Michigan Rise
VC Fund
East Lansing, United States
Michigan Rise is a VC fund in East Lansing focused on Software and Health Care. Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III invests in Michigan tech startups to help commercialize innovative technologies. We are proud to partner with Michigan’s best and brightest tech entrepreneurs and further economic development in the Mitten State. The Pre-Seed Fund III is administered by the Michigan State University Research Foundation throughMichigan Rise which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Foundation. Michigan Rise supports entrepreneurs and technology startups across Michigan through capital support, coaching, assistance with grant funding and more.The Michigan State University Research Foundation was formed in 1973 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is charged with helping Michigan State University achieve its land grant mission related to economic development through the commercialization of new intellectual property. The Foundation oversees several entities involved in this activity including Red Cedar Ventures and Spartan Innovations. Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III is made possible with support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan State University Research Foundation.To apply for funding, please submit a brief application here: https://www.michiganrise.com/application
- Total investments:
- 167
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 4%
- Fund size:
- $7.3M
- Last fund:
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Michigan Rise invests in
Stages Michigan Rise invests in
Countries Michigan Rise invests in
Round sizes
Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
| See all 8 contacts → | |||
Round size
- Seed
- $1M–$5M
- Pre-Seed
- $279k–$3M
Investment Focus
Industry
- Software 22 (13%)
- Health Care 20 (12%)
- Medical 16 (10%)
- Information Technology 13 (8%)
- Artificial Intelligence 11 (7%)
Stage
- Seed 52 (31%)
- Pre-Seed 26 (16%)
- Funding Round 24 (14%)
- Series A 10 (6%)
- Venture - Series Unknown 10 (6%)
Country
- United States 87 (52%)
- Japan 1 (1%)
- Canada 1 (1%)
- Israel 1 (1%)
- South Africa 1 (1%)
Team
| Name | Title | Investments | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abdel Qader Diab
Data Analyst
|
Data Analyst | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
Calvin VanderWal
Venture Associate
|
Venture Associate | Total investments: 1 | Find email | |
Christian McKenzie
Investment Associate
|
Investment Associate | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
Jeff Wesley
Executive Director
|
Executive Director | Total investments: 11 | Find email | |
John Tran
Venture Analyst
|
Venture Analyst | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
| See all 8 team members → | ||||
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanliness Analytics - helping healthcare systems prevent infections in their facilities | $750K / May 29, 2026 | ||
| Maka Kids is a female-founded company on a mission to raise the next generation of good humans.Most kids' streaming platforms were built for adults, then retrofit for children. At Maka Kids, every design decision starts with how children actually grow, not how long they'll watch. The result is the first streaming app rooted in childdevelopment science from the ground up, designed for families with children ages 0–6.At the core of the product is Maka Imprint, a developmental framework mapping 650+ milestones across 7 domains of early childhood, built in collaboration with researchers at Yale Child Study Center. Every show on Maka Kids is evaluated against Imprint through a proprietary AI pipeline, then reviewed by a human child development expert, ensuring what children watch actively supports healthy development.For parents, Maka Kids solves the daily stress of screen time without adding more decisions. Families choose curated channels built around the topics and stages that matter to them. Time limits hold. Wind-down cues signal the end of a session so transition off the screen is easier. No addictive algorithm. No ads. No endless feeds.Maka Kids has been featured in Crain's, Harvard Ed. Magazine, Kids Innovation Weekly, and Telescope, and was named a finalist in both the 2025 and 2026 Harvard President's Innovation Challenge. The company is currently in private beta, with a public App Store launch planned for fall 2026. | $3M / Pre-Seed / May 21, 2026 | ||
| BridgeCare provides schools w/ an on-demand solution that couples AI and certified coaches to improve student mental wellness & success. | Seed / May 14, 2026 | ||
| Magsorbeo Biomedical develops and manufactures absorbable metal implants with engineered absorption profiles. It uses its proprietary Curasorb alloy technology to safely minimize implant life post-healing, provide simple and confident implantation, and safely absorb without increased risks of long-term complications. | $1.2M / Seed / Feb 11, 2026 | ||
| Woodchuck.AI creates a sustainable cycle from construction and manufacturing sites to eco-friendly power generation. | Seed / Dec 16, 2025 | ||
| Scorbit develops a platform for pinball players and pinball machine owners and operators. | $5M / Seed / Nov 13, 2025 | ||
| Reportwell streamlines key compliance tasks and reporting requirements for authorizers, school districts, and government agencies that want stronger reporting, easier accountability, and simpler compliance for the schools or companies under their regulatory umbrella. | $3M / Seed / Jul 01, 2025 | ||
| ChurchSpace is a technology startup that operates a digital marketplace connecting users with underutilized church properties for various events and activities. Through its platform, individuals and organizations can browse and book local church spaces for purposes such as weddings, conferences, community gatherings, and business functions. Thecompany aims to assist churches in monetizing their available real estate by transforming these spaces into venues for events, worship, and kitchen use. | $1.2M / Seed / May 05, 2025 | ||
| Bloom is an operations-as-a-service platform designed for hardware innovators. By connecting product companies with trusted manufacturers, logistics partners, and service providers, Bloom streamlines production, assembly, and after-sales support. Whether in mobility, robotics, clean energy, or emerging tech, Bloom helps brands bring their ideas tomarket faster and more efficiently. | $2.1M / Pre-Seed / Apr 01, 2025 | ||
| CircNova is a biotechnology company that utilizes AI to generate, analyze, and identify circular RNA for therapeutic development. | $3.3M / Seed / Feb 21, 2025 | ||
| See all 167 investments → | |||
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FAQ
What does Michigan Rise invest in?
Michigan Rise invests primarily in Software, Health Care and Medical startups, most often at Seed and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 167 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
What round sizes does Michigan Rise invest in?
Michigan Rise typically joins rounds of $1M–$5M at Seed and $279k–$3M at Pre-Seed. These are whole funding-round sizes, not Michigan Rise's own check, which is rarely disclosed: the 10th–90th percentile of the confirmed public funding rounds Michigan Rise took part in.
How do I contact Michigan Rise?
Public channels for Michigan Rise include LinkedIn and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
Who are the partners at Michigan Rise?
The team at Michigan Rise includes Abdel Qader Diab (Data Analyst), Calvin VanderWal (Venture Associate) and Christian McKenzie (Investment Associate), among 8 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Oct 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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