Invest Michigan
Venture capitalNorthville · Pre-Seed–Series A · 3 people tracked
Find your way into Invest Michigan
Each arrow is one introduction. Sign up to fill in the first one.
Ask Steve Haakenson to introduce you to Jody Vanderwel
You →Steve · together at Herman Miller →Jody
Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to Charles Moret
You →Jamie · together at Invest Michigan →Charles
Ask Sam Okafor to introduce you to Matt Turner
You →Sam · together at Invest Michigan →Matt
Sign up to find every way you can get introduced to Invest Michigan
- Your email: who you already know at Invest Michigan, and who your contacts know
- 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: people you know who worked, studied or invested with the Invest Michigan team
- Your LinkedIn: the connections who can make the intro for you
We rank every route by how warm it is, so you raise on warm intros instead of cold emails.
Investment thesis
Invest Michigan, a Detroit-based Michigan nonprofit, manages the Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0, a $6.8 million fund capitalized through a contract with the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 31, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 35 of 41 portfolio companiesHealthtech ×12Biotech ×11Hardware ×10Consumer ×7Deep Tech ×7Medical Devices ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6SaaS ×6
HQs:United States×26Germany×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 21 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×142 founders×43 founders×3
Where their founders studiedfrom 17 founders with education data
Davenport University ×3Eastern Michigan University ×2Grace Christian University ×2Stanford University ×2University of Michigan ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 18 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×7Business & Management ×6Finance & Accounting ×4Computer Science ×3Humanities ×2Life Sciences ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 16 founders with career history
University of Michigan ×3Ghost House Technology ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
5 founders hold a PhD · 2 hold an MBA (of 20 with degree data)
Investments · 41 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12024 · 12023 · 12020 · 22019 · 32015 · 19 dated
Shoulder Innovations develops InSet® glenoid technology for shoulder joint implants that reduce the rocking horse effect and provide mechanical stability, serving patients with severe shoulder arthritis.
HardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesNorthern California, US
Robert Ball(CEO & Executive Chairman)Matthew Ahearn(Chief Operating Officer)inJeff Points(Executive Officer)inDon Running(Manager and Chief Executive Officer)Jeff Ondrla(Chief Technology Officer)David L. Blue(Chief Customer Experience Officer)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAPERTURE Venture PartnersArboretum VenturesGenesis Innovation GroupGlobal BrainLightstone Ventures+3 more
ONL Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies to preserve sight by preventing Fas-mediated death of retinal cells, a cause of vision loss and blindness.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesAnn Arbor, US
David Zacks(Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer)inDavid Esposito(Executive Officer, Director)inConstance Chang(Executive Officer)John K Freshley(Executive Officer, Director)inJeffrey A Jamison(Executive Officer)in
BoardAaron Fletcher(Director)in
Co-investorsExSight VenturesNovartis Venture FundVisionary VenturesBios PartnersInFocus Capital Partners, LLCJohnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC+3 more
AdAdapted is a commerce media platform for CPG brands and agencies that targets high-intent shoppers and converts digital discovery into retail purchases through its patented one-click "Add-It" technology, including one-click carting, recipes, and retailer integrations.
AdTechConsumerMarketing TechRetail TechAnn Arbor, US
Molly McFarland(Executive Officer)inMichael Pedersen(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardRobert Cell(Director, Promoter)Terese Hunwick(Director)
Co-investorsBelle Impact FundCapital Midwest FundID VenturesTappan Hill VenturesWakestream Ventures
Akadeum manufactures GMP-compliant ancillary materials for cell and gene therapy applications, specializing in microbubble-based negative selection products.
Advanced ManufacturingBiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesAnn Arbor, US
Kalyan Handique(Executive Officer, Director)John Younger(Executive Officer, Director)inJames Militello(Executive Officer)
BoardJeffrey S. Williams(Director)Paul D'Amato(Director)inDan Kidle(Director)in
Co-investorsArboretum VenturesBeringeaBerkeley CatalystBlueStone Venture PartnersCANTILEVER INVESTORSeLab Ventures+7 more
Alter Cycles manufactures performance bicycles under branded product lines.
ConsumerHardwareWyoming, US
Mark Groendal(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDaniel Molhoek(Director)
Autobooks provides embedded banking technology to financial institutions to help them attract and retain small business customers by enabling business owners to manage finances and cash flow directly through their bank's digital platform.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSDetroit, US
Steven Robert(Executive Officer)inJohn Schmid(Executive Officer)Jeff Blackman(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsBaird CapitalCommerce VenturesDraper TriangleMissionOGDetroit Venture PartnersRunway Growth Capital
Banza makes chickpea-based versions of comfort foods including pasta, mac & cheese, pizza, waffles, and rice, offered as higher-protein, higher-fiber alternatives to refined-grain products.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechDetroit, US
Brian Rudolph(Co-founder)inScott Rudolph(Co-founder)
Co-investorsBeechwood CapitalID VenturesRosecliff VenturesRSE VenturesSWAT Equity Partners
Bloomscape delivers healthy houseplants directly from its greenhouse to customers' homes with expert care during transit.
AgTechConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
Justin Mastin
Co-investorsGeneral CatalystGood FriendsID VenturesRevolution
HealthtechAnn Arbor, US
RONALD FRISBIE(Executive Officer)WILLIAM CLARKE(Director)HANNAH HENSEL(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsCANTILEVER INVESTORS
EVOQ Therapeutics develops immunotherapies targeting autoimmune diseases by using proprietary NanoDisc technology to restore immune tolerance.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Co-investorsID VenturesMichigan Rise
Software that detects subtle vital-sign changes to warn medical professionals of post-operative patient deterioration risk.
Jen Baird, NACD.DC(Founder)inMark Salamango(Founder)in
Co-investorsWMU Biosciences Research & Commercialization CenterArboretum VenturesCultivation Capital
Fusion Coolant Systems makes Pure-Cut, a machine-tool cooling and lubrication system that uses supercritical carbon dioxide instead of traditional cutting fluids to extend tool life, improve surface finish, and reduce health and environmental risks in CNC machining.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechHardware
Steve Skerlos(Founder & Chief Technology Officer)in
Co-investorsID VenturesMaterial ImpactMichigan Rise
Genomenon uses AI to read biomedical literature and expert scientists to curate variant- and patient-level genomic evidence, delivering regulatory-grade real-world evidence.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthAnn Arbor, US
Mark Kiel(Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder)inEli Salembier(Executive Officer, Director)inSam Globus(Executive Officer)inMike Klein(Chief Executive Officer)inDavid Gregorka(Director)inBrian Groark(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsBeringeaGreen Park & Golf VenturesID VenturesIrishAngelsMarram VenturesMichigan Rise+1 more
GreenMark develops non-invasive dental products for dentists, hygienists, and patients that treat tooth sensitivity and support oral health management.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesEast Lansing, US
Steven Bloembergen, PhD(Executive Officer, Director)Steven Bloembergen(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMichael Snyder(Director)Joerg Lahann, Ph.D.(Director)Kenneth Pienta(Director)Frank van Luttikhuizen(Director)
Co-investorsID VenturesMichigan Rise
High Yield Savings by Plinqit is a white-labeled, end-to-end savings product that helps banks and credit unions attract deposits, launch digital savings brands, and expand into new markets, handling KYC and compliance.
FintechSaaS
Kathleen Craig(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsID VenturesStout Street Capital
Mentavi Health provides clinician-reviewed online diagnostic evaluations that screen for up to 29 mental health conditions, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, and OCD, with results reviewed by licensed doctorate-level psychologists.
Digital HealthHealthtechMental HealthGrand Rapids, US
Keith Brophy(Chief Executive Officer)inDave Peralta(Chief Financial Officer)inDr. Barry K. Herman(Chief Medical Officer)Angie Lillie(Chief Compliance Officer)inSteve Goulet(VP of Technology and Product)inRandall Duthler(Director)
Co-investorsBoomerang VenturesMichigan Capital NetworkWakestream Ventures
Micro-LAM develops laser-assisted machining systems, ultra-precision diamond turning tools, and custom optical components for precision optics manufacturing.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwarePortage, US
Deepak Ravindra(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardJohn Balbach(Director)Tim Parker(Director)John Jackoboice(Director)
Co-investorsBeringeaID VenturesIrishAngelsMichigan Capital NetworkMichigan Rise
Movellus develops infrastructure IP for high-performance, energy-efficient silicon, offering solutions for clocking, droop detection, and power management.
Deep TechHardwareSemiconductorsSan Jose, US
Mo Faisal(Founder, President & CEO)inVikram Karvat(COO)inRas (Robert) Sheffield(CFO)David Steer(VP Worldwide Sales)inSaif Alam(VP Engineering)
Co-investorsCandou VenturesIntel CapitalMESHMichigan Capital NetworkMichigan RiseSand Hill Angels
Native Traits recovers naturally occurring genetic traits from heritage crop varieties and incorporates them into hybrid seeds to improve yield, drought tolerance, and heat resilience.
AgTechBiotechKalamazoo, US
James Friedrich(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardSteve Haakenson(Director)inLee Huey(Director)Brian Steensma(Director)Larry Mayberry(Director)
Co-investorsWMU Biosciences Research & Commercialization Center
Orbion provides a computational platform for protein engineering that characterizes sequences, ranks stabilizing mutations, predicts construct expression, and generates experimental protocols to filter designs before lab synthesis.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechBerlin, DE
Aniruddh Goteti(Co-Founder)inÇağlar Bozkurt(Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsAntlerQAI VenturesBeringeaInventus Capital PartnersInvest DetroitMaterial Impact+1 more
Orbion Space Technology builds Hall-effect electric propulsion systems for small-satellite constellations, providing integrated thrusters, power processing units, and propellant management for in-space maneuvers.
Deep TechHardwareSpace TechHoughton, US
Lyon (Brad) King(CEO)inJason D. Sommerville(CTO)inRob Washeleski(CDO)inJorge Ramos(CFO)inLarry Bates(VP, Manufacturing)
BoardJohn Rockwell(Director)in
Co-investorsBeringeaID VenturesInventus Capital PartnersMaterial ImpactMichigan RiseSVQuad+2 more
Orthoforge provides a diagnostic system using ultrasonic analysis and proprietary algorithms to quantify bone and soft tissue healing after injury, delivered through telemedicine without radiation exposure.
Digital HealthHardwareHealthtechMedical Devices
Erik Hall, LEED® AP(Founder)in
Co-investorsWakestream Ventures
Provides open source tools, pretrained models, APIs, SDKs, and GPU-accelerated pipelines for healthcare and life sciences workloads including drug discovery, healthcare robotics, medical imaging, genomics, and digital health.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtech
Co-investorsID Ventures
Passage is a mobile ticketing platform that enables event organizers to sell tickets, merchandise, and concessions online and at the door from a single system.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerMarketplacesSaaS
Alex Linebrink(Founder)in
Co-investorsConnetic VenturesID VenturesWAFTTTelescope Partners
Advanced ManufacturingAnn Arbor, US
Lihang Nong(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsID Ventures
Ripple Science offers EnrollNow, a HIPAA-compliant, SOC 2-certified platform for managing research participant prescreening, enrollment, scheduling, and communication.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS
Co-investorsDundee Venture CapitalID VenturesMercury FundMichigan Capital NetworkMichigan RiseNarrow Gauge Ventures+4 more
SafeSense Technologies is an engineering consulting firm that develops and produces sensor technology using flexible hybrid electronics, offering technical services from concept to production.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareIoT
Ann Arbor, US
Laura Khoury(CEO and President)inRobert Cell(Director)Nancy Gilby(Director)
Co-investorsBelle Impact FundCapital Midwest FundID VenturesMichigan RiseService Provider Capital
SkySpecs provides data management and analytics software for renewable energy asset operators, helping them optimize maintenance and operational decisions for wind and solar installations.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate TechEnergySaaSAnn Arbor, US
Daniel Ellis(President and CEO)David Roberts(CEO)Thomas Brady(CFO)Ryan Morton(Chief Technology Officer)inSamuel DeBruin(Chief Operational Officer)
BoardRichard Katz(Director)
Co-investorsCapital Midwest FundDakota Venture GroupEvergy VenturesHuron River VenturesID VenturesMcRock Capital+5 more
SpellBound builds mobile augmented reality games and educational tools to engage and distract patients across stages of the care journey, including waiting rooms, clinical point of care, and at-home settings.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtech
Christina York(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsLighthouse Network Ventures Llc
A casino review and comparison platform that provides independent evaluations of online casinos for US players, with a focus on payment methods, security, user experience, and crypto gambling platforms.
CleantechConsumerMarketplacesDetroit, US
Co-investorsEvergreen Climate InnovationsFontinalis PartnersTechstarsInMotion VenturesVerizon VenturesWells Fargo Advisors
BiotechAnn Arbor, US
JONATHAN LEINONEN(Executive Officer, Director)YOKE KHIN YAP(Executive Officer, Director)MICHAEL MORTLOCK(Executive Officer)MARK EHLERT(Director)STEVE TOKARZ(Executive Officer, Director)JOHN RANSOM(Director)
Co-investorsCANTILEVER INVESTORSID Ventures
Tetra Therapeutics (Tetra Discovery Partners) was a discovery-based pharmaceutical company developing clinical programs including treatments for Fragile X Syndrome.
BiotechHealthtechFlorham Park, US
Co-investorsDolby Family Ventures
webAI provides the Intelligence Delivery Network (IDN), a platform that runs AI models locally on hardware controlled by the organization rather than sending data to centralized cloud environments.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareSaaSAustin, US
David Stout(Cofounder & CEO)inEthan Baird(Cofounder, Chief Research Officer)inTyler Mauer(Cofounder, Chief Product Officer)inDr. Paul J. Maykish(Chief Intelligence Officer)Andrew Zilli(Chief Financial Officer)inAnuneet Kumar(Chief Marketing Officer)in
Co-investorsForerunner VenturesWakestream VenturesAtreides Management
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AlchemieCelseePhenometricsincZipments
Exits · 2
1 IPOs · 1 acquisitionsShoulder InnovationsNYSE: SIParabricksacq. by NVIDIA
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesShoulder Innovations · prnewswire.com · May 13, 2026
Akadeum Life Sciences · biospace.com · Jun 4, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Invest Michigan made?
- Invest Michigan has 41 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Invest Michigan invest at?
- Invest Michigan invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Invest Michigan's typical check size?
- Invest Michigan typically writes checks of $100K – $250K.
- What sectors does Invest Michigan focus on?
- Invest Michigan focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech, Defense Tech, Energy, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Medical Devices, New Materials, SaaS.
- Where is Invest Michigan located?
- Invest Michigan is headquartered in Northville, US.
- Who does Invest Michigan co-invest with?
- Invest Michigan most often shares deals with ID Ventures, Michigan Rise, Michigan Capital Network, among 68 tracked co-investors.
Images
Similar investors
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs bold, early-stage, technology-driven companies across deep tech and other sectors, providing hands-on 'venture assistance' to help founders build category-defining businesses.
Industrifonden is a Sweden-based venture capital fund investing in scalable, science- and technology-driven ventures across the Nordics.
CIBC is a Canadian retail and commercial bank offering personal banking, investing (CIBC Investor's Edge), and financial advisory services to consumers.
EIFO (Export and Investment Fund of Denmark) is Denmark's national promotion bank and investment fund, providing financing, guarantees, and investments to help Danish companies grow, export, and support national priorities.
Michigan Rise operates the Pre-Seed Fund III, providing early-stage venture funding to Michigan-based technology startups in partnership with the MSU Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).







































.png)


















































































