What New Enterprise Forum does

New Enterprise Forum (NEF) is a Michigan-based nonprofit founded in 1986 by Tom Porter to link early-stage entrepreneurs with management expertise, mentors, business services, joint venture partners, and capital. Its core products are a structured coaching program that helps founders perfect investor pitches and executive summaries, monthly Forum events (typically the third Thursday of each month at Spark Central in downtown Ann Arbor) featuring showcase presentations, expert panel discussions, and Pitch Pit competitions, plus an Entrepreneur Tool Kit and an individual membership program priced at $100 per year. Coaching is delivered by volunteer executives drawn from the Michigan and broader Midwest entrepreneurial community, and successful alumni serve as a primary acquisition channel for new participants and members.

NEF is not a technology company: it operates no proprietary platform, software product, or AI/ML capability. Its primary revenue streams are individual memberships ($100/year, with a $25 first-year discount for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber members) and corporate sponsorships acknowledged at monthly Forum events; financial figures are not disclosed. The customer base spans three segments: early-stage entrepreneurs preparing for equity raises (primary), angel investors and VCs seeking deal flow (notably ID Ventures/Invest Detroit and Birmingham Angels), and business professionals/service providers who contribute coaching and ecosystem support.

The organization competes on community rather than product: 40 years of accumulated relationships, alumni outcomes including Wisely's $187M acquisition by Olo and Workit Health's $118M Series C, and institutional ties with Ann Arbor SPARK, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and TechTown Detroit. In 2026, NEF marked its 40th anniversary with a U.S. Congressional Record Statement and a Lifetime Service Award to Gary Hessenaur. Operating geographies are Michigan and the broader Midwest, with selected national visibility through partnerships such as Black Tech Saturdays.

Name

New Enterprise Forum

Legal name

New Enterprise Forum

Website

https://newenterpriseforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

New Enterprise Forum is a Michigan-based nonprofit founded in 1986 that provides volunteer-led coaching, monthly Forum events, and Pitch Pit competitions to help early-stage entrepreneurs in the Midwest prepare investor pitches and connect with investors and service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneur Coaching and Startup Support Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Startup coaching services
• Investor pitch preparation
• Entrepreneur networking events
• Startup community support
• Pitch competition coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NEF generates revenue through annual individual memberships at $100 per year. Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber Members receive a $25 discount for the first year. Membership fees are deductible as a business expense.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support NEF events and gain visibility to the entrepreneurial community. Featured sponsors are acknowledged at monthly Forum events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Enterprise Forum is a nonprofit organization that provides a structured coaching process to help early-stage entrepreneurs perfect their investor pitches and executive summaries, supplemented by monthly Forum events with showcase presentations and expert panels, Pitch Pit competitions, and a membership program for business professionals. Since 1986, NEF has linked entrepreneurs with management expertise, potential joint venture partners, mentors, business services, and capital.

Product overview

New Enterprise Forum is a nonprofit organization (not a technology product company) that provides a suite of services to support entrepreneurs in Michigan. The core offerings include a structured coaching program that helps entrepreneurs perfect their investor pitches and executive summaries, monthly Forum events featuring showcase presentations and expert panels, and Pitch Pit competitions where early-stage startups can practice their elevator pitches. The organization also offers membership for business professionals who want to contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These services work together to link entrepreneurs with management expertise, potential investors, business services, and capital resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coaching Services A structured coaching process delivered by experienced volunteer business executives to help early-stage entrepreneurs perfect their investor pitches and executive summaries, preparing them for investor presentations.
• Pitch Pit Competition A Shark Tank-style competition in which selected entrepreneurs deliver four-minute pitches of their business plans to a panel of investor judges, with PowerPoint slides prohibited to emphasize the elevator speech concept; winners receive coaching session opportunities.
• Showcase Presentations Featured presentations at monthly Forum events by entrepreneurs who have graduated from NEF's coaching process, presenting their business plans and connecting with potential investors.
• Monthly Forum Events Monthly events held on the third Thursday of each month at Spark Central in downtown Ann Arbor, featuring showcase presentations, expert panels, Pitch Pit competitions, networking, food and drink, and sponsor messages.
• Expert Panel Discussions Educational discussions on topics pertinent to entrepreneurs and investors in startup companies, featuring industry experts and experienced founders sharing insights and practical guidance.
• Membership Program Individual annual membership providing networking access to influential community members, profile listing on the NEF website, eligibility for NEF recommendations, and Program Committee participation; priced at $100 per year with a $25 first-year discount for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber Members.
• Entrepreneur Tool Kit A set of resources and tools to help entrepreneurs prepare their investor pitches and business plans for the NEF coaching and showcase process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30 million in economic impact attributed to NEF-connected Black Tech Saturdays founders
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Ann Arbor SPARKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnn Arbor SPARK hosts NEF's monthly Forum events at Spark Central in downtown Ann Arbor. SPARK is a key ecosystem partner supporting the entrepreneurial community. Bill Mayer, SVP of Entrepreneur Services at Ann Arbor SPARK, participated in NEF's 40th anniversary celebration.
• University of Michigan Ross School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEF members volunteer as mentors in the 'Financing Technology Commercialization: A Venture Capital Practicum' course at Ross. Professor David J. Brophy leads the course with support from NEF Board Member Stewart Nelson. Anne Perigo, Associate Director of the Zell Lurie Institute at Ross, is an NEF member.
• Spark CentralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEF holds its monthly Forum events at Spark Central in downtown Ann Arbor. This venue partnership provides the physical space for showcase presentations, expert panels, and networking events.
• Black Tech SaturdaysnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Tech Saturdays, co-founded by Alexa and Johnnie Turnage, received NEF's 2024 Startup Community Champion Award. The organization has grown from a single event into a nationwide movement empowering Black, Brown, and underestimated founders, driving over $30 million in economic impact.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator that runs equity-free cohorts, pitch competitions, and corporate-startup matchmaking. Closest large-scale analog to NEF's nonprofit, community-driven approach to founder development.
• Techstars: Global startup accelerator running cohorts, mentorship programs, and demo days across multiple verticals and geographies. Serves the same early-stage founder audience as NEF but at much larger scale and with equity-based engagement.
• Ann Arbor SPARK: Regional economic development organization that hosts NEF's monthly Forum events at Spark Central. Provides a broader portfolio of business-acceleration services across the Ann Arbor ecosystem, with overlapping founder and investor audiences.

Direct peers

• 1871: Chicago-based tech hub and entrepreneurship community hosting regular events, pitch sessions, and mentorship programs for early-stage founders. Comparable community-driven, in-person service model aimed at connecting founders with capital and mentors.
• TechTown Detroit: Detroit-based entrepreneurship hub offering coaching, workshops, and pitch programming for early-stage founders. An NEF board member serves as Facilitator-in-Residence at TechTown, evidencing direct mission overlap and ecosystem complementarity.
• Capital Factory: Austin-based startup community and accelerator running pitch events, mentor matching, and demo days for early-stage founders. Closely parallels NEF's monthly Forum + pitch competition format at a larger regional scale.
• gener8tor: Midwest-based startup accelerator and venture fund running cohort-based programs and pitch competitions for early-stage founders. Operates in overlapping Michigan/Wisconsin geography with a comparable coach- and community-driven founder-development model.

Regional players

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting entrepreneurs through events, programs, and a curated network of advisors and investors. Comparable community/membership-driven nonprofit model serving early-stage founders in a different geography.
• Innovation Works: Pittsburgh-based seed-stage accelerator and venture fund supporting early-stage technology startups in the Rust Belt. Operates a comparable regional model focused on connecting founders with mentorship and capital outside of coastal hubs.
• Launch Fishers: Indiana-based tech and entrepreneurship hub running startup events, pitch competitions, and coworking for early-stage founders. Operates a similar community-led model in a neighboring Midwest geography without direct overlap to NEF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nefmichigan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Enterprise Forum