Michigan Tech Innovation Showcase Recap & Next Steps
Hosted by: MTU Office of Innovation & Commercialization, Kupari Ventures, and the MTEC SmartZone
The Innovation Showcase was a 3-day event in the Upper Peninsula where we celebrated innovation and entrepreneurship. We highlighted MTU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, innovative student research, and local startup companies. The event also invited focus on building resources for entrepreneurship here in the region.
Quick Take
Kupari Ventures is building a $10M seed-stage advanced materials & manufacturing fund in Upper Michigan which builds upon the following:
Affiliation with MTU
Strategic corporate partnerships
Early and open access across Michigan universities to drive capital efficiency, early scale, and faster exits
Curious about supporting our capital initiatives, connecting with local startups, or tapping into our thriving ecosystem?
Book a meeting with Kupari Ventures’ Managing Partner to explore how you can get involved.
Andrew Barnard, Michigan Tech VP of Research, David Rowe, CEO of the MTEC SmartZone, Jim Baker Associate VP of Research Administration, and Carolyn Yarina, Managing Partner of Kupari Ventures shared energizing updates about Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiatives in the region.
Guests were drawn from around the country to network, hear what’s new, and to lend their voices, resources, and expertise.
Day 2, September 19, 2024
Innovation Ecosystem
Ecosystem and Programming Overview
Student Research Poster Presentation Contest
Evening Superior Cruise
Ecosystem and Programming Overview We started day two with information about new initiatives launching within our ecosystem:
New Startup Accelerator: The MTEC SmartZone created the first in-person cohort-based accelerator program in the Upper Peninsula. The AMMP accelerator focuses on accelerating early-stage advanced materials and manufacturing startups.
Five companies graduated from the inaugural cohort after presenting at Demo Day in Detroit back in August. AMMP is seeking companies for next summer. Reach out to Jason Mack from the MTEC SmartZone for more information.
There is a new venture fund launching in Houghton! Kupari is raising capital and building partnerships with a planned launch in 2025.
Kupari Ventures will address a key need within the state and region by providing seed-stage investments into advanced materials and manufacturing startups. MTU alumni investors, and potential partners can send an email to our Managing Partner to request a fund summary or schedule a meeting.
The Office of Innovation and Commercialization: The OIC continues to build on successful entrepreneurship programs such as the Global Entrepreneurship in Residence Program (GEIR). The GEIR is a path forward for foreign-born entrepreneurs to launch their companies in the U.S. Reach out to Mike Morley (MTU) to learn more.
Then, there is also the Entrepreneurial Fellows program, which is a Michigan Tech/Northern Michigan University collaboration that provides college students an opportunity to support regional startups as part of their team. The fellows lead by identifying customer needs and opportunities, forming strategies to engage strategic partners, and rounding out the team for early stage startups. Learn more by reaching out to Nate Yenor (MTU) or Cori Bodeman (NMU).
Student Research Poster Presentation Contest & Evening Superior Cruise At the Student Research Poster Presentation Contest, 12 undergraduate and graduate student researchers showcased their work with a poster presentation and an elevator pitch.
Congratulations to Kara Hardy, winner of “Most Commercial Potential” with Aerofeathers: Feathered Airfoils Inspired by Quiet Owls.
Congratulations to Anthony Ciletti, winner of the “Most Innovative Research” with Novel Image-Based Prediction Method for Bulk Acoustic Absorbers.
A heartfelt thank you to our great judges: John Rockwell, Mary Jo Cartwright, Dr. Jim Baker, Prof. Jon Leinonen, Oluwatosin Oyeniron, Wade Sheffer, Andrew Schmitz , David Rowe, Dr. Cori Bodeman, Dr. Elham Asgari.
Evening Superior Cruise In the evening, event attendees reflected on how our natural resources drive innovation during a sunset cruise on Lake Superior. No cell phone service, great people, and a beautiful view inspired interesting conversations.
Day 3, September 19, 2024
Innovation Ecosystem
Ecosystem Discussion
Startup Showcase
We hosted a second annual Ecosystem Development Discussion with stakeholder input. Individuals were invited to share their thoughts about how to strengthen our relationship with I&E champions across and outside of the state in order to advance resources and relationships across the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and build a pipeline of investable opportunities for Kupari.
The grand finale was a Startup Showcase where we heard pitches from 10 local startups.
Congratulations to Revex, as we were some of the first to hear the announcement, who was awarded $195M in grant funding to build three nickel-focused facilities in the Upper Peninsula!
Afterwards, we hosted a panel discussion moderated by MJ Cartwright, Entrepreneur in Residence at Innovation Partnerships, who engaged successful entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs: Wade Sheffer, Vice President of GM Energy, Christine Roberts, Startup Investor & Board Member, and Anurag Kamal, CEO of ElectricFish.
Thank You!
For those of you made it - we loved celebrating our Upper Peninsula innovators and entrepreneurs and sharing the great innovation ecosystem that continues to grow.
To those of you who couldn’t make it, we hope you are as excited as we are about this window into the exciting things happening here at Michigan Tech, in the Keweenaw, and across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
P.S. Get involved!
Invest in startups through Kupari Ventures (email here), mentor or speak at entrepreneurial workshops through the MTEC SmartZone (email here), or cheer on the ecosystem by following the MTU OIC, Kupari Ventures, and MTEC SmartZone on social media.
36° and Fog
