Automation Alley is going for the low-hanging job creation fruit in Metro Detroit with its new program.
The Troy-based small business accelerator is launching the 7Cs program this week. The new initiative is focused on advanced manufacturing, specifically accelerating the growth of small businesses looking to leverage or improve advanced manufacturing.
"We want to focus on those businesses that can have the biggest impact on southeast Michigan," says Tom Kelly, director of entrepreneurship at
Automation Alley.
Kelly took over as Automation Alley’s director of entrepreneurship last spring after working as a small business coach for the state of Michigan stationed in Automation Alley. He has seen companies come and go from Metro Detroit, but knows that any company that wants to work in manufacturing will come to Michigan. Why not exploit that strength?
"We think the ecosystem is ripe for this sort of focus," Kelly says. "If you think about it, we should have been doing this a long time ago because we’re really good at it."
Automation Alley's 7Cs program will guide entrepreneurs through a customized seven-step process that starts with the conception of their technology and leads to commercialization. The program includes intense coaching and a commitment from Automation Alley to invest resources and capital.
Kelly hopes to facilitate 10 companies in the program’s first year, and to grow that number incrementally in the following years.
Source: Tom Kelly, director of entrepreneurship at Automation Alley
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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