Accelerate Michigan helps bring more biz into tech scene

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition has traditionally been about growing Michigan's new economy. This year, the fourth for the competition, it's also about integrating traditional businesses with the local tech scene. The emphasis is part of a wider effort to make Michigan’s new economy more inclusive. That includes making it welcoming to women, minorities, immigrants and a wider range of traditional businesses that normally don’t work in the tech community. "It's very much about integrating different types of technology into small businesses," says Lauren Bigelow, executive director of Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. "That can give them a competitive edge or the opportunity to compete." The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is a business plan competition that awards $1 million in prizes, including a $500,000 first-place prize. The catch is the competing startups need to be based in Michigan or plan to move to the Great Lakes State to claim a prize. The competition is held each November. This year the competition will be held in downtown Detroit, primarily in the Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel, on Nov. 12-14. For information on the event, click here. Source: Lauren Bigelow, executive director of Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.