From Motor City—The Pick is In!

Founding Partner, Mike Asem, and VP Platform, Katie Birge, made a quick trip to Detroit to meet up with Michigan founders and investors to celebrate the 2024 NFL Draft in the Motor City. A quick recap below!

Behind the scenes at the M25 & Friends Happy Hour in Detroit!

Spring has settled upon us, and the M25 team is celebrating the return of patio season and—for the second year in a row—the Midwest being host to the NFL Draft. A record breaking crowd descended upon Detroit for the NFL’s beloved off-season event and the tech and startup community showed up in force. It felt like a metaphor for Detroit itself — tough, resourceful and ready for its moment in the spotlight.

NIL Brunch Panel at ID Ventures’ event.

Brunch, Networking and NIL with ID Ventures

In addition to catching up with friends from across Michigan’s startup community, we were able to swing by ID Ventures’ NIL Brunch, featuring a panel of athletes, managers and startups dedicated to helping athletes maximize their potential revenue from marketing deals and other promotions. Set in a historic building adjacent to Techtown Detroit, the event also showcased Detroit’s consumer startups and other local resources.

Brunch, networking and historic buildings in the Motor City.

M25 & Friends Detroit Happy Hour

Motor City is definitely revving up for a new crop of startups as their ecosystem onboards new investors and community champions, and we welcomed them at our happy hour at recently opened hotspot Kamper’s Rooftop. With a prime view of the city’s skyline and while rocking our favorite team gear, we were able to celebrate a landmark day for Detroit with founders from our portfolio, other Michigan startups and co-investors from across the state.

Katie and Mike repping their favorite teams at the M25 & Friends Happy Hour!

With unprecedented crowds to the draft topping 700,000 fans, we weren’t able to make it to the main event when our party wrapped, but the electric atmosphere in the city persisted even from the screens a few blocks away. A fine bookend to our day of events, networking and connecting with the startups powering Detroit’s next era.

About M25: M25 is an early-stage venture firm based in Chicago, investing solely in tech startups headquartered in the Midwest. Since launching in 2015, M25 has become one of the most active investor in the region, quickly becoming the preferred seed investor for the next generation of Midwest unicorns. Portfolio companies include Kin Insurance, Loop Returns, Astronomer, Summersalt, SteadyMD, Branch, Authenticx and more. For more information, please visit www.m25vc.com.