Michigan funds projects to bolster maritime innovation. The Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification is funding a slate of initiatives at the intersection of autonomous tech and seafaring application. The Great Lakes are just one testbed. September 10, 2026 - Autonomous technology is moving into the maritime arena, aiding in search and rescue and other applications. Five projects in Michigan are set to receive funding and support from the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), as part of the state's Michigan Maritime Strategy to advance technologies supporting its water-based economy. "With four Great Lakes, extensive waterways, ports, manufacturers, and research institutions, Michigan is well positioned to support technologies ranging from autonomous vessels and marine robotics to infrastructure inspection and environmental monitoring," said Chelsea Wuth, a communications specialist with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, in an email. The state awarded $3.5 million combined to the five projects as part of its mission to establish Michigan as a testbed for autonomous and remotely operated maritime technologies serving both commercial and defense markets. The endeavors include the Freshwater Operational Requirements to Government-Ready Equipment (FORGE) initiative to develop and test equipment from Hawk Technologies to pre-stage a network of autonomous vessels, in partnership with Keweenaw County Search and Rescue, the Keweenaw County Sheriff's Office, Michigan Technological University's Great Lakes Research Center and the U.S. Coast Guard. The one-year project will operate in open water on Lake Superior. The Hawk-led undertaking aims to turn "a life-saving operational need on Lake Superior into a scalable, production-ready solution, designed and built right here in Michigan," Hawk Technologies President Greg Kangas said in a statement. In another project, Newlab was awarded $400,000 to support the early development of an autonomous maritime testing corridor, which will feature testing nodes at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) in Alpena and the Port of Monroe. Newlab and industry partners will initially focus on testing marine autonomy technologies at the NADWC in Alpena and on Lake Huron, and at the Port of Detroit and Port of Monroe, Wuth said. The project will establish testing zones, safety protocols, regulatory pathways, and data governance frameworks for autonomous maritime technologies. It aims to translate testing activity into long-term economic growth, connecting Michigan technology innovation leaders with future federal investment, officials said. The autonomous maritime testing corridor builds on Michigan's existing marine autonomy capabilities, including Michigan Technological University's Great Lakes Research Center, the Marine Autonomy Research Site with the Smart Ships Coalition, and Traverse City's BlueTech Innovation Hub. Other projects to receive funding include AquaEntrepreneur, a "pilot-to-procurement commercialization platform" developed by AquaAction where participating companies will validate technologies in real-world environments for deployment across Michigan's ports, utilities and watershed infrastructure. "The state is full of innovative companies that often need just two things to succeed: expert guidance and the pilot opportunities that can be a golden ticket to commercialization. We're here to provide both," AquaAction President Soula Chronopoulos said in a statement. Also receiving funding is the BlueTech Startup Studio in Traverse City, which includes a fully electric Vita Power Seal rigid inflatable boat research vessel for advanced maritime inspection capabilities. And the Industrial Arts Institute in Onaway will get funding to develop a specialized training curriculum designed to support Michigan's growing maritime and naval industries.

Moves in VC: week of august 9 - august 15. This week's Moves in VC contains 20 moves and 10 new fund announcements, compiled from 40+ sources. Icymi. Graham Littlehale joined Felicis as a Partner. Graham previously worked at Point72 Ventures as a Partner. Eastern Venture5 Media. Brandon Gleklen was promoted to Partner at Battery Ventures, the firm he joined straight out of college. Alyssa Reisner, Justin Brock, Alex James, and Andrea Messina were promoted to VPs and General Partners at CVS Health Ventures. CVS Health Ventures focuses on early-stage healthcare companies. Dhruv Vasishtha joined 25madison as a Partner. Dhruv previously worked at 25m Health as an Operating Partner. 25madison invests in AI-native technology companies. Josh Beinhacker joined Newlab as a Senior Director of Investments. Josh previously worked at Torch Capital as the Head of Operations. Newlab is a venture platform for technology startups. Yuan Liu joined Bosch Ventures as an Investment Director. Yuan previously worked at CEN as a Director of Ventures. Austin Martin was promoted to Principal at Optum Ventures. Optum Ventures focuses on early-stage healthcare companies. Allison Toman joined Norwest as a Principal. Allison previously worked at Medtronic as a Venture Capital Director. Interested in having your job posting featured here? Western Venture5 Media. Ashish Aggarwal joined IronArc Ventures as a Partner. Ashish previously worked at Chamaeleon as a Partner. IronArc Ventures is a venture capital firm focusing on AI companies. Bryan Faust joined Roche Venture Fund as an Investment Director. Bryan previously worked at Andreessen Horowitz as a Bio + Health Investment Partner. Roche Venture Fund is an early-stage fund focusing on therapeutics, diagnostics, and healthtech companies. Iris Chen joined Bridge Ventures as a Director. Iris previously worked at Aurum Venture Partners as a Private Equity and Venture Capital Senior Analyst. Bridge Ventures is a single-family office that invests in early-stage companies. Christopher Wan left his role as a Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners. Christopher joined Ivo as a Product Manager. Madi Bradley joined Healthier Capital as a Vice President. Madi previously worked at Healthy Ventures as a Vice President. Healthier Capital invests in technology-powered healthcare innovators. Southern Venture5 Media. Francisco Rivera joined Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures (NMFV) as a Strategic Investing Principal. Francisco previously worked at USAA as a Corporate Development Assistant Vice President. NMFV, the corporate venture capital arm of Northwestern Mutual, backs early-stage companies in fintech and insurtech. Europe. Hunter McNabb joined Index Ventures as a Partner. Hunter previously worked at 9Yards Capital as a General Partner. Alinga Jiang joined Creandum on the Platform team. Alinga previously worked at ElevenLabs in Revenue Strategy and Operations. Jakob Falck was promoted to Partner at Norrsken Launcher. Norrsken Launcher is an early-stage deep tech impact fund. Middle east. Andrew Jackson joined B Capital as a General Partner and Chief AI Officer. Andrew previously worked at G42 as a Group Chief AI Officer. New funds. These firms are ready to write checks, with new funds recently closed. San Francisco-based South Park Commons announced its fourth $575M fund. Palo Alto-based Accel raised $3.5B across four new funds to invest in global AI startups. Menlo Park-based Sequoia Capital raised $10B to focus on AI and reindustrialization investments. Brooklyn-based Kickstarter launched a $1M Kickstarter Culture Fund to support independent creators in arts, fashion, film, and music. New York-based Serena Ventures launched a new fund to invest in tech and AI-enabled companies. The fund amount was undisclosed. London-based White Star Capital closed its fourth $250M fund to back technology companies. London-based Mobilise announced the launch of Mobilise Platforms & Investments, a new division created to support telecom technology businesses. Toronto-based Cross-Border Impact Ventures (CBIV) raised $58M for its second fund to invest in health technology companies. Chicago-based G Squared closed its seventh $2.3B fund to invest across direct secondaries, company-led tender offers, structured investments, and growth-stage technology companies. Menlo Park-based Robinhood launched a $200M fund to back Y Combinator startups. For emerging managers. Join over 3,000 VC professionals receiving key legal insights by Chris Harvey. Discover the "Law of VC" Substack with free checklists, forms, and guides. Stay tuned for next week's Moves in VC!