The Capital Area Startup Studio supports founders in building tech-enabled businesses that grow our regional innovation ecosystem. The program includes both an incubator for a small group of founders with hands-on support and a series of public events on a variety of topics from low-code/no-code training and AI enablement to general business topics to help small businesses excel.
Free, Public Events to Help You Get From Idea to Reality and to Infuse Tech Into Your Business.
This past year’s events:
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.