Midwest talent | A new podcast for innovators | Ann Arbor’s hot startup scene
“Being in the Midwest, you get the best of all worlds and add your own flavor to it.” — Big Sean
Today’s itinerary:
October 1, 2020
35,000-FOOT VIEW
Midwest sees a talent boomerang 
Image by MarTata for Shutterstock
As zealous advocates of innovation in the heartland, we always have an ear to the ground for stories about the great business climate here. So we were handing out high fives when we caught this interview in The Hustle with David Hall, managing partner for Rise of the Rest, the seed fund of VC firm Revolution. Hall shared some of the action going on in the Midwest, where he sees a “boomerang of talent” coming back from Silicon Valley.
The draw
Writing for Xconomy, David Brophy, director of the Office for the Study of Private Equity Finance and professor of finance at Michigan Ross, said:
“We’ll see investors and entrepreneurs from both coasts trying to come to the Midwest because the region offers a high quality of living and great schools at a lower cost than on the coasts. High-net-worth investors will see it’s now more economical to build entrepreneurial companies in the Midwest than on either the East or West Coast.”
Stay tuned! The best is yet to come. Share this story!
FROM THE FLIGHT DECK
Grab your headphones 
Good morning passengers. We're happy to announce a new in-flight entertainment option for our readers: Fast Future Presents: Innovators podcast.
Ben Reno-Weber, entrepreneur and director of the Future of Work Initiative and Brian Eichenberger, producer and podcast extraordinaire will co-host season one.
Episode 1: Judy Nichols, CEO of Breakpoint Technology 
Predicting cardiac arrest, discovering why ER admissions increase for one town when it rains, and optimizing supply chain — thank you data revolution!
You can listen this episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Share this podcast!
TAKEOFF
Ann Arbor startup climate going strong The University of Michigan launched 31 startup companies over the past fiscal year, up 40% over the previous year. The startups raised $237 million and brought in $14.5 million from licensing. It’s an especially impressive accomplishment considering the pandemic closed so many doors.
University researchers also launched a record 522 inventions and 163 US patents. Some of the splashier startup successes include biotech Ascentage Pharma, a startup working to cure cancer, hepatitis B, and age-related diseases; healthcare company Great Lakes Discoveries; water infrastructure analytics company BlueConduit; and medical testing company LynxDx. And for those who like companies that use cute robots to deliver food, the university launched one of those, too: Refraction AI. Share this story!
Fast Future TALENT
Pittsburgh Passport offers grads a taste of cultural and professional opportunities A Pittsburgh internship program is aimed at keeping local talent from leaving the city after they graduate college, as well as promoting a more diverse workforce. The Pittsburgh Passport program (“discover what it’s like to live, work, and play in Pittsburgh”), a collaboration between local employers and schools, launched last year and was well received. It drew more than 1,500 participants from around the world with in-person events like personal development seminars, volunteer opportunities, a kickball tournament, and kayaking excursions.
This year, in-person was off the table, so the program went virtual—and actually increased the number of participants to 1,700. In June and July, the program offered 24 Zoom programs, which ran the gamut from an open mic night to a tech talk series covering fintech, space missions, and startups.
New this year was a case competition that challenged teams to address three topics: back to school during COVID-19, social justice issues, and welcome to Pittsburgh. The winners shared a $30,000 prize and won a private networking event with employers. Share this story!
K12 Fellowship accelerator KC’s LEANLAB Education seeks to innovate K-12 schools and address achievement gaps and inequities in public education. Its K12 Fellowship is an accelerator built to help advance and support those educational goals.
Now, with the help of $2 million in multi-year grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, LEANLAB is focusing on COVID-era pilot schools.
LEANLAB CEO Katie Boody said the grants will help the organization expand its community-focused work with the pilot schools and build its network of innovative schools in Kansas City. Share this story!
FUELING THE FUTURE
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CELEBRATE INNOVATION
Attend the virtual Vogt Awards Demo Day on Oct. 15 
Register now for the virtual Vogt Awards Demo Day on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Meet the six 2020 early-stage companies selected to each receive a $25,000 grant, participation in a 10-week lean startup program, coaching from scalable startup CEOs, industry mentorship, and strategic introductions. With the announcement of these winners, the Community Foundation of Louisville is honored to have supported 84 companies with $3.5 million in Vogt Award grants throughout the program's 20-year history. You don’t want to miss this celebration, register here. Share this event!
NAME THAT Fast Future CITY!
It's time for our favorite trivia game!
Test your Fast Future geographic knowledge with these three "stumpers." There are no prizes (except for bragging rights).
Click here for today's answers.
REACH OUT Share stories, offer suggestions, or send comments!
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