on the Michigan Reimagined podcast at the Mackinac Policy Conference, where Jennifer Hayes, SVP of Public Policy at Invest Detroit, and Jeff Wesley, Executive Director, Ventures at the MSU Research Foundation, laid out the case for why the Innovation Alliance exists — and why the moment to act is now. Thank you Christopher J Buck, CEcD for having Jeff and Jenn on the podcast! Learn more and get involved at innovationalliancemi.org. #innovationalliancemi
It’s day 2 of the Mackinac Series of Michigan Reimagined. Today we highlight the partners who created the Innovation Alliance. Listen in as Jennifer Hayes of Invest Detroit and Jeff Wesley of the MSU Research Foundation as they discuss their bold mission to make Michigan a Top 10 Innovation State. Appreciation to Craig Fahle of VVK PR + Creative for setting this up! Thanks to Gillespie Group and Triterra for their support of this series! https://lnkd.in/gbe6bQHi
What an incredible week at the Mackinac Policy Conference! Several Innovation Alliance members came together on the island to spark conversations, forge new connections, and champion Michigan's innovation ecosystem at the statewide level, and the energy was electric. A huge thank you to Ben Marchionna and Michigan Economic Development Corporation for hosting the panel on Building Michigan's Innovation Economy Together, and to our brilliant panelists Andrew Barnard, Chris Rizik, and Carolina Pluszczynski for sharing their vision and expertise. Stay tuned over the next few days as we share podcasts and interviews straight from the island. Want to be part of the movement shaping Michigan's future? Join the Innovation Alliance and help us build something extraordinary at https://lnkd.in/gErYwZxE #InnovationAllianceMI #MackinacPolicyConference
Yesterday, we made it official. The Innovation Alliance launched at NewLab during Michigan Tech Week, and the energy in that room said everything about what this state is capable of. This is a culmination of years of relationship-building, coalition work, and shared effort across nearly 100 organizations. Michigan has the research. The talent. The industrial strength. Now we have the coordination to match. Our goal is clear: a Top 10 U.S. innovation economy that creates opportunity in every region of this state. And we're just getting started. Michigan's innovation future is being built right now, and there's a place for you in it. Get involved at: https://lnkd.in/gvniJ9YM #MIInnovation #InnovationAllianceMI
Today statewide leaders took the Michigan Tech Week stage to announce Michigan’s all new Innovation Alliance | Michigan. This first-of-its kind statewide effort brings together all partners of Michigan’s innovation ecosystem on aligning strategy, improving access to capital, and helping more companies start and grow in Michigan. https://lnkd.in/g9cN4JDm #innovationalliancemi
For years, Michigan's innovation community has been building, connecting regions, moving policy, securing funding, and proving what's possible when we work together. That work led to $60M for Michigan innovation in 2025. It brought nearly 100 organizations to the same table. Tomorrow, we formalize what we've already become. The Innovation Alliance officially launches at Michigan Tech Week. NewLab at Michigan Central, Detroit Thursday, May 21, 2026 10AM on the Main Stage See you there.