Ollivate Wins $425,000 at Detroit PitchMI Semifinal

LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 1, 2026) — Ollivate, a Detroit-based healthcare education technology company, won $425,000 after taking the top spot at the PitchMI Healthcare & Life Sciences Semifinal in Detroit on Oct. 1.

Led in partnership by the Michigan State University Research Foundation and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), PitchMI is one of the nation’s largest founder-focused startup competitions, designed to identify, support, and invest in some of Michigan’s most promising startups.

A $500,000 regional co-investment from Anchor Up Ventures, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, JM Longyear and ID Ventures increased each semifinal prize from $250,000 to $375,000. In Detroit, 20Fathoms, a Traverse City emerging venture fund, added another $50,000 to Ollivate’s award, bringing its total winnings to $425,000.

“For us, this funding means acceleration for things we couldn’t have done before,” said Josh Olson, co-founder and CEO of Ollivate. “This will allow us to put money back into the Michigan market, so we can hire people and do things here in Michigan and give back to the community.”

Rethinking how healthcare professionals learn
Ollivate develops gamified, mobile-first learning tools designed to make professional development, board preparation, and continuing education more engaging for nursing professionals.

The platform combines learning science with game mechanics such as short practice sessions, daily challenges, and interactive learning pathways to help nurses study consistently and retain complex clinical information over time.

Its offerings include board preparation and microcredentialing tools for registered nurses and student registered nurse anesthetists, including preparation for the CCRN and National Certification Examination. Ollivate also offers an AANA-approved continuing education platform that allows certified registered nurse anesthetists to earn Class A continuing education credits through short, mobile-friendly learning modules.

“There’s so much that we haven’t done yet with our product that we want to build, and this allows us to get there,” Josh Olson said. “I’m so excited to see where we go, and I’m so excited for our learners and what they’re going to be able to do.”

April Olson, co-founder and COO of Ollivate, and Josh Olson, co-founder and CEO, present Ollivate’s winning pitch before competition judges and the audience at the PitchMI Healthcare & Life Sciences Semifinal in Detroit.

“The investor community, MEDC, the MSU Research Foundation, and the resources they give us have been phenomenal,” said April Olson, co-founder and COO of Ollivate. “I’m part of Femology, which is a female startup school here in Detroit. To be in that ecosystem and to be building on behalf of women and with women is another example of what happens when people get into community and lift each other.”

The Detroit event was the fourth and final PitchMI industry semifinal held across Michigan. Ollivate joins Common Vector Robotics, Motmot, and OmegaCool at the statewide PitchMI Championship in spring 2027, where another $1 million will be awarded.

The Championship winner will leave PitchMI with $1.425 million in total funding.

Learn more about PitchMI at msufoundation.org/pitchmi.