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latest

Newlab Michigan LIFT announcement

Funding

October 3, 2026

Michigan launches public-private initiative to support manufacturing growth

Michigan LIFT launches to help manufacturing suppliers scale in Michigan. Ford aims to award up to $1B in contracts and JPMorganChase up to $1B in financing.

START UP Season 14 on LinkedIn is focused on Ohio & Illinois

People

October 3, 2026

START UP Season 14 highlights Midwest entrepreneurs in Ohio and Illinois

START UP Season 14 spotlights 13 entrepreneurs from Columbus, Chicago and across Ohio and Illinois, premiering October 4 on WORLD Channel and PBS.

Flying Orange Piggy Banks - Midwest Startup Funding for the week ending October 3, 2026

Funding

October 3, 2026

Midwest Startup Funding for the week ending October 3, 2026

Midwest startup funding, week ending October 3, 2026: $512m across three deals, led by Rising Point Capital's $325m maiden fund, plus NorthStar and Saros.

Featured Article

Ollivate-PitchMI-Detroit-2026

Ecosystem

UnDemo Day 2026: Record numbers in Detroit, but do visits turn into deals?

UnDemo Day 2026 drew a record 850 registrations to Detroit, Michigan, alongside Venture Forward's emerging manager program and PitchMI's final semifinal.

By

Phil Vella

•

October 23, 2026

Latest Guides

Grand Rapids Coworking Spaces

City Guides

Best Coworking Spaces in Grand Rapids

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Five coworking spaces in Kalamazoo, Michigan

City Guides

Best Coworking Spaces in Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Coworking Spaces in Lansing & East Lansing: Prices & Access

City Guides

Best Coworking Spaces in Lansing, Michigan

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Detroit Startups to Watch in 2026

City Guides

Detroit Startups to Watch

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Funding

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Chicago Skyline and Lagoon in the Fall

Featured

Illinois Startup Funding Q3 2026: $431.4 million across 27 deals, the most rounds in the Midwest

Illinois startups raised $431.4 million across 27 deals in Q3 2026, the most rounds in the Midwest, led by CADDi's $114 million Series D and no dominant check.

Wisconsin Capitol Building in the Fall

Wisconsin Startup Funding Q3 2026: $37.8 million across 8 deals with Rentable's $25 million Series C the largest

Autumn Lake Speedboat in Michigan

Michigan Startup Funding Q3 2026: $147.2 million across 12 deals, with Sling Therapeutics' $123 million Series C 84% of it

Autumn Riverside Skyline in Cleveland

Ohio Startup Funding Q3 2026: $1.11 billion across 17 deals, with Keyfactor's $1 billion round 90% of the total

Pigs might fly but here are the dollars in Midwest startup funding for the week ending October 16, 2026

Midwest Startup Funding for the week ending October 16, 2026

Midwest Startup Funding for the week ending October 9 2026 Piggy Bank

Midwest Startup Funding for the week ending October 9, 2026

Midwest Startup Funding Q3 2026 Autumn Lake Canoe Scene

Midwest Startup Funding Q3 2026: $2.06 billion across 82 deals, more than half in Ohio.

People

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Featured

Erin Wall of Lunr Capital's Founder Story: Finance for Consumer Brands

Erin Wall of Minneapolis-based Lunr Capital on funding consumer brands before the purchase order, and why Minnesota's corporate giants need to move faster.

START UP Season 14 on LinkedIn is focused on Ohio & Illinois

START UP Season 14 highlights Midwest entrepreneurs in Ohio and Illinois

Founder Interview: Ryan Stevens of Digital Reference - From startup COO to Founder

Founder Interview: Ryan Stevens of Digital Reference - From startup COO to Founder

Founder Stories: Nikhil Teja Kolli of MokSa - AI-powered security for retail

Founder Stories: Nikhil Teja Kolli of MokSa - AI-powered security for retail

StartMidwest Founder Story on Tim Huelskamp of 1440 in Chicago

Founder Stories: Tim Huelskamp of 1440 - newsletters for the insatiably curious

How Midwest builders manage pressure by Aria Spears of Michigan Founders Fund

The Weight Founders Carry: How Midwest Builders Manage Pressure

www.start-midwest.com/news/founder-story-brian-moore-of-voxel51-data-for-physical-ai

Founder Stories: Brian Moore of Voxel51 - Data for Physical AI

Opinion

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Is Growth Equity and alternative funding solution?

Featured

Is Growth Equity an Alternative Funding Solution?

Straylight Capital’s Caroline Wolanin on why many Midwest startups are compounders, not rockets, and when growth equity fits better than venture capital.

How Much Should You Raise? Start With the Milestone, Not the Number

How Much Should You Raise? Start With Milestones, Not the Number

The Midwest Doesn’t Need More Networking Events

Build Like We Own the Place Ohio

Build Like We Own the Place, Ohio

The Craft of Passing on a Deal Why Investors say No and how they should do it

The Craft of the Pass: Why Investors Say No, and How to Do It Well

(Almost) Nobody Is Going to Tell You No: How to Translate a VC Pass

(Almost) Nobody Is Going to Tell You No: How to Translate a VC Pass

Andreessen Horowitz 1 billion hardware fund is the Midwest as equity partner or tenant

Andreessen Horowitz’s $1.1 billion hardware fund: is the Midwest equity partner, or tenant?

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