Michigan Rise
Government fundEast Lansing · Pre-Seed–Series A · 11 people tracked
Investment thesis
Michigan Rise focuses on early-stage funding for Michigan-based technology startups through its Pre-Seed Fund III. Operating in partnership with the MSU Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the firm aims to transform promising technologies into successful businesses and drive economic growth across Michigan's tech sectors. Beyond capital, it provides coaching, grant assistance, and strategic guidance at every stage, and connects founders to the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem to attract follow-on investment. Its work builds on the MSU Research Foundation's five decades of innovation and commercialization experience, and its portfolio has leveraged nearly $700M in follow-on funding.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 11 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 95 of 135 portfolio companiesHealthtech ×25SaaS ×23AI & Machine Learning ×17Biotech ×16Hardware ×15Deep Tech ×14Cleantech ×10Digital Health ×10
HQs:United States×53Canada×1Germany×1
Investments · 135 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2024 · 42023 · 22022 · 12021 · 32020 · 12019 · 213 dated
MediCool Technologies develops medical device technology using cooling ("cool") methods to treat cardiac arrhythmias, with a current focus on atrial fibrillation.
HardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesTraverse City, US
Sam Asirvatham(Executive Officer, Director)Rich Sanders(Director)Allan Witz(Executive Officer, Director)Jeff Rynbrandt(Executive Officer, Director)Paul Friedman(Executive Officer, Director)Paul Williams(Director)
86 Repairs provides a platform to help restaurants manage repairs and maintenance, removing the burden of equipment R&M so operators can focus on their core business.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaS
Daniel Estrada(Founder & CEO)
Grand Rapids, US
Zachariah Booker(Executive Officer, Director)Christopher Barber(Executive Officer)Randall Duthler(Executive Officer, Director)Dale Grogan(Director)
Adrenaline Interactive provides in-game advertising technology that places real brands into mobile games through proprietary reskinning software, serving both game publishers seeking new revenue and advertisers wanting to reach players.
AdTechGaming
Carson Mathews(CEO)
Advertent Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class biologics that modulate TGF-β family growth factors to protect muscle quality and promote regeneration in neuromuscular disorders, with a particular focus on muscular dystrophies.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtech
Monique Floer(Co-Founder, President & CEO)Erik M. Martinez-Hackert(Co-Founder & CSO)
Airspace Link provides a unified platform (AirHub Portal) for airspace security, drone operations management, and air traffic coordination, serving government agencies, defense organizations, and commercial enterprises operating unmanned aircraft systems.
Defense TechGovTechIoTNorthville, US
Michael Healander(Executive Officer, Director)Dillon Krasnigor(Director)Daniel Bradshaw(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJonathan Struhl(Director)
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
James Militello(Executive Officer)Kalyan Handique(Executive Officer, Director)Douglas Neal(Director)John Younger(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJeffrey S. Williams(Director)Paul D'Amato(Director)
Arborsense develops transdermal wearable sensors, including the SCANar wrist-worn device, that measure biomarkers in sweat to detect substance use and monitor health non-invasively.
HardwareHealthtechMedical Devices
ArcPath Automation designs industrial automation systems including robotic bin picking, machine vision and AI, quality automation, and inspection and metrology solutions.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRobotics
Aries is an open trading platform for retail traders, investors, and developers, offering a mobile app and tools to trade stocks, options, ETFs, and index funds through a FINRA-member broker-dealer.
Data & InfrastructureFintechSaaS
ArtClvb operates an online marketplace for sourcing original art and design, connecting buyers with artists and their local art scene.
ConsumerMarketplacesMedia & Entertainment
ATLAS Space Operations provides Ground Software as a Service through Freedom, connecting spacecraft operators to a federated global network of satellite ground stations via a single API running on AWS Cloud.
Defense TechSaaSSpace Tech
Atterx Biotherapeutics develops therapeutics to prevent and treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, including drug candidates for Gram-negative infections (GN-4474) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (C-1205).
BiotechHealthtech
James Millar(Chief Executive Officer)
BlueConduit provides AI-driven predictive modeling software that helps water utilities and cities locate lead and galvanized service lines and assess water main risk, supporting inventory classification, replacement planning, and regulatory compliance.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechGovTech
Breadless makes bread-free sandwiches, bowls, and salads wrapped in greens like swiss chard and romaine, with menu items such as jerk chicken, falafel, and braised beef.
ConsumerFoodTech
Helps schools address the student mental health crisis amid understaffed counseling systems.
CircNova uses artificial intelligence to generate, analyze, and identify circular RNA structures for therapeutic development.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDetroit, US
Crystal Brown(Chief Executive Officer)inAlex Wesselhoeft(Principal Scientific Architect)inJoe Deangelo(Chief Scientific Officer)inRobin Pearce(Principal AI Architect)in
Helps businesses turn referrals into a structured, measurable growth channel, reducing reliance on paid advertising.
ConStrat AI builds AI-powered software for construction contractors, providing intelligence to support faster and better decision-making across jobs and finances.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechFintechSaaSDetroit, US
Jesse Dorsey(Co-founder)Justin Turk(Co-founder)Emmanuel Dorley(Co-founder & Head of AI)
Coordinista (Coordi) provides cloud-based field management software for mobile healthcare teams, including caseload management, scheduling, mapping, mileage tracking, and geo-location for electronic visit verification.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS
Jackson, US
Rebecca Colmer(Executive Officer)William Joshua Nichols(Executive Officer)James Kelly(Executive Officer)
Cura Collaborative offers a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based platform that connects clinical care teams with patients and their families to coordinate care outside the EHR, focusing on home-based care and care transitions.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS
EcoG develops an AI-enabled operating system and software solutions for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, optimizing energy flow and system reliability for fleet operators and charging network providers.
CleantechClimate TechEnergyEnterprise SoftwareHardwareIoTMobility & TransportationMunich, DE
Electric Plant is a plant intelligence company that uses a plug-in "dongle" device to continuously record plants' electric signals and applies AI to decode these electrochemical signals into hyperlocal, actionable insights.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningDeep Tech
Takes on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) challenges with patented PFASigator technology
Laingsburg, US
Laurie Parsons(Director)Denise Kay(Executive Officer, Director)Meng Wang(Executive Officer)
BoardJeff Wesley(Director)
Esperovax is a biotechnology company developing an oral mRNA-based vaccine and biotherapeutic platform that produces shelf-stable vaccines in tablet and capsule form as an alternative to injection-based treatments.
BiotechDeep TechPlymouth, US
Roger NewtonSavita NikamDavid O'Hagan
Espervita Therapeutics is a drug discovery company developing metabolic reprogramming therapies, with a lead compound (EVT0185) that inhibits acetyl-CoA metabolic enzymes to treat conditions such as MASH, chronic kidney disease, and liver and kidney fibrosis.
Biotech
EVOQ Therapeutics develops immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases using its proprietary NanoDisc technology, which delivers disease-specific antigens to dendritic cells via subcutaneous administration to restore native immune tolerance.
BiotechHealthtech
FirstIgnite provides AI software that helps universities, hospitals, nonprofits, and foundations identify, engage, and manage partnership opportunities in research funding, philanthropy, and technology licensing.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Chase Bonhag(Founder)inCody Pawlowski(Founder)in
Flightpath Biosciences develops Targeted Bacterial Deletion, a platform that selectively removes harmful gram-negative bacteria while sparing the surrounding microbiome to interrupt infection-driven disease.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtech
FreightRoll provides a non-app-based driver authentication and workflow system, including a "YardFlow" protocol builder, that automates yard operations for warehousing and logistics facilities.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSAnn Arbor, US
Functional Fluidics develops diagnostic tools to objectively monitor red blood cell health in patients with Sickle Cell Disease.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesDetroit, US
John Cunningham(Chief Operating Officer)Patrick Hines(CEO & Founder)
Fusion Coolant Systems develops Pure-Cut, a supercritical CO2-based cooling and lubrication system for CNC machine tools that replaces traditional cutting fluids.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechNew Materials
Genomenon uses purpose-built AI combined with expert scientific curation to index and structure real-world evidence from millions of biomedical articles, including full text, tables, figures, and supplemental data.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthAnn Arbor, US
Eli Salembier(Executive Officer, Director)Mark Kiel(Executive Officer, Director)Sonya Sepahban(Director)Michael Klein(Executive Officer, Director)Patricia Glaza(Director)David Gregorka(Director)
Culturewell operates an Infection Insights and Cleaning Compliance Audit platform that performs environmental sampling and proteomics-enabled lab testing to detect and quantify viable germs (such as MRSA, C. diff, and Candida auris) on surfaces in healthcare facilities.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtech
Gildform is an AI-driven, on-demand product creation platform that generates design mockups and connects users with a global network of vetted CAD designers to produce 3D models for manufacturing custom jewelry, fashion hardware, home décor, and collectibles.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningE-commerceDetroit, US
Karissma Yve(Founder)
BiotechEast Lansing, US
Steven Bloembergen, PhD(Executive Officer, Director)Steven Bloembergen(Executive Officer, Director)Kenneth Pienta(Director)Frank van Luttikhuizen(Director)
BoardMichael Snyder(Director)Joerg Lahann, Ph.D.(Director)
HAPPE Spine develops INTEGRATE-C, an interbody spinal fusion cage built on its patented HAPPE (Hydroxyapatite Porous Polyetheretherketone) platform, combining porous and dense PEEK with integrated hydroxyapatite for bone ingrowth and post-operative imaging.
HealthtechMedical DevicesNew Materials
Nunchi is a "relational intelligence" platform that ingests an organization's member data to build living profiles, surface smart introductions, send engagement alerts, and recommend programming.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Hum provides white-label internet shopping and enrollment solutions for residential property managers and operators, allowing them to offer internet services to residents while retaining brand control and revenue.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkPropTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Dann Petty(Founder)
Hummus Goodness makes Lebanese-style hummus using ingredients such as chickpeas, fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and olive oil.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Hannah Awada(Founder)Lara Lozser(Co-founder)
BiotechEast Lansing, US
Xuefei Huang(Executive Officer, Director)Robert Forgey(Executive Officer, Director)Herbert Kavunja(Executive Officer)
BoardDonald Parfet(Director)Jeffrey Wesley(Director)Steve Kuemmerie(Director)
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesFirstIgnite · msufoundation.org · Mar 26, 2026
Alerje · castleplacement.com · Jan 8, 2026
EcoG · finsmes.com · Nov 26, 2025
Wizehire · wizehire.com · Nov 20, 2025
Akadeum Life Sciences · finsmes.com · Jun 4, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Michigan Rise invest at?
- Michigan Rise invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Michigan Rise's typical check size?
- Michigan Rise typically writes checks of $50K – $150K.
- What sectors does Michigan Rise focus on?
- Michigan Rise focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, Biotech, Consumer, Data & Infrastructure, Defense Tech, Energy, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Hardware, Healthtech, Medical Devices, Mobility & Transportation, New Materials, SaaS, Sector Agnostic, Semiconductors.
- Where is Michigan Rise located?
- Michigan Rise is headquartered in East Lansing, US.
- Does Michigan Rise lead rounds?
- Michigan Rise typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamFund Facts | Jeff Wesley of Michigan Rise | MEDC
Michigan Economic Development Corporation · Jeff Wesley
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