Capital Area Startup Studio

Free, Public Events to Help You Get From Idea to Reality and to Infuse Tech Into Your Business.

The Startup Studio helps participants accelerate their path from idea to launch with cutting-edge tools, low-code/no-code training, and hands-on mentorship. Through public workshops and an exclusive cohort experience, participants gain the practical skills to design, prototype, and launch a minimum viable product (MVP).

Whether you’re an aspiring founder, community leader, creative problem-solver, or someone curious about bringing a new idea to life, this program is built for you. Ideal participants are those who are ready to learn, collaborate, and take tangible steps toward building something real. No coding background required.

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CASS Informational Session

Informational Session for Year 3 of the Capital Area Startup Studio 
September 17, 2026 | 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm 
MSU Federal Credit Union 
311 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
7th Floor (L7)

Founders Day 🚀
June 17, 2026
Local tech founders came together to meet someone new and learn how to grow their business!​

Bringing Your Online Business to Life with Jeff McWherter
April 8, 2026
5:30-6:30 PM | East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, 300 Room
Part of 517 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week

That’s it, I’ve Had Enough, I’m Starting My Own Company with Jeff McWherter
April 6, 2026
12:00-1:00 PM
Part of 517 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week

Are You Ready to Raise Venture Capital?
March 11, 2026
Featured expert, Bryce Kaiser, worked with founders to determine is if their company was ready for investment.

Making Your App Secure and Personalized
February 11, 2026
How apps authenticate users and how AI can scaffold secure login flows. After covering fundamentals like variables, logic, and deployment, we dove into how to add a “Login with Google” button to your project.

Legally Setting Your Business Up for Success
January 14, 2026
How to legally set up your early-stage business for success and do things the right way.

Building Your First AI-Powered Web App
December 17, 2025
Kicking off the workshop series with learning how modern AI tools assist in building functional applications without complex coding.

How Thoughtful Brand Building Can Increase Sales and Enable Your Success
November 19, 2025
Gerald Westlund from Theory + Practice (a local branding agency) walked through frameworks, questions, and resources that founders could use to build a brand they are proud of.