Report: Ann Arbor leads Michigan in entrepreneurial resources

A new statewide guide to entrepreneurial resources shows that Ann Arbor easily tops other Michigan cities when it comes to funding opportunities and other support for startups.

The 2016 Michigan Entrepreneurial and Investment Landscape Guide was released last week by the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Venture Capital Association. The document features more than 140 profiles on venture capital firms, angel groups, support organizations, and service providers active in the state's entrepreneurial and investment scene.

Ann Arbor is particularly rich in resources, with more than half of the state's 44 venture capital firms based here, as well as two angel groups and 17 entrepreneurial support organizations.

"Washtenaw County by far leads the charge in resources that are available for entrepreneurs," says Maureen Miller Brosnan, executive director of the MVCA.

The area is one of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial communities in the state, Brosnan says, thanks in part to work coming out of the University of Michigan in high-tech and life science industries.

Launched last year, the annual guide and companion interactive map helps connect young companies to funding and leadership with a focused approach that Brosnan says wasn't available before.

"The guide was designed to fill that hole we were seeing," she says. "This is the quickest way for startups to find partners."

Another key market for the guide is out-of-state investors, to whom Brosnan says Michigan presents a "vitality" of entrepreneurial activity not seen in other parts of the country.

"For every $1 invested in Michigan startups, $4.31 comes in from out-of-state investors," she says. "We are really good at leading the charge with deals and able to acquire partners from outside the state of Michigan."

The full guide can be downloaded as a PDF from the MVCA website. Printed versions of the guide will be available at MVCA events, including the organization's upcoming 2016 awards dinner in November.