- Michigan Central’s campus now hosts over 133 startups working on various innovations expanding beyond traditional automotive, including AI, advanced aerial technologies, and climate tech.
- Michigan Central leaders take advantage of the momentum and opportunity that comes with the campus, but they also know that continued collaboration and strategic investment are needed to fully realize the vision.
- Organizations must leverage each other’s “superpowers” so there is no duplication and that Michigan is at the forefront of the industry.
Key Takeaways
View the full session recording below.
During the 2025 Detroit Policy Conference, Michigan Central’s Josh Sirefman and Mary Culler sat down to discuss Michigan Central’s role in the Detroit Region’s ecosystem and how to drive the Detroit Region’s innovation economy forward.
How Michigan Central Ties Together Detroit Region’s Ecosystem
The two began the conversation by discussing that Michigan Central’s unique platform had been sometimes difficult to describe but was always to bring together the public-private startup and philanthropic sectors “to solve problems.”
“During that time, we didn’t wait for the building to be created,” she said. “We went to Cornell Tech and started to see that it was important to get [the innovation] up and running. And what we learned was that nobody was bringing the pieces together like we wanted to be doing.”
“Where else is there a corporate investment to catalyze economic development? And really, there’s no model for it in the world,” he said. “… connection is the essence of what’s happening at Michigan Central, which, to me, is also that secret sauce. And sometimes, we don’t know what the next part is. But part of it is intentionality and part growing organically.”
On Growing Venture Capital and the Ecosystem’s Future
With 135 startups and growing at the Michigan Central campus, the two also discussed the Book Depository’s value and what the companies are working on, like applying electrification and AI to a variety of industries and expanding beyond traditional automotive efforts.
“We learned that if you create the conditions for people to thrive—which includes developing a community around them—it can really work,” he said. “We know community is essential. But we still do need access to capital. We’re not competitive on investment capital here in the market. We’re learning; we need more tools and scale-up infrastructure in the state – and it’s not just Michigan Central; it’s everybody.”
Culler and Sirefman also discussed what is next in the Michigan Central story and the ecosystem as a whole, which includes the need to establish a vibrant and lively place that drives economic growth. Regarding the Michigan Central ecosystem opportunity, both said that this is a critical moment for the Detroit Region.
“The shift and narrative on a national and international scale is profound, and now we need to be full steam,” he said. “We have a whole bunch of ingredients and a clear strategy that we can all feed into … at the end of the day, we all have to be focused on economic growth…and aggressive on how we work together.”