- One-on-one advice via biweekly open office hours
- Michigan supplier matchmaking
- Product and business development workshops
- Lean product design
- Build4Scale manufacturing scaling
- How to make your hardware product smart
CleanTech Hardware
Scaling for Success
Does your company have a unique physical cleantech hardware product, process, or prototype? The Accelerator can help you launch your product or transition to a higher volume scale and improve profitability.
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What We Do
The Michigan CleanTech Hardware Scaling for Success program supports Michigan-based entrepreneurs and small businesses developing cleantech hardware products or processes that provide an energy efficiency or energy waste reduction benefit.
The program targets services to cleantech hardware products or processes that align directly with the Michigan Energy Office (MEO) energy waste reduction goals, as well as Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program product development priorities in fuel cells, bioenergy, wind, water, geothermal, energy efficiency, and vehicle and building technologies.
Program Levels
Services For All
Tactical Level Support
- One-on-one guidance via biweekly open office hours
- Product and business development workshops
- Commercial, technology, and manufacturing readiness level (CRL/TRL/MRL) assessments
- Co-working and dedicated office space
- Lab space to design, engineer, and prototype products
- Business growth, and market diversification assessments
- Michigan supplier matchmaking
Deep Level Support
- Product and business development workshops
- CRL/TRL/MRL assessments
- Business/Technology/Product milestone planning
- Lean product design assessment (DFMA)
- Design & engineering services (CAD, FEA)
- Prototyping, product testing & validation
- Michigan supplier matchmaking
- Product launch (e.g., KickStarter)
- Business scaling strategy
- Connections to customers, strategic partners, and investors
- In-house vs outsourced manufacturing analysis
- Manufacturing, and supplier risk assessments
- Lean manufacturing & automation feasibility assessments
- Business growth & market diversification assessments
- Industry 4.0 & augmented reality for manufacturing assessments
Companies that will find the most value in this program are those with a unique physical cleantech hardware product or process, have already developed prototypes or low volume production and need to move to launch their product or transition to a higher volume scale and improve profitability.
The Accelerator provides customized training, intimate one-on-one mentorship with experts and, in some cases, financial support to help you lean your product/process design through design for manufacturability principles, as well as helping you scale your business by leaning your operations, integrating advanced technologies, and implementing a structured business development strategy.
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