MTEC Network
We have access to a strong network of service providers that can help you launch and grow your business. Service providers include:
• Stang Decision Systems – Hiring and HR Services
• Inventor Pathways – Intellectual Property Advising
• Quincy Hill Advisors – Financial Services
• Kendricks, Bordeau, Keefe, Seavoy & Larsen, P.C. – Legal Services
• Varnum Law – Legal Services
• Marketing Department Inc. – Marketing
• Monte Consulting – Marketing
• Where People Count – Bookkeeping
• Software Sales Guru – Sales Training
Local and State of Michigan
• Michigan Tech Innovation and Industry Engagement
• Michigan Tech I-Corps Site Program
• Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA): Site Selection, Target Market Analysis, Development Tools, Lifestyle Data
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC): Reports & Data
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Crowd Funding
• Michigan Tech Superior Ideas: University research crowdfunding tool
MARKETING RESOURCES
Pitch Events & Competitions
• The Bob Mark Elevator Pitch Competition– Michigan Tech Student Pitch Competition [annual]
• 1 Million Cups Copper Country– Local businesses and startups share their ideas [monthly]
• Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition– Largest competition in Michigan with $1M in prizes [annual]
• GreenLight Michigan Business Model Competition– Early-stage pitch competition [annual]
Digital Marketing Tools
- SurveyMonkey- Highly rated web-based survey tool
- MailChimp- Email marketing tool for small businesses
- HubSpot- Marketing, Sales and CRM software (online)
- Hootsuite- Manage all your social media in one place
- Google Analytics- Track and analyze your web traffic
- Google Ads- Pay Per Click (PPC) online advertising
- Canva- Online content creation tool
Market Research Tools
• Conducting Market Research – Tutorial on how to conduct market research
• Think with Google – Culture & Trends, Competitive Analysis, Consumer Insights, Diagnostic Tools & Industry Benchmarks
• American Fact Finder – Census Data, Demographics, Industries, Housing, etc.
• U.S. SBA Business Data and Statistics – A collection of resources providing free access to business and economic statistics collected by the U.S. Government.
• County Business Patterns – CBP is an annual series published by the U.S. Census Bureau that provides subnational economic data by industry.
• CLARITAS MyBestSegments – Powerful market segmentation tool to find out who your best customers are, where they’re located, and how to reach them.
• MakeMyPersona – Interactive web tool that generates buyer personas for you once you answer a series of questions about your ideal customers.
• Pew Research Center – Free Data Sets