The Innovation Alliance, a first-of-its-kind statewide effort, launched today to better connect investors, research universities, corporations, founders and startups so more companies can start, scale and stay in Michigan.
Bringing together leaders from across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem, the Innovation Alliance aims to strengthen coordination, align strategy and support the state’s long-term economic competitiveness. The effort builds on the statewide coalition that helped advance the Michigan Innovation Fund and underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among business leaders, research universities, investors, founders and startup organizations.
Michigan has world-class research institutions, deep industrial strength and talented entrepreneurs across multiple regions, but statewide outcomes do not consistently match those strengths. Too often, strong efforts operate in parallel instead of reinforcing one another. The Innovation Alliance was created to better connect Michigan’s innovation assets so more ideas become companies, more companies find capital and more growth and investment stays in the state.
A stronger innovation economy has implications beyond startups. When Michigan turns more research, talent and industrial know-how into growing companies, it can create good jobs, help existing employers compete and expand opportunity for suppliers, skilled trades and small businesses across the state.
“Michigan has the assets to compete at the highest level, from research and talent to industrial expertise and entrepreneurial energy,” said Chris Rizik, founder and managing partner of Renaissance Venture Capital. “The challenge is turning those strengths into a more durable pipeline of high-growth companies and investment. That requires stronger alignment across the ecosystem and a consistent, long-term commitment to innovation as an economic strategy.”
Michigan has seen significant innovation momentum in recent years, including nearly 10 unicorn companies since 2018 and a top ten national ranking for the value of research and development created in the state. But despite those successes, Michigan still ranks 32nd among peer states in early and growth-stage funding and captures significantly less venture capital per research dollar than leading innovation economies. University of Michigan startups that left Michigan between 2020 and 2022 raised roughly four times as much capital after relocating, underscoring the need to close the gap and anchor more high-growth companies in Michigan.
“Michigan can build the foundation startups need to raise capital, scale and compete by focusing on founders,” said Rishi Moudgil, executive director of Michigan Founders Fund. “Founders need stronger pathways to funding, customers, talent and support systems if we want more companies to build long-term success in Michigan.”
The Innovation Alliance is designed to bring greater connection and clarity across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem so shared effort leads to measurable progress statewide. The Alliance will focus on aligning strategy, strengthening capital networks, supporting commercialization and improving how Michigan shows up nationally as a place for innovation and investment. The Alliance will also research and promote public policy recommendations grounded in data, best practices and the experiences of founders, investors, businesses and research institutions across Michigan.
The Alliance brings together several efforts that have gained momentum across Michigan, including the coalition of more than 60 organizations that helped advance the bipartisan Michigan Innovation Fund, ongoing collaboration among business leaders and research universities, Michigan’s participation in MIT’s Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program and several regional efforts. Together, those efforts made clear that Michigan does not lack innovation assets. It needs a more coordinated system to connect them.
“The Innovation Alliance reflects years of work and relationship-building across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem,” said Marty Fittante, Chief Executive Officer of InvestUP, an economic development organization serving the UP. “We are thrilled to be an active partner in the Innovation Alliance which will enable the State of Michigan to better leverage the assets within and across each of the State’s unique regions and accelerate our path toward a leading role in the innovation economy, nationally and beyond”
The Alliance will initially focus on strategy, amplification and advocacy so Michigan can operate as a coordinated statewide system, competing as a state, not as a collection of regions. The effort is designed to work alongside state government and other partners, providing consistent, long-term coordination that supports policy and economic development priorities.
In its first year, the Alliance will focus on several foundational initiatives, including developing a statewide innovation economic development strategy, developing a bold, impactful public policy agenda, launching a shared innovation amplification campaign and creating public-facing tools to measure and communicate Michigan’s progress over time.
“For the past 2 years, Michigan Central and our partners have provided the infrastructure and concentrated ecosystem of talent, capital and industry to scale startups from bold idea to full commercialization,” said Carolina Pluszczynksi, acting CEO, Michigan Central. “While we have been focused on Detroit, joining the Innovation Alliance provides the bridge to take that same success statewide. Together, we are moving from a collection of parallel efforts to a single, powerful ecosystem capable of competing with any innovation hub across the country.”
“Michigan’s research universities are generating world-changing ideas, talent and technologies every day,” said Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D, president of Michigan State University. “This alliance is about ensuring more of those discoveries — and more of the talented people behind them — can launch careers, grow companies and build their futures right here in Michigan.”
The effort comes at a pivotal moment as states compete more aggressively for innovation, investment and talent. In its first year, the Alliance will focus on a small number of targeted priorities across strategy, amplification and policy to build momentum and deliver early results.
The long-term goal is to position Michigan as a Top 10 U.S. innovation economy that drives rising wages, thriving companies and vibrant communities across every region of the state.
Additional details, including leadership structure and policy priorities, will be announced in the coming months. Those updates will also include multiple ways for organizations and individuals across Michigan to get involved, with engagement options to match a range of interests, time and capacity.
About the Innovation Alliance
The Innovation Alliance is a statewide effort designed to bring greater connection, collaboration, and clarity across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem so shared work leads to measurable progress. The Innovation Alliance focuses on aligning strategy, strengthening capital networks, supporting commercialization and improving how Michigan shows up as a place for innovation and investment
For more information on the Innovation Alliance, visit innovationalliancemi.org.