Accelerator Academy Jumpstarts Six-Month Accelerator Tracks

Feb 11

The Hard Work Begins

In late January 2024, the wind was cold and peppered with flakes of snow. Michigan drivers played the annual snow-covered game of Am I On the Road? And 17 teams entered the Lansing Community College West Campus building, brimming with anticipation of what the coming days would entail.

These teams make up the latest cohort of NextCycle Michigan’s Food, Liquid, and Organic Waste Systems (FLOWS) and Recycling Innovations & Technologies (RIT) accelerator tracks. NextCycle Michigan is a circular accelerator program that provides coaching and planning support for projects that impact elements of recycling, recovery, reuse and material end markets that utilize recovered materials as inputs into marketable products.

Thirty people representing the new cohort of entrepreneurs, small business owners, non-profits and community leaders sat at the classroom style tables and eagerly awaited the start of NextCycle Michigan’s Accelerator Academy. The intensive and immersive two-day workshop kicks off the six-month program and jumpstarts project development through interactive group exercises and one-on-one coaching, along with a bit of self-reflection.

Setting the Stage

Teams were welcomed by representatives from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) – patron and financer of NextCycle Michigan. Julie Staveland, EGLE’s assistant division director for the Materials Management Division, and Matt Flechter, recycling market development specialist for EGLE, provided a snapshot of Michigan’s waste and recycling landscape. They highlighted opportunities to fill the gaps in organic material processing, recyclable material collection and sorting, and recovered material end markets. Julie and Matt connected the dots between the cohort’s projects and strengthening Michigan’s circular economy. Creating a just, resilient and robust circular economy will in turn create new jobs, reduce impact on climate, establish equitable and fair access for underserved communities, and improve economic output in the state.

Listening, Sharing, Building

The two days were divided into several sessions, each focusing on different aspects of project development – all critical to advancing team projects to the next level. Teams were also able to apply their learnings and deliver practice project pitches in front of their cohort peers and industry experts. Constructive feedback was provided to help the teams continue to improve and refine their presentation techniques for real-world opportunities and the upcoming Showcase event. Click on the images below to read a description of select sessions.

What’s Next?

Now buzzing with excitement and motivated to dive in deeper, teams will meet with coaches and mentors to continue building and strengthening their projects. Over the next six months, teams will receive help to make connections with potential partners or funders, refine business plans, create marketing strategies, develop site plans and identify material feedstocks. And let’s not forget about refining their project pitches.

All of this effort culminates with the Showcase event where teams will have the opportunity to share their accomplishments and pitch their innovative ideas to judges, industry leaders, public sector decision-makers along with private sector investors. Did we mention they are competing for awards (a.k.a. cash) too?

*2024 RIT Cohort, Track Leads & Coaches*

Learn more about the latest FLOWS and RIT cohort of teams in the news announcement. And watch for more information about the upcoming Showcase event in June – free and open to the public. Consider yourself invited!

Special Thanks

Special thanks go out to our guest speakers, coaches, mentors, and facilitators that made the Accelerator Academy impactful and memorable.

Joshua Brugeman, Centrepolis Accelerator
Nicole Chardoul, RRS
Luis Chen, Wormies
Ashley Connelly, Centrepolis Accelerator
Devan Dodge, EGLE
Matt Flechter, EGLE
Emily Freeman, EGLE
Margarita Hernandez, Ann Arbor Spark
Bryce Hesterman, RRS
Aaron Hiday, EGLE
Keira Higgins, RRS
Frannie Miles, RRS
Al Newman, Recycle Ann Arbor
Kerrin O’Brien, Michigan Recycling Coalition

Thaler Pekar, Thaler Pekar & Partners
Bridgette Pollaski, RRS
Tracy Purrenhage, EGLE
MRad, RRS
Dan Radomski, Centrepolis Accelerator
Elisa Seltzer, RRS
Brian Spicer, Innovakote
Julie Staveland, EGLE
Chad Techner, Metro Food Rescue
John Tran, Red Cedar Ventures
Joe Tyler, Pure Michigan Business Connect
Renee Wallace, Doers Edge
Yahang Zhang, RRS

*FLOWS & RIT Cohorts Networking at the Accelerator Academy*

Melissa Radiwon