Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, with offices in Ann Arbor, MI, and Detroit, has invested $3 million in Houston VC firm DFJ Mercury, which says it will actively seek opportunities in Michigan. Renaissance CEO Chris Rizik says DFJ Mercury is a good fit for Michigan because of its focus on advanced materials, bioscience, and information technology, areas in which the region has a strong talent base. DFJ Mercury has already invested in Kabongo, an educational IT company with offices in Ann Arbor, and Ambiq Micro, also based in Ann Arbor, and is looking for another Michigan investment, Rizik says.
Author: Howard Lovy
Howard Lovy is a veteran journalist who has focused primarily on technology, science and innovation during the past decade.
In 2001, he helped launch Small Times Magazine, a nanotech publication based in Ann Arbor, MI, where he built the freelance team and worked closely with writers to set the tone and style for an emerging sector that had never before been covered from a business perspective. Lovy's work at Small Times, and on one of the first nanotechnology-themed blogs, helped him earn a reputation for making complex subjects understandable, interesting, and even entertaining for a broad audience. It also earned him the 2004 Prize in Communication from the Foresight Institute, a nanotech think tank.
In his freelance work, Lovy covers nanotechnology in addition to technological innovation in Michigan with an emphasis on efforts to survive and retool in the state's post-automotive age. Lovy's work has appeared in many publications, including Wired News, Salon.com, the Wall Street Journal, The Detroit News, The Scientist, the Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report, Michigan Messenger, and the Ann Arbor Chronicle.
View all posts by Howard Lovy