The post Michigan Central 2025 Year in Review: Innovation That Moves People Forward appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>With over 2,000 innovators working side-by-side across startups, Fortune 500 companies, universities, nonprofits, and others, Michigan Central demonstrates how cities can lead technology development that creates meaningful impact. From Aerialoop’s drone delivery flights to Lincode’s global expansion, these are the stories of innovation that are reshaping what’s possible when diverse expertise comes together in one place.
Michigan Central’s integrated model, combining world-class infrastructure, strategic networks, and comprehensive services, has created a replicable blueprint for innovation-led economic development. As we look toward 2026, with new partnerships, expanded facilities, and deeper community connections, discover how Detroit continues to attract the companies and talent that are defining the future of mobility and beyond.
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]]>The post New Area of Soon-to-be-open Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club Announced: Entertainment Innovation Incubator appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>As we get ready to launch the Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club in early 2026, the space and its programs will not only prepare Detroit youth for emerging industries like robotics and advanced manufacturing, but also creative talent with the announcement of a $1 million Entertainment Innovation Incubator, spearheaded by global entertainment icons Usher and Big Sean. This state-of-the-art facility will be housed within the Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club on our dedicated youth floor inside The Station.
The Incubator represents a significant investment in Detroit youth, offering a virtual production studio, special effects lab, creators lounge, and advanced programming for ages 14–24 in high-growth careers like film, television, music production, AI, 3D, and immersive technologies.
Detroit native Big Sean, who has been integral to Michigan Central’s revival since Ford’s acquisition in 2018 and The Station’s grand opening in 2024, said, “The Innovation Incubator is about showing young people that they don’t have to leave Detroit to chase opportunity, they can build it right here.”
The Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club, a 13,000 sq.-ft. space, will also feature an autonomous training center and an innovation lab, directly connecting youth to fields like mobility, advanced manufacturing, and AI. The work with BGCSM underscores Michigan Central’s role as a launchpad for Detroit youth and the power of partnerships to create new pathways and opportunity.
“At Michigan Central, we’re committed to creating a future where every young person has the chance to innovate and define the next generation of industries right here in Detroit,” said Carolina Pluszczynski, Chief Operating Officer, Michigan Central. “By our work with BGCSM, now with the added support from Usher and Big Sean, we’re continuing to build new pathways and opportunities, nurturing the next generation of innovators – from creators to manufacturers to technologists – who will drive our city forward for decades to come.”
For the full press release, click here.
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]]>The post Michigan Central’s Ecosystem Is Growing. Here’s How You Can Be A Part Of It. appeared first on Michigan Central.
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Michigan Central, a 30-acre tech and culture hub in Detroit, brings together the brightest minds working side-by-side to accelerate their missions. By converging startups, Fortune 500 companies, universities, government organizations, artists, investors, non-profits, and many others with different expertise and priorities, we facilitate the exposure, exchange of insights, partnership opportunities, talent access, and cross-sector collaboration needed to solve society’s biggest challenges.
Today, we’re highlighting some of the impactful work happening at Michigan Central and sharing how you can be a part of the network to build, work, learn, and collaborate. Get connected here.
The Network in Action
There are already 2,000 people and 240 companies working across Michigan Central’s 30-acre district. They leverage the hub’s infrastructure, services, and network to drive results for their organizations.
Here are some recent highlights from our network:
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Cummins Inc., a global power solutions leader, is the latest to join the Michigan Central ecosystem. Cummins provides a broad portfolio of products across power systems, engines, components, and distribution. One of its first initiatives at the innovation hub will be to support workforce training on clean technology.
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Samaritas, a human services nonprofit, recently joined the Michigan Central network, as well. Their work here will support their goals of collaborating on innovation at the intersection of social service and tech.
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The Michigan Central network also includes organizations that foster entrepreneurship and help the 150+ startups already working at the hub commercialize. This includes Newlab, a venture platform for critical technology startups and Michigan Central Founding Partners since 2023. It also includes community builders Black Tech Saturdays and Femology. Femology provides an economic development platform for female founders and just held their first-ever statewide Female Founder Tech Summit this earlier this month, uniting female founders, investors, and leaders to help accelerate entrepreneurship and growth.
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Numerous universities and education organizations partner with Michigan Central to deliver talent development through training programs, internships, fellowships and more for all aged learners to succeed in the future workforce. Wayne State University was the first to sign on as an academic partner in 2024 and since then have used Michigan Central as a satellite location for their campus and created work opportunities through multiple programs, such as the Michigan Mobility Fellowship and Warrior Impact internship program.
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Google, through their philanthropic arm Google.org, provided $2M in funding for Michigan Central to continue expanding our STEM programming for youth in the community.
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The innovation hub explores how art, design, installations, and performances can foster creative innovation and connection. Artists Tin & Ed’s Kaleidoscopic Home and Life Forces exhibit was open at The Station in August and September.
Joining the Network at Michigan Central
As these organizations and programs and the many others here continue their progress and growth, Michigan Central’s network continues to expand. Michigan Central offers different models for getting involved designed for various needs and budgets. Options include access to flexible coworking space, customized private offices, or larger partnerships around programming, technology pilots, workforce development programs, brand visibility, and other needs. Regardless of each organization’s model of joining the network, all who join benefit from:
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Proximity, collaboration opportunities, and visibility with the hub’s network
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Special access to events, programs, networking, skills development, and workforce training at the hub
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24/7 access to the state-of-the-art workspace, manufacturing areas, meeting rooms, and a fully equipped content and podcast studio at the Newlab at Michigan Central building
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Private wellness rooms, kitchens, fitness center with showers and lockers, and outdoor and rooftop areas
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Security, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, printing, IT concierge services, and complimentary coffee & tea
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A digital platform for operations needs, event discovery, communication, and networking
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Discounted pricing for event venue rentals to host events, labs, testing infrastructure, and food (and to the Nomad Hotel in The Station when it opens in 2027)
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Flexible terms to scale your involvement as your team evolves
To discover more about the network that can help turn your work into market success, learn more about the Michigan Central network here and get connected here.
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]]>The post Michigan Central Secures $2M from Google.org for STEM Education appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>This funding means more opportunities for middle and high school students to dive into crucial tech education and gain hands-on experiences. The goal? To make sure our youth are equipped with the skills needed for thriving careers in technology and mobility, ultimately fostering a robust STEM workforce locally. This isn’t just about learning; it’s about nurturing their futures.
This isn’t a new partnership, either. Since 2022, Google and Michigan Central have already made a significant impact, reaching over 300 students through programs like Code Next as well as continued innovation work with early-stage companies part of this one-of-a-kind innovation district. This adds to our overall commitment to youth training … and the momentum is truly building! Since June 2024, nearly 2,000 young people have directly benefited from Michigan Central’s learning and activity programs on its dedicated youth floor at The Station. This incredible reach is thanks to strong partnerships like with Google and more than 15 local youth organizations.
Clarinda Barnett-Harrison, Head of Talent Development and Programming at Michigan Central, shared the excitement saying, “Michigan Central is committed to supporting the next generation of talent in Detroit and making sure the future built here provides opportunities for the community. This significant support from Google.org allows us to build upon the strong foundation already established by our partnership and carry on with delivering critical tech programs that prepare our youth for college or future careers.”
Shanika Hope, Google.org Director of Knowledge, Skills, and Learning, echoed this, adding, “We are incredibly proud to deepen our investment in local expertise and leadership. By supporting our trusted community partner with this funding, we are ensuring that vital STEM education continues to thrive, reaching even more students where they are, and fostering innovation for years to come.” This is truly a moment to celebrate. It’s about empowering our youth, strengthening our community, and making sure Detroit continues to be a hub of innovation and opportunity. With our continued efforts and invested partners like Google leading the way, we hope Detroit’s next generation of talent sees that a future in innovation is right around the corner.
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]]>The post Our Commitment to Youth Talent Development: Summer 2025 Recap appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>The organizations we have worked with over the past 3 months to nurture our future entrepreneurs and innovators:
- CODE{313}
- Engineering Society of Detroit
- Girls Who Code
- Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan
- Grand Valley State University’s TRIO Program
- JOURNi
- Lab Drawer
- Oakland University-Pontiac International Technology Academy
- Racquet Up Detroit
- The Detroit Writing Room
- UMOJA Debate League
- YouthTank
“We’re grateful our summer students had the opportunity to experience Michigan Central through the campus tours, Code 313 workshops, Founder Chats at Newlab, and seeing cutting-edge technology at work. Opportunities like these show our students how impactful the skills they’re building in our programs can be.” – Richard Grundy, CEO and Co-founder of JOURNi
Some highlights include various drone activities, Newlab Detroit tours and founder meetups, tours of The Station and workshops on the youth floor. By working closely with these organizations, we were able to tailor and deliver experiences with the goal of growing Detroit’s talent pipeline.
In addition, it also furthered the advancement of Michigan Central’s ecosystem, building connections between today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. For example, Michigan Central member and accelerator Femology had 5 of its founders participate in one of the curated sessions with the Engineering Society of Detroit, hosting a workshop for 35 girls that taught the foundations of being an entrepreneur.
“At Femology, we believe the entrepreneurial journey can start at any age. Partnering with the Engineering Society of Detroit through Michigan Central allowed our founders to share real-world lessons with young girls entering high school, sparking curiosity and confidence in their own ideas. Sometimes it only takes one interaction, one moment of connection to help nurture a girl’s journey as she begins to imagine her own future. These experiences open doors, showing what’s possible and planting the belief that she belongs in the rooms where innovation and leadership take place. That’s how we grow both tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and Michigan’s broader ecosystem.” – Meagan Ward, Founder of Femology
As the new school year starts, Michigan Central remains committed to developing talent and making sure the future built here provides opportunities for the Detroit community and region. There is much more to share over the next few weeks in this space, so stay tuned.
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]]>The post The Innovation Brief Episode #2: HAAS Alert & Peer Robotics appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>HAAS Alert
HAAS Alert launched the largest deployment of its Safety Cloud platform with the City of Detroit just a few weeks ago. Since then, other Michigan cities have taken note and are working to integrate the technology across their emergency response vehicles as well. All in an effort to enhance driver safety. Find out what’s next for the company and how the Michigan Central ecosystem helps support their goal of creating safer roadways on Brock’s session:
Want more? Read about their City of Detroit partnership here: City of Detroit becomes first in the nation to go all-in on HAAS Alert Safety Cloud for First Responders | City of Detroit
Peer Robotics
Listen below to hear Rishabh Agarwal from Peer Robotics talk about his perspective on shifts in the manufacturing landscape and the next industrial revolution, how humans and robots can work together, and much more:
Want to see the tech in action? Click play below to see a video of Peer Robotics and their models working on the factory floor.
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]]>The post The Innovation Brief Episode #1: Grounded & JustAir appeared first on Michigan Central.
]]>Grounded
Listen below to hear Sam Shapiro from Grounded talk about his conception of the company, Grounded’s evolution as part of the Michigan Central ecosystem and the company’s latest product and expansion into new verticals.
Just Air
Do you know the story of why Darren Riley, a native of SW Detroit, started JustAir and what his technology was trying to solve? Did you know JustAir’s air quality data infrastructure has now been adopted by 11 different states? Find out all this and much more on his episode of the Innovation Brief below.
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