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July 15, 2025

MSU Research Foundation Welcomes Seven Startups to Incubator Facilities

(April-June 2025) The MSU Research Foundation welcomed seven startup businesses to incubator facilities in East Lansing and Grand Rapids. Companies specializing in industries, from cancer therapeutics to AI-powered cybersecurity, add to the region’s growing high-tech innovation ecosystem.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 14, 2025) — Seven startup companies joined MSU Research Foundation incubators in East Lansing and Grand Rapids between April and June 2025

Joining the startup community at the Technology Innovation Center (TIC) in downtown East Lansing are:

  • Housetable: Provides software that helps banks and credit unions manage home renovation and construction loans, with tools for valuations, risk analysis, and payment tracking.
  • IOPRO: Develops a contact lens with an embedded micro-coil that senses changes in eye pressure, helping doctors diagnose eye conditions, adjust treatments, and monitor recovery over time.
  • Joule Therapeutics: Develops light-activated drugs for use in photodynamic therapy to treat triple negative breast cancer and other types of cancer.
  • Sawport: Builds software for banks and credit unions to connect in-person services with online tools, allowing customers to interact with their financial institution digitally or at a branch.
Joining the startup community at the VanCamp Incubator in East Lansing are:
  • BRCE: Develops lightweight sports gear using strong, flexible materials to make products like shoelaces and other athletic accessories.
  • Xmore AI: Builds AI tools that help businesses automate cybersecurity tasks by detecting and managing third-party risks through continuous monitoring and response.
Joining the startup community at The Bridge in Grand Rapids is:
  • Vanly: Helps van and RV travelers find and book overnight parking in urban areas—such as driveways, churches, and small business lots—with proximity to concerts, sporting events, and other city experiences.
“Michigan’s innovation ecosystem depends on more than great ideas—it needs places where those ideas can grow into lasting companies,” said Jeff Smith, Director of Research Parks at the MSU Research Foundation. “The companies joining us this quarter are choosing to stay, grow, and scale in Michigan because of the support this region provides.”
These incubator facilities are designed to support emerging companies and research groups, with comprehensive startup programming and services provided by the MSU Research Foundation:
  • The TIC provides a 7,000 square foot collaborative workspace and resources for tech startups in East Lansing, featuring 19 offices and two conference rooms. It is operated in partnership with the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and the Lansing Regional SmartZone.
  • VanCamp Incubator is located in Meridian Township, near Michigan State University, offering 22,000 square feet of office and wet lab space for life, bio, and physical sciences companies.
  • The Bridge incubator is situated on the fourth floor of the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building in Grand Rapids, offering 19,400 square feet of office space and collaborative work environments.
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