Founder Forward Announces 2026 Cohort
Femology
2050 15th St.
Detroit, MI 48216
leadership@founderforwardmi.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Founder Forward Launches: A statewide initiative to attract and retain 20 high-growth founders, strengthening Michigan’s innovation ecosystem to accelerate innovation, job creation, and long-term economic growth.
Detroit, MI — [January 20, 2025] — As Michigan continues to strengthen its position as a national leader in innovation, mobility, and entrepreneurship, a powerful new statewide initiative is launching to ensure founders are at the center of that momentum.
Founder Forward, a first-of-its-kind fellowship program, officially launches with the selection of 20 high-potential startup founders to participate in its inaugural cohort. Designed to attract, retain, and accelerate entrepreneurial talent, the program brings together economic development leaders, government partners, and the startup ecosystem to fuel long-term growth across the state. Founder Forward is supported by the Michigan Growth Office’s Make MI Home strategy, a groundbreaking effort focused on talent attraction and population growth. As part of this statewide investment, Founder Forward joins a cohort of new programs advancing Michigan’s competitiveness by ensuring founders not only launch companies here but stay, scale, hire, and build lasting roots.
The inaugural fellowship includes 20 founders, 9 recruited from across the country to relocate to Michigan and 11 scaling their ventures from within the state. Selected through a competitive national process, the out-of-state Fellows bring diverse perspectives, industry expertise, and expanded networks into Michigan’s startup ecosystem. Together, the cohort represents high-growth companies across technology, sustainability, manufacturing, healthcare, and the creative economy sectors critical to Michigan’s future prosperity.
Through a year-long experience, Fellows receive relocation and startup support, workspace at Michigan Central, access to capital networks, and expert-led programming focused on fundraising, leadership, and operational scale. The program is designed not only to support individual companies, but to strengthen Michigan’s broader innovation infrastructure and economic resilience.
2026 Founder Forward Cohort
“Founder Forward is about more than attracting talent, it's about building the next generation of economic leadership in Michigan,” said Meagan Ward, Founder of Femology and Program Partner. “By investing in founders from across the country and from right here at home, we’re strengthening Michigan’s ability to compete nationally while creating real economic opportunity locally.”
Founder Forward is powered by a cross-sector consortium that brings together capital access, innovation infrastructure, and founder-first programming to deliver statewide impact. Michigan Women Forward (MWF), Femology, Verdigris Group, and Michigan Central have joined forces to launch the initiative, aligning financial resources, talent development, and ecosystem connectivity to ensure Michigan remains competitive in attracting and retaining high-growth founders. Together, these partners represent a new model for economic development: one that unites community development finance, founder-led acceleration, operational expertise, and a world-class innovation district to drive job creation, business formation, and long-term regional prosperity.
“This fellowship reflects what’s possible when economic development, capital access, and entrepreneurship align,” said Carolyn Cassin, CEO of MWF. “Founder Forward positions Michigan as a place where founders from anywhere in the country can build real companies and build real futures.”
About Michigan Women Forward (MWF): MWF is a certified community development financial institution (CDFI) dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for underrepresented entrepreneurs through access to capital, business resources, and ecosystem support. Since its founding as a lender, MWF has deployed over $15 million in microloans and growth capital, supporting more than 1,500 underrepresented-owned businesses across Michigan. MWF also provides education, mentorship, and technical assistance, helping entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses that generate jobs and strengthen local economies. MWF celebrates outstanding underrepresented leaders by honoring their contributions to the community, economy, and state, inspiring the next generation of inclusive leaders. With a vision of creating an inclusive economy for Michigan, MWF works to ensure that underrepresented entrepreneurs can build viable businesses, accumulate long-term wealth, and contribute to a more equitable and resilient economic future.
About Femology: Femology is a nationally recognized platform accelerating women-led companies through capital access, strategic visibility, and evidence-based programming proven to drive scale, innovation, and economic impact. With a demonstrated track record of guiding founders from concept to commercialization and investment, Femology expands pathways to capital, connects entrepreneurs to industry and venture networks, and equips them with the tools required to compete, and win in high-growth sectors. As a Founding Partner of Michigan Central, Femology leads signature innovation programming and economic development initiatives that strengthen Michigan’s startup pipeline and attract, retain, and scale women-led ventures. Its work spans founder education, investor readiness, ecosystem coordination, and cross-sector partnerships that support job creation, technology deployment, and long-term business growth.
About Verdigris Group: Verdigris Group is a startup consulting firm built by founders for founders. The Verdigris team members are not just advisors; they are embedded team members who roll up their sleeves to help their clients achieve their next catalytic milestone. Since its founding in 2024, Verdigris has supported over 50 companies, raised over $200M for clients, and taken interim leadership roles to achieve new product and new program launches. Verdigris builds Hardtech, early-stage companies in the following three divisions: medical technology, manufacturing & minerals, and consumer packaged goods. With a team that has founded over 20 startups, Verdigris’ core expertise is in building companies. Verdigris is the proud entrepreneurial support partner of Michigan’s Founder Forward Fellowship.
About Michigan Central: Michigan Central is a 30-acre technology and cultural hub in Detroit, where leaders, thinkers, communities and creators come together to accelerate bold ideas and technologies that shape our collective future. By providing access to world-class infrastructure, tools, and resources, Michigan Central inspires innovators and community members to collaborate on real, ground-breaking solutions to global problems. Since opening in April 2023, Michigan Central has grown into a diverse ecosystem of nearly 250 companies and startups working at the intersection of mobility, technology and society.
