NextCycle Michigan Showcase & Pitch Competition
Join us on March 3, 2022, as NextCycle Michigan teams present innovative, Michigan-based technology and organic recovery projects aimed to advance the growth of recycled materials supply chains and end markets in Michigan. Each team will take the spotlight to pitch their project, a forward-looking business plan, and their impact on growing Michigan’s circular economy. This event will bring together NextCycle Michigan teams, innovators, investors, and industry leaders to work towards sustainable market solutions.
Register to join us either in person or tune into the Livestream the day of the event.
Presenting Teams
Recycling Innovation & Technology (RIT)
Glacier: Building AI-enabled robots that automate sorting, making recycling lower-cost and more effective for recycling facilities of all sizes and budgets.
Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center: Upcycling textiles aiming to invigorate the circular textile economy through scaling production while expanding employment opportunities.
Innovakote West Michigan: Creating a circular recycling solution for industrial waste powder coatings.
Michigan State University & Finite Phoenix: Developing an innovative continuous flow digester to transform food and compostable products into a soil amendment product.
NexTiles: Diverting scrap textiles from landfills to manufacture energy-efficient building insulation material.
Pivot Materials: Recycling of industrial paper byproducts waste into next-generation materials that combat climate change while creating employment opportunities.
Polyplastic Technologies: Improving plastics blending and processing for more efficient mixed-plastic recycling helping reduce carbon footprint.
Western Michigan University: Establishing a Michigan lab facility to test and certify the compostability of paper and plastic foodservice and other products.
Foods, Liquids, & Organic Waste Systems (FLOWS)
Cocoa Corporation: Composting medium density fiberboard with food waste.
ReMark Composting Solutions & Wayne State University: A sustainable community-based compost solution in Detroit.
Savormetrics: AI-driven sensing solution for food and gg Industries to prevent waste.
SEEDS: Scaling organics diversion in greater Grand Traverse.
Unlimited Recycling: Scaling organic collection services in Southeast Michigan.
Urban Ashes: Developing circular urban wood supply chains through (Circular UrbanWood Triconomies™ aka, CUT Models™) in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, and scaling them across Michigan and the Country (wood waste is the second-largest category of organics disposed of in Michigan).
Wormies: Scaling food and yard waste collection and vermicompost operation in West Michigan.
Keynote Speaker
Jennifer Louie |
Executive Director, Closed Loop Partners (CLP)
We are thrilled to announce Jennifer Louie will join us as our keynote speaker. Jennifer is an Executive Director at CLP, an investment firm that provides equity and project finance to scale products, services and infrastructure at the forefront of the development of the circular economy. She is responsible for managing CLP’s private credit and catalytic investment funds.
Prior to joining CLP, Jennifer spent the last ten years managing emerging market debt portfolios across both the public and private markets. Her responsibilities spanned across the deal cycle and included fundraising for private debt vehicles. She began her career in New York City at Merrill Lynch focused on business development and proprietary mergers and acquisitions.
In more recent years, Jennifer has held executive positions at organizations focused on impact investing and sustainable finance.
JUDGES
LIVESTREAM AGENDA
11:00 AM ET | Kick-Off
11:10 AM ET | Showcase: The Showcase features 6 teams whose projects focus on reducing food waste, organics recovery, and composting.
12:45 PM ET | Lucheon Keynote: Jennifer Louie, Executive Director at Closed Loop Partners
1:30 PM ET | Pitch Competition: The Pitch Competition features 9 teams who will pitch projects focused on technology and organic recovery as they compete for a cash prize.
4:20 PM ET | Award Ceremony: Showcase and Pitch Competition winner announced along with the People’s Choice awards.
4:50 PM ET | Closing