About Venture Investment
Dedicated to serving the common good in uncommon ways, our investments bring real solutions to many of today's challenges. Our venture investment entities, Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise, focus on technologies and companies arising from Michigan State University's extraordinary faculty, researchers, and students as well as the Michigan ecosystem.
From life sciences to precision agriculture, our companies strive to make the world better. Our portfolio investments include agriculture, mobility, energy, life sciences, materials, as well as advanced manufacturing, and SAS.
Our team aspires to invest in breakthrough technologies. Through local investment, we bring economic value—not only to the Greater Lansing Area's community but also to Michigan's economy. Through our investments, we attract, cultivate, and retain excellence.
Our investments are inspired by the thinkers, innovators, and doers at MSU and beyond—the faculty, researchers, and student entrepreneurs ready to bring their technologies and companies to market.
Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund provides early-stage funding, seed investment, and gap funding opportunities to technology startups to help commercialize innovative technologies. Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III is made possible by the Michigan State University Foundation and Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Companies
Black Pine Engineering
Black Pine Engineering is proud to introduce a new generation of air compression technology. Groundbreaking IP in multiple categories, along with years of refinement have culminated in the MaxAxial modular turbo-compressor.
Great Lakes Crystal Technology
Great Lakes Crystal Technologies (GLCT) has a mission to create a cost-effective source of high-performance diamond materials for advanced (non-gemstone) applications.
CiBO
CIBO Impact was created to scale regenerative agriculture with a voluntary carbon marketplace. Individuals and companies can meet and exceed their climate and carbon goals. With CIBO, you can reduce your carbon footprint while helping US farmers.
PhenoLogic
PhenoLogic provides a smart infrastructure for plant and crop producers to effortlessly apply the perfect amount of fertilizer and water.
Motion Grazer
Motion Grazer AI (aka SIM) seeks to provide the swine industry with an automated and quantifiable indicator of sow reproductive potential, body condition, and locomotion - improving farm efficiency and animal Health, welfare, and productivity.
PhotosynQ
PhotosynQ, developed in David Kramer’s Lab at Michigan State University, is the next global game-changer in environmental science and incorporates a hand-held device with an online platform. The PhotosynQ system allows for intensive data collection thereby facilitating a greater understanding of how the natural world functions in its innumerable complexities.
Lawnbot
Home service companies of all sizes —from startups to enterprise—use Lawnbot's software to give instant proposals, make online sales, and grow their businesses online.
Revolin Sports
Revolin Sports was founded in 2019 in Holland, Michigan to empower pickleball players with vibration dampening, high-performing pickleball gear that’s better for your game and our planet.
Genusee
Genusee eyewear is Made in Flint, Michigan from recycled plastic water bottles as a result of the Flint Water Crisis.
JustLight
JustLight is a public benefit corporation on a mission to make light routine. Why? In the near future, light will fundamentally improve our healthcare system. Violet will clean hands with light. Sunflower will end most diseases with light. JustLight is building our future, today.
Jolt Energy
Jolt Energy develops and engineers industry-changing, sustainable energy-storage technologies.
Ubiquitous Energy
Born from research at MIT and Michigan State University, Ubiquitous Energy sought new ways to reduce humanity’s carbon footprint and founded the company on the principle of seamlessly integrating solar technology into everyday products and surfaces. This commitment resulted in our core technology: a transparent solar coating that integrates into standard windows, with endless possibilities for future applications.
Phenometrics
Phenometrics' tools help you grow more productive strains of microalgae faster, healthier, and more sustainably.
Switched Source
Switched Source helps distribution system operators better utilize legacy grid infrastructure by providing power-electronics that increase reliability and efficiency, as well as increasing the system’s capacity for hosting renewable and distributed energy resources.
BitLyft
BitLyft is a community of cybersecurity advocates who are passionate about creating a safer cyber landscape and to illuminate and eliminate cyber threats for a safer world. BitLyft's team consists of expert-level security analysts, developers, strategists, and innovators.
Dynamo Metrics
Dynamo Metrics was born out of the premise that better data drives better decision making. Since 2005, we’ve been working with local governments to deliver helpful metrics, insights, and reports that help demonstrate impact, increase collaboration, and support strategic decision making.
AaDya
All-in-one cybersecurity for small and midsize businesses.
Rivet
Rivet (Rivet Work Inc.) is a Detroit-based startup founded in 2020 working on the digital tools that connect people, work and skills.
SightLine
SightLine is a group of data scientists and higher education professionals who partner with colleges and universities. SightLine uses predictive analytics to introduce strategies that have measurable impact on student success outcomes.
Ascending
Land your 1st dev role in 1/2 the time.
The only app matching new dev grads to apprenticeships, mentorship, and technical interviewing resources.
Crossbraining
Our proprietary training platform will revolutionize how you train your staff and customers by having them teach back the skills they are supposed to know.
Because we all know: the best way to learn is to teach.
Frizzmo
Teach your kids lifelong financial skills.
Parents can use Frizzmo to help teach their kids how to save, spend wisely, and give back to the community. The app gives parents total control and allows them to teach their kids responsible money management at an early age. Parents also get to give back to the teachers that support their kids through the roundup feature on purchases.
HTMA
As builders of applications and business intelligence tools for financial institutions, our mission is to help you forge and broaden your customer engagement. Our technology platforms allow you to offer:
Powerful Tools
Financial Guidance
Real-time Insights
Nickels
Improve the financial health of your customers toimprove your business.
Our white-label products harness the power of behavioral science to help your customers manage their finances, enhancing your relationship, your business opportunities, and your brand.
PassiveBolt
Our mission is to drive the adoption of smart access products and services by supplying robust and innovative solutions.
PocketNest
We use behavioral science and psychology to coach your community to achieve financial wellness in 3 minutes a week. Meanwhile, you get rich insights and engagement to grow your business and boost your non-interest income.
Rebound
The AI chatbot business advisor in your pocket.
Metrics, alerts, and insights are now only a conversation away. With no dashboard to log into or app to install, simply text a request to Rebound and get an answer in seconds.
SightLine
PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Enhance recruitment efforts. Increase enrollment. Improve student retention. Sharpen financial aid budgets. Assess market position and brand. To succeed, your institution must allocate stretched resources where they can have the greatest impact.
We have solutions for every stage of the student lifecycle without complex software implementations.
Student Achievement Systems
Pulse is developed by Student Achievement Systems (SAS), an educational technology company founded in 2016. We launched Pulse in 2017 with the Berrien Springs Public Schools system in southwest Michigan. Since launching, Pulse has captured every single teacher communication, and every progress event every day for our clients and users.
Tandem
The easiest way for couples to share expenses.
Split expenses with a swipe and say goodbye to endless Venmo requests, mental math, and money fights.
Tiicker
Prepare to experience a unique online community that brings together individual investors with the brands they know and love.
TiiCKER is dedicated to a simple proposition: Individual Investors should be rewarded for their loyalty. You live, breathe and eat these brands - literally. The TiiCKER Team spends countless hours serving up a multitude of shareholder perks, and then helps you claim them.
Yottled
Yottled is the best all-in-one software that helps thousands of small business successfully run their business. Increase sales by at least 29% and save more than 20 hours per week with Yottled.
Shoptelligence
Indapta
Indapta Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary, first-in-class, off-the-shelf, non-engineered, allogeneic G-NK (FcRγ-deficient Natural Killer) cell therapy to treat multiple cancers.
TheraB
TheraB Medical started as a student engineering project at Michigan State University, where three engineering students were asked to find an improved treatment for infant jaundice in developing countries. Little did we know that this school project would lead to a future product that would modernize the way families experience jaundice treatment worldwide! We are proud to be a Michigan founded company with a focus on global health.
Avidhrt
The Avidhrt Sense is a mobile, clinical-quality electrocardiogram (ECG), pulse oximeter (SpO2), and infrared temperature sensor. The software application can store thousands of recordings on your smartphone or tablet, allowing you to maintain a history that can be shared at any time if needed.
BetterYou
BetterYou is a digital coach that allows individuals to maximize their time and stay focused on goals that matter. BetterBot, BetterYou’s Artificial Intelligence, helps you achieve your goals by encouraging you to spend your time on the things that matter most (physical health, mindfulness, social connections, and education).
Digitouch
Digitouch Health helps you take control of your cardiovascular health so you can team up your care providers to help you live and enjoy a longer, healthier life.
Fibrosix
FibrosIX is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology startup, founded in 2016. It is developing proprietary first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics that inhibit fibrotic disease. These drugs modulate a critical signaling pathway that plays a central role in the pathogenesis of fibrotic disease.
Genomenon
Genomenon is a genomic health IT company that keeps pace with the constant advancements made in genomics and connects that research to patient DNA to help diagnose and treat patients with rare genetic diseases and cancer.
GreenMark Biomedical
GreenMark Biomedical Inc. is a Michigan-based, minimally invasive healthcare company founded in 2016 by Dr. Steven Bloembergen to pursue dental and medical applications based on a proven starch nanoparticle platform technology.
HealthOpX
HealthOpX is a software company dedicated to making it easier for ESL patients, refugees, and underserved communities to access complete healthcare services.
Iaso
Iaso Therapeutics is dedicated to developing next generation vaccines to enhance human health and treat diseases.
Niowave
Niowave is a world-wide leader in research, development, manufacturing and operation of superconducting electron linear accelerators which are used for medical radioisotope production.
SteriDev
SteriDev empowers safe, efficient, and gratifying delivery of healthcare. We achieve this goal through direct interactions with healthcare stakeholders to identify opportunities and innovate solutions. SteriDev is excited to introduce the CleanCase sterile mobile device cover, the first device-specific, fully FDA-compliant product on the market that allows surgeons to safely bring mobile devices into the surgical field.
VADE Nutrition
Dissolvable PROTEIN SCOOPS (patent pending) was born through the need to solve the real-life struggles while taking protein: messy scooping, large protein tubs and the excess environmental waste caused by the current overpriced ready to drink market.
Asalyxa Bio
Asalyxa Bio is a platform company committed to the targeting of neutrophils to fight hard to treat diseases
Diet ID
Diet ID is a digital toolkit that reinvents dietary assessment and management with an innovative, clinically tested visual approach to optimizing health. Save time, effort, and cost while generating a personalized route to wellness — in just minutes.
Espervita Therapeutics
Espervita Therapeutics is focused on the discovery of metabolic reprogramming therapies for the treatment of cancers in areas with significant unmet medical need, with promising preclinical evidence for the treatment of liver cancer.
Ripple Science
Ripple’s seamless, centralized system makes it easy to find, track, manage, and connect with your research participants at every stage in their journey. Starting with custom Screening Forms and Patient Profiles that enable target recruitment and retention, your team effortlessly builds your own local Registry for future studies. Data-driven and expertly designed, Ripple enhances communication and empowers collaboration within and across studies, delivering a better experience for patients, for research teams, and for you.
TheraB Medical
TheraB Medical is the creator of SnugLit- the first completely wearable and portable treatment for infant jaundice
The Patient Company
The Patient Company has perfected the lateral patient transfer process through the development and production of SimPull™ the first fully automated lateral patient transfer device.
Airway Innovations
Airway Innovations designs and develops advanced airway management solutions, including TubeTrac™, the Oral Tracheal tube holder designed to prevent unplanned extubations.
Alerje
Alerje uses proactive patient design to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care in the food allergy industry.
Arborsense
Arborsense is commercializing its patented graphene-based sensor technology for rapid and sensitive monitoring of biochemical markers. Graphene is a one-atom thick carbon nanomaterial with remarkable electronic and mechanical properties. Its high conductivity and flexible structure provide an ideal platform to monitor clinically relevant chemicals transpiring through the skin.
Esperovax
Esperovax looks to become the global leader in oral tablet/capsule vaccinations for some of the world's deadliest treatable diseases by leveraging its new oral vaccine platform.
ADHD OnLine
Certified ADHD assessments and treatment without the office visit.
Receive a formal evaluation from our network of licensed psychologists who will determine your clinical diagnosis. No appointment is necessary for our assessments. Diagnosis and treatment are available for both adults and children.
Akadeum
Improving Human Health with Next-Generation Separation Technology
Our functionalized microbubbles can be mixed into a complex solution, grab on to their target (protein, cell type, DNA, chemical – you name it!), and float it to the top for removal. It’s a solution that’s simple and powerful, and it’s revolutionizing workflows and efficiencies among a wide range of applications. From commercialized kits to customized solutions to partnerships, Akadeum works with researchers and professionals in various industries to harness the power of microbubbles.
Evoke Therapeutics
EVOQ Therapeutics is developing immunotherapies to improve the lives of individuals fighting autoimmune diseases
There are more than 80 chronic autoimmune diseases - many severely debilitating, and some life-threatening. According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 23.5 million Americans (over 7% of the population) suffer from autoimmune disease, and the prevalence is rising.
MAI Therapeutics Inc
We design New Molecular Entities (NMEs) for drug discovery using our Mathematical Artificial Intelligence (MAI) platform. Our Award-winning, Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenges, and patent-pending platform technology, is in use at Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb.
We are designing a novel approach to drug discovery and developing a generative network complex (GNC) platform using our Mathematical Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. Our approach uses 40 success metrics to test lead compounds and produce nearly optimal candidates.
SafetySit
In collaboration with our partner Spectrum Health, our team developed the SafetySit, an injury prevention product that can be set up on any hospital bed in under 30 seconds, eliminating the need for an individual to manually support patients during therapy. Therapists have been involved in every stage of design process from inception to ensure that the device perfectly addresses the pain points experienced by health care professionals everywhere.
SBE Medical
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Smart Bridge
Bringing medical innovations to market
Fast. Complete. Compliant.
We Solve Dangerous Overlooked Unmet Clinical Needs
3D Foundri
3DFoundri, Inc. is an East Lansing, Michigan, startup dedicated to developing advanced metal manufacturing technologies that will enable cost reductions and increase part complexities.
Scion Plasma
Scion Plasma LLC is a startup company spun out from Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, Michigan. Scion Plasma partners with leading institutes and vacuum companies to provide advanced plasma sources and plasma modeling software for materials processing.
SCOPS Coating Technologies
SCOPS has a family of environmentally friendly, long-lasting, and inexpensive omni phobic coatings and additives. SCPS' coatings create a low friction surface allowing both water and oil-based liquids to cleanly and quickly glide over most surfaces. They are self-cleaning, optically clear, and graffiti resistant. The products can easily be formulated for many different product criteria and be applied to most materials.
Zakuro
Zakuro's solid-state separator technology enables batteries with a lithium metal anode, dramatically increasing energy density over that of lithium-ion.
LUCYPOP
LUCYPOP is an advanced material science startup focused on nail care wellness.
Building Catalyst
Building Catalyst is an SaaS platform that more accurately predicts and guides construction outcomes at a fraction of the effort compared to current practices.
Movellus
Movellus Maestro™ clock distribution network platform delivers chip-level architectural
innovations to improve SoC performance while reducing power consumption.
Maestro solves SoC-level clock distribution challenges in high performance and ultra low power chips. This includes on-chip variation, jitter, clock skews, setup and hold violations, peak current, and switching noise. All of these clocking challenges continue to increase with process node scaling. The Maestro platform provides application-optimized digital components that intelligently orchestrate timing across an SoC.
EXOForce
Wearables are transforming how we exercise, train and perform. EXOForce Robotics is commercializing a groundbreaking high quality, stretch athletic textile that conforms to the body to enhance sensing performance, representing a substantial leap beyond current biometric offerings. These intelligent garments sense muscle behaviors and whole body biomechanics and use machine learning to tailor readouts to the wearer, quantify their workouts and alert them to impending injury. This technology has broad utility in the athletics (professional sports and consumer wellness), medical (rehabilitation and remote patient monitoring) and military markets.
StarchTeck
We offer a turn-key manufacturing solution to replace EPS (aka: Styrofoam), with our eco friendly StarchaFoamTM; a 100% starch based compostable foam with superior sustainability properties for the protective packaging market
ARUtility
ARUtility is an augmented reality utility locating asset management and BIM visualization tool that increases safety and efficiency and reduces damages to underground assets for the AEC industry.
BlueFlight
Founded in 2018, blueflite offers a drone based logistics platform for faster and more cost effective deliveries. The patent pending, unique and all-electrical drone design has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, high maneuverability and is rugged, scalable and versatile. blueflite’s drones integrate with logistics systems through blueflite’s proprietary digital environment.
Kall Morris Inc
Kall Morris Inc (KMI) aims to be the first company with a commercially viable product for collecting debris in orbit. The problem of orbital debris is real, impactful, and growing every year. This threat takes multiple forms, from small basketball-sized objects that could destroy a single satellite to massive rocket bodies that could set off a cascade of collisions. This challenge cannot be overcome if every piece of debris collected requires the spacecraft to deorbit with it. KMI has developed a system to allow our spacecraft to remain in orbit and individually collect multiple small pieces, or work together in tandem to collect large rocket bodies. These plans are achieved through a mix of the latest advancements in satellite components, cutting-edge software, machine learning for collecting debris, and a constant drive to innovate the process.
Orbion
PROPELLING THE SMALL SATELLITE REVOLUTION
High-performance Hall-effect propulsion systems to power your mission. No new-gadget risks. No gimmick propellants. Just proven performance.
Simple spacecraft command interface: ‘Fire-and-forget,’ or monitor detailed telemetry.
Automated manufacturing and testing for mass production and economical pricing.
Lingco
Lingco Classroom provides the tools for instructors to elevate the language learning experience.
Our platform uses adaptive technology to help every student reach fluency.
Pairaphrase
Pairaphrase brings professional translation technologies to business users. Pairaphrase's web-based translation management system (TMS) for enterprises will improve your organization’s human translation process. Whoever translates for your organization will now spend less time translating and more time being productive, all while protecting your company’s data.
My Sidekick
MySideKick powered by Every Two Minutes is a comprehensive web-based application that addresses all the issues of sexual violence, with a mobile interface made for college students – speaking directly to digital natives in their own language. MySideKick is designed for all college students, IRL and online, with specific capabilities for Greek life.
SU(2) Systems
Orion Trading Systems is changing the way brokers, educators and traders acquire and use trading software. Orion Trading Systems' platform can trade any asset and be connected to any broker, market data feed, or analytics API to create a truly customized offering.
TREEBORN
TREEBORN began with the purpose of preparing the best product for the best beers. Three gold medal beers later, TREEBORN's motto: "Chestnuts really do make beer taste better."
Will Winn Games
Will Winn Games Inc. is a new East Lansing-based game studio launched out of the Michigan State University Game Development Program, Spartan Innovations, and Red Cedar Ventures. The mission of the company is to design, develop, and market compelling multiplayer video game experiences.
York Project
York Project's goal is to empower our community by creating a sustainable fashion brand and manufacturing our products in Detroit. York Project strives to deliver high-quality products, timeless designs, and a lasting impact.
86 Repairs
86 Repairs is your partner in repair and maintenance management. 86 Repairs operate as an extension of your team to help you take control of your facilities when teams and budgets are leaner than ever.
Golfler
Golfler is an application that routes food and beverage orders from a mobile device to a course clubhouse. Golfers can pre-order food and beverage to be ready at the turn or have items delivered on demand anywhere on the course.
Prndl
Prndl helps users find their parking spaces ahead of time, taking the headache out of excursion. By letting users rent out their own, unused, private spots, anyone can earn money from parking with this new app.
StarForged Studios
StarForged Studios is a game company that specializes in combining multiple styles of play to create unique, yet familiar experiences.
FirstIgnite
FirstIgnite has built AI-powered business development tools that help the trillions of dollars worth of uncommercialized research and intellectual property get to market.