Michigan Rise
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersEast Lansing, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Michigan Rise firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Michigan Rise
- Legal name
- Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III
- Website
- https://michiganrise.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Michigan Rise is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- East Lansing
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Michigan Rise business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Investment Returns: As a pre-seed/early-stage venture capital fund, Michigan Rise generates returns through equity appreciation, follow-on funding participation, and exits (acquisitions and other liquidity events) of its portfolio companies. The fund is structured as an evergreen vehicle managed by the MSU Research Foundation with support from the MEDC.
- Purchase Order Financing Interest Income: Michigan Rise earns interest income on short-term P.O. financing loans extended to qualifying Michigan technology companies, with terms up to 180 days and a total leverage limit of $500,000 per company.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III equity investments and Michigan Rise P.O. Financing loans |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Michigan Rise product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III provides early-stage venture capital investments to Michigan-based technology startups, paired with a Purchase Order (P.O.) Financing program offering short-term, non-dilutive working capital of up to $500,000 per company against executed customer purchase orders. The fund supplies coaching, grant assistance, and strategic guidance, connecting portfolio companies to follow-on investors, corporate partners, and the MSU Research Foundation's research park network. Average P.O. loan size is approximately $230,000 with zero defaults to date across $7.6M+ deployed.
Product overview
Michigan Rise operates as a financial services platform rather than a unified software product. Its core offering is the Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III, an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in Michigan-based technology startups. Layered on top of this core fund is the Purchase Order Financing (P.O. Financing) program, an add-on financial service that provides working capital to startups tied to customer purchase orders. Together, these two offerings form Michigan Rise's combined capital-and-financing support for the Michigan startup ecosystem, operating under the MSU Research Foundation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Michigan Rise P.O. Financing: A Purchase Order Financing program operated by Michigan Rise that provides short-term, non-dilutive working capital to high-growth Michigan technology companies to fulfill customer orders.
Products and services
- Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III
- Michigan Rise P.O. Financing Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $800M in follow-on funding attracted across the portfolio
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Michigan Rise
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Michigan Rise technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Michigan Rise partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / parent organization, flagship / program partner and ecosystem partner (peer fund).
- MSU Research Foundation (Michigan State University Research Foundation)flagship / parent organizationMichigan Rise is a wholly owned venture capital subsidiary of the MSU Research Foundation. The Foundation provides grant programs (over $15M annually to MSU), entrepreneurial programming, the Conquer Accelerator, Red Cedar Ventures, Spartan Innovations, and The Bridge incubator in Grand Rapids. The Foundation's 50-year legacy and brand lend validation that founders cite as a key signal of legitimacy.
- Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)flagship / program partnerMichigan Rise is operated in partnership with the MEDC, which provides the funding for Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III. In January 2025, MEDC-supported legislation created the $60M Michigan Innovation Fund, with Michigan Rise / MSU Research Foundation as one of five evergreen funds eligible. MEDC's Equity Capital Programs Director Nataliya Stasiw has publicly endorsed the P.O. Financing program.
- ID Ventures at Invest Detroitecosystem partner (peer fund)One of the five established evergreen funds in Michigan alongside Michigan Rise / MSU Research Foundation, eligible to receive capital from the $60M Michigan Innovation Fund created in January 2025. Peer fund within the Michigan early-stage ecosystem.
- Ann Arbor SPARKecosystem partner (peer fund)One of the five established evergreen funds in Michigan alongside Michigan Rise / MSU Research Foundation, eligible to receive capital from the $60M Michigan Innovation Fund created in January 2025. Peer fund within the Michigan early-stage ecosystem.
- University of Michigan Accelerate Blue Fundecosystem partner (peer fund)One of the five established evergreen funds in Michigan alongside Michigan Rise / MSU Research Foundation, eligible to receive capital from the $60M Michigan Innovation Fund created in January 2025. Peer fund within the Michigan early-stage ecosystem.
- Western Michigan University Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center (BRCC)ecosystem partner (peer fund)One of the five established evergreen funds in Michigan alongside Michigan Rise / MSU Research Foundation, eligible to receive capital from the $60M Michigan Innovation Fund created in January 2025. Peer fund within the Michigan early-stage ecosystem.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Michigan Rise competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Invest Detroit / ID Ventures: Detroit-based evergreen venture fund focused on Michigan early-stage startups; explicitly named alongside Michigan Rise as one of five established evergreen funds eligible for the 2025 $60M Michigan Innovation Fund. Directly comparable in mandate, geography, and evergreen structure.
- Ann Arbor SPARK: Michigan-based economic development organization operating venture capital programs and incubation services; named as a peer evergreen fund in the 2025 Michigan Innovation Fund. Directly comparable as a state-level ecosystem builder and capital provider.
- University of Michigan Accelerate Blue Fund: University of Michigan's pre-seed/seed venture fund backing Michigan-based startups; named alongside Michigan Rise as one of five Michigan Innovation Fund evergreen recipients. Directly comparable in early-stage mandate and university-affiliated structure.
- Western Michigan University BRCC: Western Michigan University's Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center, named alongside Michigan Rise as a peer fund in the 2025 Michigan Innovation Fund. Comparable in sector specialization (life sciences) and university-affiliated evergreen model.
- Red Cedar Ventures: Wholly owned venture subsidiary of the MSU Research Foundation focused on Conquer Accelerator portfolio companies; operates under the same parent as Michigan Rise and shares deal flow. Most directly comparable as a sibling MSU Research Foundation vehicle.
- Detroit Venture Partners: Detroit-based early-stage venture capital firm that has co-invested with Michigan Rise (e.g., Maka and RIVET rounds) and focuses on Michigan startups across similar sectors. Comparable in early-stage Michigan mandate.
- Augment Ventures: Michigan-focused early-stage VC that has co-invested with Michigan Rise in rounds such as RIVET ($6M). Comparable in pre-seed/seed mandate and regional focus on Michigan.
- NuFund Venture Group: Michigan-based early-stage venture group that has co-led rounds with Michigan Rise (e.g., Entirety Biomedical $1.2M seed). Comparable as a Michigan-focused pre-seed/seed investor.
Emerging players
- Brick & Mortar Ventures: Construction-tech focused venture fund that led RIVET's $6M round with Michigan Rise participation; comparable as a sector-aligned VC that co-invests with Michigan Rise in Michigan-based startups.
Regional players
- Launch NY: Buffalo/New York-based evergreen venture fund operating in a comparable state-level economic-development mandate, providing seed capital and P.O.-style financing to startups in the Upstate NY region. Comparable in evergreen structure and state-backed mandate, though focused on a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Michigan Rise financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Michigan Rise leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Michigan Rise subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Michigan Rise funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Michigan Rise M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments138 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Michigan Rise
What does Michigan Rise do?
Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III provides early-stage venture capital investments to Michigan-based technology startups, paired with a Purchase Order (P.O.) Financing program offering short-term, non-dilutive working capital of up to $500,000 per company against executed customer purchase orders. The fund supplies coaching, grant assistance, and strategic guidance, connecting portfolio companies to follow-on investors, corporate partners, and the MSU Research Foundation's research park network. Average P.O. loan size is approximately $230,000 with zero defaults to date across $7.6M+ deployed.
Is Michigan Rise a public or private company?
Michigan Rise is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Michigan Rise founded?
Michigan Rise was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Michigan Rise based?
Michigan Rise is headquartered in East Lansing, United States, in the North America region.
How does Michigan Rise make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture Capital Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are purchase Order Financing Interest Income.
Who are Michigan Rise's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Invest Detroit / ID Ventures, Ann Arbor SPARK, University of Michigan Accelerate Blue Fund, Western Michigan University BRCC, Red Cedar Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Augment Ventures and NuFund Venture Group. Brick & Mortar Ventures is listed as an emerging player. Launch NY is listed as a regional player.
Does Michigan Rise have an API?
No public API is recorded for Michigan Rise.