Weekly Rewind: November 1 by wagdesign

A look back on this week’s economic development headlines, announcements, and other share-worthy news from the Ann Arbor region.

• The Ann Arbor SPARK business development team supported two expansion projects that were announced this week: k-Space is expanding in Dexter and Asahi Kasei Plastics is growing in Fowlerville. SPARK received great feedback from both partners.
  • “Asahi Kasei Plastics has worked with Ann Arbor SPARK on several projects of the past several years. In all cases, SPARK has proven to be a valuable resource in helping us navigate the many options to implement our projects successfully.” (Read more about the project here).
  • “Expansion is always a risk, financially and otherwise. But it’s good to know that we have a resource like Ann Arbor SPARK to consult with if needed!”

• Tech leaders spotlight practical applications of AI at inaugural Ann Arbor conference

• Ann Arbor SPARK is hosting the first-ever Ann Arbor Commercial Real Estate Trends Symposium

• Workforce Grant To Benefit Livingston County Manufacturers Collaborative – “Gebarowski says the critical position identified by participating employers is maintenance technicians and if they can’t find enough, then their operations could be jeopardized.”

• LLamasoft co-founder shares how to convince large companies to work with your startup. “You have to speak to all of them. You talk to as many as you can, and it comes down to whether they are willing to experiment or not.”

• Human Element, Of Top 20 Fastest Growing Companies In Michigan, Creates The Kind Of Culture They Want To Stay In

• Steve Case announces second $150 million Rise of the Rest fund in Detroit this week at the Forbes 30 under 30 conference. Case started the first Rise of the Rest seed fund in 2017 and it has invested in seven Michigan companies, including Detroit-based stock-market of things e-retailer StockX, Ann Arbor-based Sahi Cosmetics, Detroit-based wearable industrial technology Guardhat, Ann Arbor-based augmented reality therapy tool maker Spellbound, Detroit-based mobile virtual network operator Sweet and Detroit-based digital marketing platform Waymark.

• The University of Michigan looks to partner with Dan Gilbert and Stephen Ross on an innovation center in Detroit

• Startup to Scaleup: Sassa Akervall on Innovation and Growing a Business in Michigan

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Source: SPARK