Why Michigan Is Leading the Tech Talent Race

The amount of tech talent in Michigan has been growing immensely – Much of this growth has stemmed from the technology entrepreneurship & innovation sector.

The amount of tech talent in Michigan has been growing immensely – Much of this growth has stemmed from the technology entrepreneurship and innovation sector.

Read below as Paula Sorrell, former VP at Michigan Economic Development Corporation, shares her experience with the changing entrepreneurship landscape in Michigan and changing perception nation-wide.

1) The tech transfer offices at Michigan’s universities employ 19 part-time mentors in residence. These experienced entrepreneurs help companies build their strategies and develop their products to be ready for funding. They could be retired on a beach but instead choose to give back to the state and the university by dedicating time to helping companies move forward. Many of them opt to join a new company after their engagement with the university.

2) The SBDC Tech Team are also mostly made up of nine experienced tech entrepreneurs who help companies create their technology roadmaps, guide them through strategic decisions, and annually help companies in Michigan raise more than $60 million in follow-on funding.

3) The Tech Transfer Talent Network allows post docs or grad students working on research to continue to build their tech businesses and stay in the state.

4) The Hacker Fellows program trains coders to work in tech startups, where they join the best and the brightest. There are a number of fellows programs that operate around the state and particularly in Detroit – I’m always impressed with their intelligence and dedication.

5) The Michigan I-Corps program teaches tech entrepreneurs in our state’s universities how to get customer validation and assess market need for technologies.

6) The Smart Zone Incubators and the Business Accelerator Fund match consultants and mentors with tech companies on a regular basis. They work with the community to identify appropriate “help” and advice for companies.