Ara talks with Atomic Object’s Co-CEOs, Shawn Crowley and Michael Marsiglia.Atomic Object is a custom software development consultancy that creates web, mobile, desktop, and embedded applications for a diverse range of clients.Both are known for their forward-thinking approach and remarkable leadership; Shawn and Michael have guided Atomic Object to the forefront of custom software development.

Ara talks with Mike Flanagan, Managing Director of the Michigan Angel Fund and Vice President at Ann Arbor SPARK. Mike and Ara discuss the ecosystem, the importance of angels, entrepreneurs and much more. Special thank you to our sponsor: Michigan Rise.

Ara talks with both Broc Edwards and Reuben Levinsohn, managing partners of Exit Quotient Ventures. Exit Quotient Ventures is a founder focused venture capital fund headquartered in Lansing, MI. The firm was founded in an effort to help grow the Midwest's entrepreneurial ecosystem and play an integral part in funding pre-seed and seed stage companies as they scale.

Ara talks with Katie Hall is the Founder and CEO of Claira Technologies, a pioneering workforce optimization platform tailored for industrial enterprises.With a decade-long commitment to assisting organizations in navigating the transformative influence of AI on the workforce, Katie's diverse background in business, public policy, and government enriches our discussion with invaluable insights. 

The Michigan Venture Capital Association is proud to offer the Venture Fellows Program to Michigan’s venture capital community. The program, launched in 2023, is designed to increase the number of venture professionals in Michigan in order to accelerate the fundraising and deployment of capital into early-stage companies. Michigan VCtalk features two of the MVCA Venture Fellows, Caroline Wolanin, Plymouth Growth and Keegan McGuire, Arboretum Ventures. Listen to their track toward getting into venture capital and what they hope to gain our of the Fellows program.

Ara Topouzian, Executive Director of Michigan Venture Capital Association talks with Raffaele Mautone, former CIO of Duo Security and current Founder and CEO of Detroit-based Judy Security (formerly AaDya Security). Raffaele's strategic thinking and effective leadership have been instrumental and paramount in his career as an IT, sales and operations professional. I talk with Raffaele about his rich background as well as Judy Security which is a cyber security company that offers cybersecurity software solutions for small and medium businesses. (Programming note: since the recording of this episode, the company was rebranded to Judy Security.) For more information: https://www.judysecurity.ai/

Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA), the nonprofit trade association that advocates for more capital and talent for Michigan’s entrepreneurial and investment community, released its 2023 MVCA Research Report, a comprehensive analysis of investment activity that has had a positive impact in the state. Ara talks with members from the MVCA Research Report committee including Dan Kidle, Arboretum Ventures, Jeff Rinvelt, Renaissance Venture Capital and Prem Bodagala, Red Cedar Ventures. Special thank you to sponsor Michigan Rise.

Podcast host and Executive Director of Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA), Ara Topouzian talks with Andy Fowler, CEO & Co-Founder of Nutshell, a user-friendly customer relationship management platform formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Nutshell is dedicated to helping small businesses grow their revenue and solving the most critical challenge of sales and marketing software: motivating teams to use it. Special thanks to Michigan Rise as Michigan VCtalks' podcast sponsor. For more information about MVCA, please visit https://michiganvca.org/

Podcast host and Executive Director of MVCA, Ara Topouzian talked with Dr. Dawn Batts. She has over two decades of experience, analyzing business opportunities, developing and implementing strategic plans, and managing their subsequent operations and compliance processes. Her diverse professional experiences and extensive research have led to her solutions-based approach in addressing the myriad of factors causing the economic disparity between women and men. Dawn's research investigates how macro narratives influence women's perceptions and experiences of gender equality in the United States and China. As a Capital Strategist for Tech Town -- Detroit's entrepreneurship hub -- Dawn secures and aligns resources that help Detroit-based entrepreneurs achieve the vision and goals of their businesses. She extends that work as a co-founder of Commune Angels, a diverse community of investors who seed scalable consumer, enterprise and life science companies that transform lives. Special thanks to Michigan Rise as Michigan VCtalk's podcast sponsor. For more information on Michigan Venture Capital Association, please visit http://michiganvca.org

This marks Michigan VCtalk's 30th episode! Podcast host Ara Topouzian has a dynamic conversation with Johnnie Turnage, Founder of EvenScore, an impact-focused donation platform startup which began in 2021. Since then, Johnnie has been immersed into the Michigan founder ecosystem as an award-winning grassroots activist and tech entrepreneur. He is passionate about the entrepreneurial community and wants to give back to the community. Special thank you to Michigan Rise as Michigan VCtalk's podcast sponsor. For more information about Michigan Venture Capital Association: http://michiganvca.org/