MEDC Earns 2026 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Statewide Startup Competition PitchMI

Lansing, MI – The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is earning international recognition for its innovative efforts to identify, support and invest in Michigan’s most promising startups through a competitive statewide selection process. In its annual Excellence in Economic Development Awards, which recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) honored the MEDC with a Silver Award in the Innovative Economic Development category for PitchMI, a founder-focused pitch competition organized by the MEDC and the Michigan State University Research Foundation. The award will be presented at the IEDC 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 25–28.

"The MEDC is leading the field of excellence in economic development with its PitchMI program. This award shines a spotlight on the MEDC’s commitment to its community and showcases the significant impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO. “IEDC is honored to present this award to the MEDC to celebrate their leadership and innovation in the field." 

PitchMI is designed to provide serious capital, rigorous evaluation and meaningful visibility to Michigan’s most promising startups. The 2026 PitchMI Championship served as the culmination of a statewide search, highlighting the state’s commitment to fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting founders who want to make a career or business in Michigan.

In total, the 2025-26 PitchMI competition awarded more than $2.3 million in investment capital. The road to the championship began in the fall of 2025 with four regional pitch events across the state, which saw 375 applications from founders in more than 100 Michigan communities. 

“We couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the MEDC’s IEDC Excellence Award for PitchMI,” said MEDC CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. “PitchMI gives our state’s entrepreneurs a stage that matches the quality of the companies that they’re building. This recognition is really a Team Michigan recognition of the engagement and efforts of Governor Whitmer, bipartisan members of the state legislature, partner organizations and my tremendous teammates at the MEDC. My colleagues’ dedication and hard work are making positive differences throughout the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Work remains as Team Michigan seeks the gold performance that Michiganders deserve as we support businesses of all sizes.”

“Michigan has incredible founders and ideas across the state, and PitchMI is about giving them the resources and runway to grow,” said David Washburn, CEO of the MSU Research Foundation. “This recognition reflects the strength of our partnership with MEDC and the many organizations that make Michigan’s innovation ecosystem thrive. By investing together, we are helping more entrepreneurs choose Michigan as the place to build and become something bigger.”

Applications for the 2026-2027 round of PitchMI closed on Aug. 10. Selected semifinalists will be notified on Aug. 31, ahead of pitch events from Sept. 15 through Oct. 1.

Michigan’s entrepreneurial landscape continues to thrive with the addition of critical tools, including a $60 million investment in early-stage startups through the Michigan Innovation Fund, an R&D tax credit for small businesses, a statewide Innovation Alliance and increased access to resources to close the gap for underrepresented founders. Over the past five years, state investments in entrepreneurship and innovation helped catalyze more than 15,800 jobs and over 1,400 high-tech companies. Additionally, for every $1 the state invested, founders leveraged roughly $85 from other sources, which is an exceptional leverage ratio for public capital.

Each year, IEDC honors economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that consistently demonstrate excellence in the field. The honorees lead transformational projects that revitalize communities and advance the practice of economic development.

This year's awards take on special meaning, as IEDC celebrates its 100th anniversary. In recognizing excellence in economic development, IEDC and its partners are celebrating successes and shining a spotlight on programs that inspire and prepare the field for the next century of economic development.

About the Michigan State University Research Foundation
The Michigan State University Research Foundation is an independent research and development nonprofit aligned with Michigan State University. The Foundation helps fund and advance research, technology, and startup efforts at the university and across the state by connecting researchers and entrepreneurs to the resources, relationships, and capital they need to drive real-world impact. The Foundation achieves its mission through grant programs that contribute over $15 million annually to the University, entrepreneurial programming and early-stage investments that accelerate technology transfer and startup growth throughout Michigan, and environments where startup businesses and collaborators can thrive. The Foundation’s work is made possible through its stewardship of a flexible and sustainable endowment, nourished by over 50 years of licensing revenues and investment returns. Learn more about the MSU Research Foundation and its impact at msufoundation.org.

About the International Economic Development Council (IEDC)
Based in Washington, D.C., IEDC is the world’s largest association for economic developers. Originating a century ago, IEDC is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that represents the entire economic development profession. Members include practitioners in economic development through local, state, provincial, and federal governments, non-profits, public-private partnerships, entrepreneurial support organizations, chambers of commerce, utilities, universities, and a variety of other organizations.

IEDC is the leading voice in driving the future of the field. IEDC provides professional development through courses and certifications, networking, conferences, research, policy advocacy, partnerships, and other valuable offerings to economic development professionals across the globe. For more information, please visit www.IEDC.org.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.