Through its investment in venture capital funds and its pioneering work connecting startups companies to those funds and to major companies looking for innovation, Renaissance is striving to drive forward both financial returns and regional growth.
Driving Regional Investment
In many regions of the U.S., there is significant under-investment in high-potential startups. Our home state of Michigan ranks in the top ten by the Milken Institute in 2022 for R&D capacity but has traditionally lagged in total venture capital investment. This gap represents significant investment opportunities for venture capitalists and growth opportunities for the region. Renaissance is focused on closing this gap by creating stronger connections between startups in our region and national investors.
Renaissance works with partners across universities, accelerators, seed and angel funds to identify the region’s best startups, and then connects them with a national venture capital network, both on an individual basis and through Renaissance’s flagship UnDemo Day® events.
Renaissance’s success in attracting venture capital to Michigan has led to the creation of new funds in other parts of the U.S. utilizing the “Renaissance Model.”
Connecting Innovation to Major Corporations
Renaissance has created a network of dozens of corporate partners looking for innovation, connecting them with new technology and ideas from Renaissance’s underlying portfolio companies.
Renaissance regularly facilitates introductions between promising venture-backed startups and major corporations, creating win-win connections designed to help early stage companies find transformational customers and partners, and help major companies discover much needed innovative technologies. The current Renaissance portfolio includes more than 60 venture capital funds and over 800 active portfolio companies ranging across all sectors and company stages.
If you are interested in learning more about Renaissance’s innovation network, please contact us.
