17 Teams Selected for the 2025 Summer Cohort
Seventeen entrepreneurs, nonprofits, small business and community teams were selected from a field of applicants across the country to join NextCycle Michigan’s 2025 summer cohort. The teams were selected based on their projects in two categories: Technology Innovations and Organic Materials Solutions. NextCycle Michigan will provide consulting, technical, business and marketing support, and help them connect with potential partners, suppliers, and funders during the six-month program.
NextCycle Michigan 2025 Summer Cohort
The program jumpstarted with a two-day academy in early February, held at Saginaw Valley State University. Teams worked on business modeling, supply chain needs, funding options, and story and pitch development. Over the next several months, teams will receive individualized coaching to further refine and advance their projects. The program culminates with a showcase event in June, where NextCycle Michigan teams will pitch their projects to a live audience with the chance to attract investors, win monetary awards, and generate publicity.
Technology Innovations Teams
The Axia Institute (Midland, MI): Axia is seeking to launch a pilot project to collect, sanitize, and reintroduce used prescription pill bottles at major pharmacies and healthcare providers in Midland County. www.axia.msu.edu
D2Solar LLC (Detroit, MI): D2Solar is testing the feasibility of introducing used solar panels into Detroit urban farms, block clubs, and community-based organizations by refurbishing solar panels from decommissioned installations and damaged panels from new installations. www.d2solardetroit.com
ENVIWA LLC (Dearborn, MI): ENVIWA is developing ECO REVIVE, an eco-friendly circular hydrometallurgical process that recovers high-value minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, platinum group metals, and rare earth elements, sourced from end-of-life electric vehicle batteries, catalytic converters, fuel cells, solar panels, and e-waste.
Mycocycle Inc. (Bolingbrook, IL): Mycocycle is launching innovation hubs in Michigan, leveraging its patented mycelium-based process to transform non-inert waste—such as carpet, rubber, textiles, gypsum, and asphalt—into sustainable, low-carbon bio-composite materials for use in compounding and manufacturing as performance boosting additives as seen in its first commercialized product a bio-based infill for sports fields. www.mycocycle.com
Orange Sparkle Ball (Atlanta, GA): Orange Sparkle Ball is developing a digital platform piloted in Detroit that facilitates the collection of materials like food waste, electronics, and single-use plastics, using electric autonomous robots to deliver the materials for reuse, recycling, refurbishment, and redistribution. www.orangesparkleball.com
Progressive Sweeping Contractors (Redford, MI): ProSweep established Urban Quarries LLC seeking to develop a site to process construction and demolition waste and street-sweeping debris like sands, concrete, and asphalt into repurposed aggregate for cement and asphalt production. www.prosweep.com www.urbanquarriesus.com
Sequestro (Ann Arbor, MI): Sequestro is developing an under-sink filtration device that utilizes waste wood pulp to adsorb PFOS and PFOA, two commonly encountered PFAS, and provide PFAS-free drinking water to homes, with future applications in large-scale industrial and municipal water purification environments. www.sequestro.co
Vitriform3D (Knoxville, TN): Vitriform3D is seeking to establish a regional-level factory in Michigan that will convert glass waste too fine to be used in traditional new glass production into engineered stone for wall cladding panels. www.vitriform3d.com
Organic Materials Solutions Teams
Bunberry Farm LLC (Calumet, MI): Bunberry Farm is developing an enriched compost product from a broad range of local waste byproducts including food waste, rabbit manure, sawdust and wood shavings from mills, as well as low-grade waste ore from mining operations and byproducts from quarry operations.
Capture Tech (Ann Arbor, MI): Capture Tech is utilizing modular natural fiber wrapped biochar filter substrates with bioremediating microbial inoculants to create easily deployable Biochar Capture Packs (BCPs) that work to remove nonpoint contaminants from waterways and repurpose them into restorative fertilizers and soil amendments. www.capturetech.org
C’Mon Betty LLC (Ann Arbor, MI): C’Mon Betty is launching a health-conscious condiment brand made from fresh surplus or blemished produce, packaged in fully recyclable containers. www.cmonbetty.com
Ed’s Used Parts and Salvage (Hancock, MI): Ed’s Used Parts and Salvage is expanding its operation to include compost production from packaged and post-consumer food and yard waste collected from schools, businesses, and municipalities. www.edsusedpartsinc.com
Grand Rapids Compost (Grand Rapids, MI): Grand Rapids Compost is expanding its organic waste collection service, currently collecting food scraps from local restaurants, coffee shops, and food retailers, to now include weekly curbside residential pickup, increasing production of its high-end compost. www.grcompost.com
MAC Gardens (Detroit, MI): MAC Gardens is developing an app paired with collection and educational services to engage Detroit area coffee shop consumers and office building workers, changing behaviors to properly separate food waste and redirect edible food to those in need.
Plantwise Academy (Muskegon, MI): Plantwise Academy is launching a hands-on education and skills-based pilot program within MPS that integrates plant-based nutrition and food waste composting, equipping students with sustainable knowledge and career training.
SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers (Traverse City, MI): SEEDS is seeking to spur and support financially viable business opportunities that foster local ownership and provide small-scale organic waste solutions in the form of food/wood rescue, compost, and biochars across a ten-county region in Northwest lower Michigan. www.ecoseeds.org
Sisters on a Roll & St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center (Detroit, MI): The team of Sisters on a Roll and St. Suzanne Cody Rouge CRC is expanding its food sovereignty program that converts excess restaurant food into full wholesome meals for local community members. www.sistersonaroll.biz www.stsuzannecodyrouge.org
Be sure to join us for the Summer Showcase in June to watch these teams pitch their projects to a live audience as they compete for cash prizes and bragging rights.