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In addition to being among the first to experience the greenway before it opens, guests learned about updates on the transformation of the Michigan Central site as well as various opportunities and programs underway for community members to continue their participation.

If you missed the event, here are the key updates:

Now open: While the 1,252 parking spots are open to the public for use now, Bagley Mobility Hub will fully open in spring 2023, along with the Southwest Greenway.

Streetscape updates: Until Spring 2023, there will be minimal street closures around The Station including Newark, 15th Street, Lacombe, Dalzelle and Marantette Streets. By year-end 2022, City of Detroit will complete a two-way conversion of 14th Street between Pine and Dalzelle. In 2023, 15th Street will re-open as a multi-use pedestrian path between Bagley and Maranette, and will feature new sidewalks and a two-way cycle track between Marantette and Dalzelle.

Funding awards: Small business owners near Michigan Central seeking education, mentorship, technical assistance, and capital resources can apply for the second cohort of Advancing Community Businesses awards through November 30, 2022.
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Skills programming: High school students enrolled in the Detroit Public Schools Community District are invited to apply for the second class of Code Next Detroit at Michigan Central through November 28, 2022.
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Innovation programming: Newlab and Michigan Central, in collaboration with the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation, will be launching several pilots next year focused on improving pedestrian safety and sustainable fresh food delivery for Detroiters. Startups interested in collaborating and developing integrated solutions which will be tested, validated and scaled in Detroit can apply to participate by December 14, 2022.
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Michigan Central is dedicated to creating a hub for new, sustainable programs and technologies that equitably improve social, economic and physical mobility, benefiting the surrounding local neighborhoods, the greater City of Detroit, and communities around the world. To address the current challenges we face in innovation today, we know it takes a collaborative effort, and we’re proud to have the support of and partner with the Detroit community.

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As part of a panel discussion focused on the ingredients needed for impactful innovation, Carolina Pluszczynski, Michigan Central development director, was joined by Satish Rao, chief product officer of Newlab, and Tim Slusser, chief of mobility innovation for the city of Detroit. The panel was moderated by Reilly Brennan, founding general partner of Trucks, a transportation-focused venture capital fund.

While the concept of an innovation district is not new, what sets Michigan Central apart is its connection with the real world. Where others in the field tend to work primarily in lab settings, Michigan Central and its partners are embedded in a dynamic urban environment, working, and interacting with the community to create the mobility solutions residents and businesses there need. On what will soon be a 30-acre mobility innovation campus in the historic Detroit neighborhood of Corktown, Michigan Central partners are coming together to create and prove the transportation solutions that will improve the lives of people all over the world.

To facilitate the real-world piloting happening in this unique site, Michigan Central partners – from corporations to startups – will benefit from a streamlined approval process as they prepare to validate their work in a safe environment. We’re working with the city of Detroit administration to designate a Transportation Innovation Zone within the district to safely fast-track technology piloting and deployments. This first-of-its-kind testing site in the Midwest will keep our startups – and their future innovations – aligned with regulations, to make sure of a smooth rollout when they come to fruition, which has not always been the case with mobility solutions.

Our relationship with the city is part of a public-private partnership that also includes the state of Michigan who has committed to align more than $126 million in new and existing programming and resources to support our goals.

The adoption of Newlab’s studio approach, our partner and the innovation engine of Michigan Central, is another key differentiator of the district. Newlab’s five-phase approach makes sure the collaborative efforts of all the cohort startups are targeted at filling gaps and finding opportunities where innovation is needed to solve critical issues around the world. The studio creates specific-use cases where the companies can design a proof of concept, test their ideas through pilot programs, then have measurable results aligned with solving the challenge at the center of the project, including its impact on the community.

And we know this studio approach works, as in just the first year, we have launched (or are in the process) 14 pilot projects. Lazarillo, one of seven companies selected last year from a global competition to take part in the Accessible Streets Studio, has already gone on to secure additional funding through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform to expand on a pilot of its navigation app that helps visually impaired individuals navigate around Detroit. Other cohort companies are deploying their technologies and services across the city’s neighborhoods to help address some of the mobility challenges residents have experienced.

The Mobility Studio, in partnership with Ford Pro and the Ford EV Charging Team, has five participating startups all focused on building, piloting, and launching new concepts around electrification and improving the commercial fleet experience.

We know that the best ideas can come from companies large and small working together, and that’s why we have already announced that Ford Motor Company and Google will be Michigan Central’s first founding members, with more to come. And while the idea for Michigan Central originated with Ford Motor Company, each member company will have the opportunity to invest in the innovations that come from the district. This is an open platform – we’re just hosting the party.

With the early support we’ve received from the public and private sectors, along with the community, and with the structure for our research in place, Michigan Central is well positioned in becoming a global leader in mobility innovation.

Photo Credit: handcar.co

The post Michigan Central Shares Some of Its Ingredients for Impactful Innovation at SxSW appeared first on Michigan Central.

The problems we face today are too complex, too diverse, and too urgent to tackle alone. That’s why on Friday, February 4, 2022 we were thrilled to share a few announcements from our partners that will help advance our vision for the future of Michigan Central.

• Google is joining Ford as a Founding Member at Michigan Central, focusing its efforts on training and educating people in Detroit for the high-tech jobs of the future and collaborating to solve mobility problems challenging communities
• The state of Michigan plans to align more than $126 million in new and existing programming and resources to support the goals of the district, including the alignment of existing state projects
• City of Detroit administration is working with Michigan Central to designate a Transportation Innovation Zone in the district, where entrepreneurs and Founding Members can fast-track the safe piloting and deployment of new mobility solutions

Read Full Announcement
Watch Press Conference

The post Michigan Central Founding Member and Partnership Announcement appeared first on Michigan Central.

The panel featured the following speakers:

• Patti Glaza – EVP & Managing Director at ID Ventures
• Kyle Nakatsuji, CEO & Co-Founder Clearcover
• Chris Stallman, Partner, Fontinalis Partners
• Roshni Shokar, Startup and Entrepreneur Engagement, Ford’s Michigan Central

The post November’s From Seed to Scale appeared first on Michigan Central.

On November 17, we highlighted the work of the Studio, including an inside look at the strategy and learnings generated from the pilots deployed in Detroit neighborhoods to address the first/last-mile transportation gap, increase access to essential resources, improve mobility information and foster safe and welcoming streets.

The showcase featured:

• Welcome remarks from the Studio team
• Fireside chat with Michigan Central and projects+PEOPLE
• Thematic panel discussions featuring the Studio cohort companies, their pilots and a look into their experience bringing their products and technologies to Detroit

Featured companies:

Soofa: Soofa Signs display real-time information including transportation resources, city updates, and local business advertising in neighborhoods throughout Detroit.

Kiwibot: Kiwibot offers people an affordable and reliable way to get local goods delivered, such as groceries or takeout from a local restaurant, using a friendly robot.

Solartonic: Solartonic builds smart poles that run on solar-power and wireless network communications for control of lighting, WiFi, digital media, and signage with AI insights for mobility management.

Numina: Empowering cities with data to become more responsive and equitable, Numina measures all forms of street-level activity using a sensor that quantifies granular behaviors of pedestrians, bicyclists, and different types of vehicles — all in a privacy-first way.

Lazarillo: Lazarillo delivers navigation assistance for blind and visually impaired people provided through an app available for download on smartphones that uses audio assistance.

KUHMUTE: Park and charge your e-bike, e-scooter, e-wheelchair, and more at a network of charging stations for any mode of electric transportation smaller than a car, whether it is personally owned or part of a shared fleet.

Sway Mobility: Electric vehicles offered to Detroiters at affordable rates through a car share program that is designed to expand neighborhood-based transportation options.

The post ACCESSIBLE STREETS STUDIO VIRTUAL SHOWCASE appeared first on Michigan Central.

We heard presentations from three startups sharing lessons learned piloting, followed by open community Q&A and virtual networking. Presenting speakers for this event included Liftango, Briometrix, and SparkCharge.

The post Bamboo: Fall Mobility Show & Tell appeared first on Michigan Central.

About our Speakers

Kay Cheng, Head, Streets & Equity SPIN
Kay Cheng is the Head of Spin’s Streets and Equity Team, where she helps cities provide safer experiences for our riders, and for all people walking, biking, and rolling on the street.

A trained Urban Planner and Designer with 10 years of experience working on safe and sustainable streets planning, Cheng received her MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University. Before Spin, she spent her career designing safer streets and creating vibrant public spaces while at the San Francisco Planning Department and New York City Planning Transportation Planning Division..

Som Ray, CEO CLIP
Ray is driven by a passion to imagine and build new and joyful ways to interface with the world. Ray’s background is in Design+Computation and Architectural Design from MIT, MediaLab, and Columbia University. Ray has been awarded Top innovator under 35 – TR35 in 2012 from MIT TechReview for providing a low-cost mobility solution for the disabled, as well as winner of the Evolo International Skyscraper design Competition in 2007. Ray’s works have been published and exhibited in New York, Boston, and New Delhi.

Su Sanni, CEO Dollaride
Su Sanni is a social entrepreneur and tech executive hailing from Brooklyn, NY. He’s the founder of Dollaride, a new mobility company for communities that are underserved by public transit. In past ventures, he’s helped more than 2000 nonprofit organizations raise over $50M using WeDidIt, an online fundraising platform. Su led WeDidIt to its acquisition by the Allegiance fundraising Group in June 2019. Prior to founding WeDidIt, Su was responsible for investing over $2B per day in the country’s oldest investment bank – Brown Brothers Harriman. He graduated with degrees in Psychology and Business Management from Boston College and is a product of NYC public schools.

This event is brought to you by Michigan Central in partnership with Bamboo.

About Bamboo
Bamboo’s Community Statement: Bamboo is a co-working and entrepreneurial community. We value community, diversity, equity and inclusion. We uphold these values in all in-person and virtual spaces and events. We do not tolerate any form of harassment, racism, sexism, or inappropriate behavior at any time and will remove any inappropriate behavior immediately and report it to any employer or affiliated organization.

Learn more about Bamboo: https://www.bamboodetroit.com

The post BAMBOO: CREATING EQUITY WITH MOBILITY INNOVATIONS appeared first on Michigan Central.

During the July event, we heard presentations from the following three startups sharing lessons they learned piloting:

Seamless Vision
Kaizen Health
Soofa

The post BAMBOO: SUMMER MOBILITY SHOW & TELL appeared first on Michigan Central.

Speakers included:
Santosh Sankar – Founding Partner at Dynamo Ventures
Kameale C. Terry – Founder & CEO of ChargerHelp
Carolyn Mooney – Co-Founder & CEO of Nextmv
James Courtney – Moderator, Michigan Central Station

About our Speakers

Santosh Sankar is a Founding Partner at Dynamo Ventures. Santosh has been an early investor in several distinguished supply chain and mobility startups including Stord, Gatik AI, and SVT Robotics. Prior to his career in venture capital, Santosh was at Citigroup in their Global Financial Institutions Group focused on M&A, capital raising, and risk securitization and later covering IT Hardware and Wireless Equipment companies as a public equities analyst at Wells Fargo. Santosh started his first company, an IT support business when he was 13 years old. Santosh was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2017.

Kameale Terry is the Co-Founder and CEO of ChargerHelp, Inc. an app that enables on-demand repair of electric vehicle charging stations. As the former Director of Programs at EV Connect, an electric vehicle charge station network provider, Kameale structured and led teams to execute electric vehicle infrastructure projects and programs in the United States, Australia, and Canada for commercial and government entities. Her most notable projects include the Electrify America – Phase One Program, the Southern California Edison Charge Ready Pilot, and the New York Power Authority portfolio.

Carolyn Mooney, Co-Founder & CEO of Nextmv, led the Systems Engineering team at Grubhub, studied on-demand delivery dynamics at Zoomer, and ran ballistics missile simulations at Lockheed Martin before founding. To date, she led Nextmv through 3 fundraising rounds in 1.5 years amassing $11.4M in venture funding through Nextmv’s Series A. Carolyn has a BSE in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and in her spare time she coaches (and plays!) volleyball.

James Courtney is an urban planner by training and marketer by trade, James is passionate about urbanism, economics, and human behavior. The Graduate of Central Michigan University and Wayne State University has worked in the public and private sector on topics as diverse as, how to promote hygiene in rural Afghanistan to how to bring equitable transportation to underserved populations in Indianapolis. In his current role at Ford Motor Company, he supports the company’s efforts in bringing an innovative mobility district to Detroit.

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