Supercharging Michigan's innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem
 In November 2024, MIT REAP Team Michigan completed their first three-day workshop in Cambridge, MA, beginning a two-year global exchange program to spur collaborative statewide conversations and action that accelerates innovation-driven entrepreneurship in Michigan.
The MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) has announced that Michigan is participating in its Global program, Cohort 11, which launched in November 2024. Over the next two years, the team will engage in an exchange of global best practices leveraging the frameworks developed by MIT to spur collaborative conversations and action across the state that accelerates innovation-driven entrepreneurship (IDE) in Michigan.
MIT REAP is a global initiative that engages with communities around the world to supercharge innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystems and transform economies. The Global program employs an evidence-based “team” approach, translating MIT research and insights into a practical, actionable, and strategic framework that convenes and educates key stakeholders, and empowers regional leaders to drive meaningful, long-term economic and social change.
“Michigan has long been a home for dreamers who chase bold ideas,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Our selection for MIT REAP’s Cohort 11 underscores our commitment to leading the nation in growing our economy and helping innovators build the future. This opportunity will connect Michigan with MIT’s world-renowned ecosystem development framework to foster entrepreneurship, bring groundbreaking ideas to life, and create jobs that drive our economy forward. Let’s keep getting it done.”
“MIT REAP works with global regions to identify their unique history and goals and create compatible pathways for both bringing innovations to the market and building a culture of entrepreneurship,” said Professor Fiona Murray, MIT REAP Faculty Co-Director, William Porter Professor of Entrepreneurship, and MIT Sloan Associate Dean for Innovation. “By convening committed community leaders from the five key stakeholder groups and working closely with the MIT REAP faculty, each region is able to target its capacities and opportunities for growth, design an actionable strategy that is broadly inclusive of stakeholders in the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, and launch new programs or policies that will produce measurable economic results.”
MIT REAP Team Michigan is championed by Ben Marchionna, Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and includes highly influential regional leaders who represent five major stakeholder groups: government, university, corporate, risk capital, and entrepreneurs. Core team members include:
- Jim Baker, Associate VP for Research Administration, Michigan Tech University
- Nia Batts, Managing Director and COO, Union Heritage
- Christina Drake, Partner, Renaissance VC
- Peter Hill, Strategic Initiatives, Business Leaders for Michigan
- Camille Hoisington, Director of Ecosystem Development, Traverse Connect
- Rishi Moudgil, Executive Director, Michigan Founder’s Fund
- Luke Polcyn, Senior Executive, City of Detroit, Mayor’s Office
- Eileen Sellaro, Director of Urban Strategy and Innovation, Bedrock Detroit
- Kelly Sexton, Associate VP for Research – Innovation Partnerships and Economic Impact, University of Michigan
- Jeff Smith, Director of Research Parks, Michigan State University Research Foundation
- Jonathan Smith, Senior Chief Deputy Director, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
“I’m absolutely delighted that Team Michigan has been selected for MIT REAP Cohort 11,” said Ben Marchionna. “In both life and technology, change is inevitable, but growth is a choice. The state of Michigan has embarked on one of the most exciting and ambitious journeys in its history. A journey focused on transforming its economy through innovation-driven entrepreneurship. With guidance from the faculty experts at MIT REAP, we aim to lay a foundation which establishes Michigan as the Innovation Hub of the Midwest and America’s Scale-up State. Team Michigan stands ready to build the future by working together.”
"No one is in charge of entrepreneurship," said Professor Scott Stern, MIT REAP Faculty Co-Director, David Sarnoff Professor of Management, and Faculty Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. "Instead, multiple stakeholders are required to tackle big problems and enable the success of novel solutions - across business, healthcare, education, and more. MIT REAP is designed to help teams identify their region’s comparative advantage, engage a network of regional leaders, and build a strategy for accelerating IDE and creating real value and impact. After delivering the program for twelve years to more than 80 global teams, we know this regional approach works - and we look forward to working with the diverse group of Cohort 11 teams to develop unique strategies for their regions.”
Learn why entrepreneurs and innovators are choosing to Make It in Michigan.
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