SURGE powered by Lakeshore Advantage

10/22/2026

We’re excited to cheer on SURGE member as Ryan Hoffman takes the stage tonight at Start Garden 100 Demo Day!

Demo Day brings together founders from across West Michigan to showcase what they’ve been building, connect with the startup community and compete for investment.

Whether you will be there in person or in spirit - be sure to support Wardian and all the other entrepreneurs building what’s next in West Michigan.



More info: https://vist.ly/5pjgn

10/22/2026

More automation. More opportunity. More growth in West Michigan.

Convergix Automation Solutions is expanding its Michigan footprint with a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Holland, creating additional capacity to meet growing customer demand and new opportunities for skilled talent.

The expansion marks Convergix's fourth Michigan location and further strengthens the Lakeshore region's growing advanced manufacturing and industrial automation ecosystem.

With deep engineering expertise, a skilled workforce and a strong network of manufacturers and technology partners, West Michigan continues to demonstrate why it's a place where innovative companies choose to grow.

Congratulations to the Convergix team on this exciting next chapter!

Read more here:

Convergix Automation Solutions, Industrial Solutions Division, is pleased to announce the expansion of its Michigan footprint with a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Holland, Michigan.

10/15/2026

A great opportunity can be worth the trip.

SURGE is introducing STAR Funding, a new resource helping founders get in the room with potential customers, partners, and industry connections beyond West Michigan.

Eligible companies may receive up to $1,500 toward conference and trade show participation, including registration fees, booth fees, and other event-related costs.

Have an event on your radar that could help move your company forward? SURGE members connect with Nora VandenBrink to learn more about eligibility and how to get started.

10/08/2026

Big milestone for a Lakeshore startup.

Congratulations to Sharp and Flat on receiving Medicare approval for Theraplaying, an important step in bringing its neurorehabilitation platform to more patients.

The milestone creates a reimbursable clinical pathway for Theraplaying and helps open the door to broader adoption by clinicians, referral partners and healthcare systems.

Over the past year, James Lenger and his team has moved Theraplaying from peer-reviewed research to clinical implementation, hospital referral relationships and now Medicare approval.

This is what startup momentum looks like.

Congratulations to the Sharp & Flat team on another major step forward.

Read more: https://vist.ly/5mkjj

A major commercial milestone for Sharp & Flat. Our Theraplaying platform has received Medicare approval, marking an important step in our transition from clinical innovation to a scalable healthcare business. For Sharp & Flat, this milestone goes well beyond reimbursement. It strengthens the infrast...

10/06/2026

A big thank you to Jack Ogilvie of for joining us at SURGE for last week’s Lunch & Learn!

Jack took us into the changing world of search, from SEO to AEO, and shared some great insight into how AI is changing the way people find businesses online and what we can do to keep up.

He is incredibly dynamic and made a complicated, fast-moving topic easy to understand, with practical tools and ideas our members can actually use.

That kind of expertise is especially valuable for our SURGE members, many of whom are building a business while also managing the website, marketing, sales, operations and everything else that comes with it.

Thanks, Jack, for spending time with our founders and sharing so much with us!

09/21/2026

What a way to celebrate 10 years of Lakeshore innovation...

Our event last Friday brought a packed and diverse crowd to The Next Center during Tech Week GR to celebrate the founders, companies and community that have shaped a decade of entrepreneurship on the Lakeshore.

From the story of the Holland SmartZone and SURGE to the milestones founders are reaching today, the afternoon was a reminder of what can happen when a community invests in ideas and in the people building them.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate, connect and look ahead.

Dream big. Keep building here. Stay energized.

Learn more about The Next Center, SURGE, and Lakeshore Advantage: https://vist.ly/5jb8j

09/21/2026

More investment is flowing into Michigan’s food and agriculture economy — including right here on the Lakeshore.

Congratulations to two local businesses receiving funding through the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development’s latest round of grants:

Big Bear Honey | Zeeland + Gavin Orchards | Coopersville

These investments are another example of the momentum behind the Lakeshore’s growing food production and agribusiness cluster. With 200+ food processors across our region, the Lakeshore has the agricultural roots, manufacturing expertise and supply chain infrastructure to help food businesses grow.

From farm to production floor, food is big business on the Lakeshore — and it’s growing.

Learn more about the latest Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development - MDARD investments →

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: MDARD Awards Latest Grants to Boost Agricultural Production and Strengthen Michigan Food Systems

09/15/2026

There’s still time to register, but space is filling fast!

Reserve your spot for this Friday’s Built Here: Celebrating 10 Years of Lakeshore Startups at The Next Center as we celebrate the founders, ideas and companies that have grown right here on the Lakeshore — and what’s next.

Join us → https://vist.ly/5ik4v

09/11/2026

What happens when one mom sees a problem—and decides to build a better solution?

For Liz Hilton of Swaddelini, it became Swaddelini: a seamless 3D-knit swaddle designed to give babies a secure, comfortable fit while using an innovative manufacturing process that reduces fabric waste.

Swaddelini reached millions of moms through a viral TikTok moment, and in 2026, Forbes Vetted named its Organic Cotton Sleep Sack Best Organic Swaddle.

But we especially love what comes next: continuing to grow a Michigan-made product and manufacturing story right here on the Lakeshore.

Invented here. Knit here. Recognized nationally.

Swaddelini is one of the founder stories we’re celebrating during Tech Week as we look back on 10 years of Lakeshore startups—and ahead to what they’re building next.

Join us for Built Here: Celebrating 10 Years of Lakeshore Startups and help us celebrate the founders, ideas and companies that have grown from right here → https://vist.ly/5i52v

09/08/2026

The SURGE community is showing up for Tech Week Grand Rapids.

Tech Week is all about bringing West Michigan’s tech and innovation community together to share ideas, open doors and learn from one another—and we love seeing so many members and friends of the SURGE ecosystem on this year’s lineup.

We’ll be kicking off our own celebration with Built Here: Celebrating 10 Years of Lakeshore Startups, looking back at a decade of entrepreneurship on the Lakeshore and celebrating the founders who have helped build what comes next.

Join us: https://vist.ly/5hqy3

You’ll find plenty of familiar SURGE faces throughout the week at other events as well:

⚡ Don’t Overthink It, Just Build: Your First AI Agent — -ai-llc
⚡ The Human Advantage —
⚡ Beyond the Hustle — and Washington Avenue Advisors
⚡ Tech Week Tee Time — Michigan Capital Network
⚡ AI Impact 2026: From Proof to Production — Mutually Human
⚡ Where AI Actually Works (and Where It Doesn’t) — NextPoint Studio + Audio Radar of

One week. A whole lot of ideas. And a pretty great showing from the people building, experimenting and growing right here in West Michigan.

See all events here: https://vist.ly/5hqy6

See you at Tech Week GR!

Celebrating 10 years of Lakeshore startups and innovation.