The Centrepolis Accelerator, a physical product business incubator established last year by Lawrence Technological University and the city of Southfield, is co-sponsoring the first-ever Michigan Hardware Tech Summit, to be held Wednesday, June 19 at the Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave. in Detroit.
The event is presented by PlanetM, the state of Michigan’s mobility industry initiative, and co-sponsored by Hardware Massive, a global platform for hardware startups to meet and find resources.
The aim of the summit is to highlight Michigan and Detroit as global leaders in designing, manufacturing, and deploying innovative products. The event is being held in conjunction with Detroit Startup Week.
Highlights of the event include:
• A pitch competition for $20,000 in cash. Two prizes of $10,000 will be given—one from the Centrepolis Accelerator for the best Michigan hardware company, and one from PlanetM for the best hardware mobility company. Finalists include Centrepolis Accelerator clients Wareologie, MaxFitPro, Flash Steelworks and Aerotronic, plus Bedestrian, Kuhmute, Looking Bus, and Traxen, Inc.
• The opportunity for one-on-one meetings for startups with investors, manufacturers, engineering firms, and other members of the startup community.
• A morning keynote presentation from Robert Bollinger, CEO and founder of Bollinger Motors, which is building all-electric pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles in a factory in Ferndale.
• An afternoon keynote from Dino Nardicchio, global vice president of advanced technology engineering at the auto supplier Magna Seating.
• Two panel discussions—one on the experiences of hardware investors, the other on avoiding mistakes in prototyping.
For more information or to register to attend, visit https://planetm.connect.space/hts/details.
The Centrepolis Accelerator’s mission is to accelerate the growth of small manufacturers and hardware entrepreneurs by providing access to key resources. Founded by LTU and the city of Southfield, with financial support from the New Economy Initiative and the Michigan Energy Office, the Accelerator later this year will open a 6,300-square-foot center that will include office and co-working space, technical and business services, a digital design lab, a mixed-reality lab, a product prototyping lab, and other resources. More at www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.