“In America, the West was about opportunity. In Michigan, it still is.” It’s a bold statement to be sure, but it’s one that The Right Place , a western Michigan economic development organization, along with other officials and investors based in Greater Grand Rapids, are serious about making a reality.

Western Michigan still vibrates with the hum of the Motor City and its auto manufacturing cluster, but it is also home to companies such as Perrigo, Herman Miller, Steelcase, and Amway, which flog everything from software to health care products. Demand for “Dragon’s Milk,” among other craft beers from New Holland Brewing Company, was the juice needed to power a $3 million expansion of its existing production plant, while Lacks Enterprises (makers of shiny chrome fittings for cars and appliances) is spending $31.9 million to build a new facility here. Despite being courted by Kentucky, Virginia, and South Carolina, the company decided to grow in its West Michigan backyard because of the business climate and cooperation of the state and economic development partners.

These days though, the buzz is just as likely to come from a growing group of tech-minded entrepreneurs, like Joe Johnston, bursting with ideas to put their hometown on the digital map.

Johnston, the lead user experience designer at Universal Mind, is developing an app called One Second Epic. Inspired by a TED talk, the app aims to make it easier to capture and stitch together video of those tiny slices of life that make up our personal experiences. Johnston says it wouldn’t have made it past the idea stage if not for the network and financial support of Start Garden. A brand-new, $15 million venture capital fund, Start Garden evolved from founder Rick DeVos’ early stage incubator Momentum and is one part investments, one part mentorship, and all parts community engagement.

Fast Company sat down with DeVos and Johnston and invited them to dish about the doings in the Grand Rapids area. These are their top five reasons to come up and get down to business.

The startup community encompasses more than just tech geeks.



Start Garden may be kicking things into high gear with its commitment to invest $5,000 in two new ideas each week, but DeVos says the roots of support run deeper. “We’ve got a whole bunch of knowledge pools,” DeVos says, citing the staffs of big corporate entities as well as local banks, law practices specializing in intellectual property, and manufacturers.