Lawrence Technological University and the City of Southfield are partnering to launch the Centrepolis Accelerator, a facility designed to accelerate the growth of small manufacturers and hardware entrepreneurs by providing access to key resources.
The Centrepolis Accelerator will be located on the LTU campus. It will replace and increase the small business and entrepreneurial support services currently provided by the LTU Collaboratory, which leverages the city’s focus on driving local and regional economic development through Southfield’s Centrepolis SmartZone.
“This is another great example of how the city is partnering with LTU to create new jobs, retain top talent, grow our businesses, and advance our economic base,” says Southfield Mayor Ken Siver. “The Centrepolis Accelerator will offer highly sought-after resources to help startup companies and small manufacturers grow into high-tech manufacturing businesses that provide high-paying jobs.”
Part of the LTU-Southfield Centrepolis Accelerator will be a new, state-of-the-art, 6,300-square-foot center on the LTU campus that will provide clients and partners access to office space, co-working space, workshops, mentors, technical and business services, a digital design lab, a mixed-reality lab, a product-prototyping lab, and other resources. The new facility is slated to be open next spring.
Dan Radomski, who has extensive background with manufacturing and supporting hardware companies, and is well-known in the state’s entrepreneurial community, will be leading the Centrepolis Accelerator.
“The university’s heritage, dating back to 1932 (in Detroit), is rooted in the entrepreneurial spirit of the industrial revolution,” says Virinder Moudgil, president of LTU. “With the Centrepolis Accelerator, we have the platform and resources to help companies embrace the rapid technological advances occurring in product design, engineering, and manufacturing. It will also provide an excellent venue for our students to launch their own companies and find great companies to work with.”
The accelerator’s website is www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.
