Written by As we embark on a new year (and a new decade!), we wanted to reflect on the milestones over this past year. 2019 was filled with many highlights as EntryPoint entered its second year of business. We are thrilled about the significant growth of our research and community engagement initiatives and look forward to the exciting projects that are in the pipeline for 2020 (keep an eye out for more details in the news!).
We are honored to be part of a strong and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem that makes the initiatives we are working on a possibility. Thank you to our advisory board for your continued support and expertise, our wonderful partners Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) and ID Ventures, and to all the community builders and entrepreneurs who inspire and collaborate with us every day.
A few highlights from 2019:
- Presented at SXSW: EntryPoint Founder and Managing Director, Emily Heintz, participated in two panels at South by SouthWest: The Inc. Founders House panel on the growth of the mobility sector which was moderated by Inc. Editor-in-Chief, Burt Helm, and included Seun Phillips (PlanetM) and Amber Quist (Audi) and, the following day, an insightful Michigan House panel on the funding ecosystem in Michigan which was moderated by Dana Lowell (Faurecia) and included Jared Stasik (Detroit Venture Partners) and Ann Marie Sastry (Amesite). We made many meaningful connections, hung out with some great Midwest people in Texas, and in 2020, we are excited to host a discussion with leaders in Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem (more details to come!).
- Released the 2019 MVCA Research Report: We partnered with MVCA to develop and release the MVCA Annual Research Report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of venture capital investment activity in Michigan. The research report was featured in DBusiness, MIBiz, Grand Rapids Business Journal and Crain’s Detroit Business. The report remains one of the most visited pages on the MVCA website with over 2,000 views in the past year.
- Sponsored Intermitten: Intermitten is an inspiring conference about empowering entrepreneurship through inclusion, capital and connection. We were proud to support such an incredible event that united Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Released the 2019 Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report: We published our second annual Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report. In the last year, the report has been shared across eleven industry publications, including Crain’s Detroit Business, DBusiness, Xconomy among other industry partners, and garnered nearly 500 social shares. The report is among one of the highest website traffic drivers, reaching over 2,800 views. We look forward to expanding this report and our regional work in 2020.
- Developed the 2019 Ohio Entrepreneurship Report: We developed an extensive internal report on Ohio’s evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem and its Entrepreneurial Services Program!
- Roman was born! In June our managing director, Emily, welcomed home her second child, Roman!
- Selected as a Panelist for the Blended Collective Speaker Event Series: EntryPoint Founder and Managing Director, Emily Heintz, participated in the Blended Collective Panel: Diversity & Tech in Detroit. She was joined by Lydia Michael (Blended Collective), Monica Wheat (Backstage Capital and Member of our Advisory Board!), Jake Ruby (LinkedIn) and Marlin G. Williams (TechTown Detroit and Wayne State University). The panel discussed the importance of tech diversity and strategies to increase diversity throughout the city of Detroit.
- Organized and Led the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition: EntryPoint was thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership with ID Ventures, one of the most active early-stage investors in Michigan, to host the 2019 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. This year, the event sold out with a record-breaking number of attendees, attracting 400 investors, community builders and members of entrepreneurial support organizations from across the country to watch the six finalists present their rapidly growing companies. We also created this awesome video showcasing all of the entrepreneurs who were in the semi-finals! We look forward to working with senior vice president, Martin Dober, and his team at Invest Detroit to continue supporting entrepreneurs in the coming year through Accelerate Michigan and other community engagement initiatives.
- Amber got married! In November, our marketing and communications guru, Amber, got married to fellow word-nerd, Scott, in Minneapolis, MN.
- Organized and Led the MVCA Annual Awards Dinner: EntryPoint was excited to continue our long-standing partnership with MVCA, the nonprofit trade association that increases the amount of capital and talent for Michigan’s entrepreneurial and investment community, to host the 2019 MVCA Annual Awards Dinner. This year, the event had record-breaking attendance with 290 attendees and attracted 31 percent more out-of-state attendees than two years ago – the highest out-of-state attendance to date. We are excited to continue our partnership with executive director, Ara Topouzian, and his team at MVCA in 2020.
We are excited to build upon our current partnerships for community engagement and research initiatives as well as foster new connections to create a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in Michigan. Interested in partnering with us in 2020? Contact us at info@entrypointmi.com.