# Ann Arbor SPARK

> Ann Arbor SPARK is a nonprofit economic development organization connecting startups and established businesses with coaching, workspace, capital, talent and expansion support. Its regional services center on Washtenaw County, while SPARK Capital invests in eligible technology companies across Michigan.

- **Founded:** 2005
- **Headquarters:** Ann Arbor, United States
- **Founders:** Rick Snyder (Co-founder and founding board chair), Mary Sue Coleman (Co-founder; University of Michigan president at founding)
- **Products:** Entrepreneur Boot Camp, Startup acceleration and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, SPARK Central and SPARK East coworking, SPARK Capital, Business Development
- **Notable:** Public-private partnership launched in 2005., More than 420 startups assisted in 2025, according to SPARK’s annual meeting page., SPARK Capital invested $3.85 million in 30 companies during 2025.

## Products & services

- **Entrepreneur Boot Camp** — Eight-week customer-discovery and business-validation program; team tuition with partial scholarships; no equity taken for participation.
- **Startup acceleration and Entrepreneur-in-Residence** — Coaching, specialist referrals and project support for eligible early-stage technology businesses.
- **SPARK Central and SPARK East coworking** — Workspaces in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti; shared coworking passes listed at $115 monthly.
- **SPARK Capital** — Early-stage Michigan technology investment; typically $100,000-$200,000 per round, up to $250,000 total per company, alongside private investors.
- **Business Development** — Site selection, expansion, permitting, talent and incentive coordination for established businesses.
- **Small Business Support Hub** — Consulting, education and referrals for small businesses across Washtenaw, Livingston and Monroe counties.
- **a2Tech360** — Regional events including investor pitches, technology demonstrations and industry gatherings.

## Achievements

- Public-private partnership launched in 2005.
- More than 420 startups assisted in 2025, according to SPARK’s annual meeting page.
- SPARK Capital invested $3.85 million in 30 companies during 2025.
- Michigan Venture Capital Association Community Impact Award in 2025.
- Invest360 awarded $200,000 in investments during a2Tech360 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — October 20: SPARK recapped a2Tech360; Invest360 awarded $100,000 to Constrat and $50,000 each to Crank Bio and RoboWorkX.
- **2026-10** — October 20: announced plans to showcase Motion Sync, Retrospect Technology, Mbility and Satori XR at Vehicle Tech Week, October 27-29; event was still upcoming at research time.
- **2026-09** — FastTrack recognized 10 companies meeting multi-year revenue-growth criteria and added small-business and community awards.
- **2026-06** — Annual-meeting recap detailed 2025 capital deployment and startup support.

## Links

- Website: https://annarborusa.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ann-arbor-spark/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/annarborspark
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnnArborSPARK
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annarborspark/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnArborSPARK

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ann-arbor-spark
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24