Crain’s Detroit Business credited Michigan Tech’s “research and development might” as a driver behind a small-business boom in the Upper Peninsula.
Four of the five small businesses highlighted by Crain’s feature a Husky connection: SightLine, with founder Ashley Kern ’15 ’17 (B.S., statistics; M.S., data science) and COO Erin Thompson ’02 (B.S., cognitive and learning sciences); Orbion Space Technology, co-founded by CEO Brad King (ME-EM) and CTO Jason Sommerville ’09 (Ph.D., mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics); ZiTechnologies, founded by Stas Zinchick (ME-EM); and SwimSmart, founded by Jacob Soter ’19 ’20 (B.S., electrical and computer engineering; MBA).
Orbion’s origins were highlighted in MTU’s 2022 Research Magazine. SwimSmart was the subject of a 2021 Michigan Tech News story.