EAST LANSING and DETROIT, Mich. (Jan. 28, 2024) — The Michigan State University Research Foundation launched two Conquer Accelerator program cohorts, with a joint orientation held on January 27, 2025. The East-Lansing-based Conquer Finance and Insurance Accelerator, powered by MSUFCU, focuses on advancing innovation in the finance and insurance sectors. The Conquer Detroit Accelerator, in partnership with Henry Ford Health + MSU Health Sciences, targets healthcare and health tech businesses. Both programs will run concurrently through March 2025.
East Lansing Cohort: Finance and Insurance Innovation
Five startups advancing finance or insurance tech solutions were selected for the East Lansing program:
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Crux Analytics: A platform offering hyper-local insights to help financial institutions build stronger relationships with small business, enhancing business development, underwriting, and portfolio management.
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Housetable: A platform simplifying home improvement financing with advanced underwriting and risk assessment tools.
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Ribbon Financial: A platform that simplifies the inheritance process for financial institutions, improving deposit retention and customer experiences during wealth transfers.
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Salus Financial Technology: A platform providing emergency microloans based on cash flow data, along with financial wellness tools for individuals without prime credit scores.
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Sawport: An AI-powered virtual branch platform that enables financial institutions to provide remote services, with a focus on underserved global and domestic markets.
Detroit Cohort: HealthTech Solutions
Five startups were selected for the Detroit cohort, each addressing key challenges in healthcare and health technology. Each team was paired with an intern from the Conquer Accelerator Diversity in Entrepreneurship (CADE) program:
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Cura Collaborative: A caregiver coordination platform that engages family members, offers medical education, and tracks care data to improve communication and enhance patient outcomes. Joining Cura Collaborative is intern Aronor Chisholm, a Michigan State University senior studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
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DeNovo Fertility: An online platform combining personalized biochemistry insights, education, and community support to help individuals and couples enhance fertility. Joining DeNovo Fertility is intern Ciara Schuster, a Junior at Eastern Michigan University majoring in General Business with a focus on Business Analytics.
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EnquAIre: An AI-powered app that supports post-discharge care through increased patient interactions, recovery monitoring, and reduced hospital readmissions. Joining EnquAire is intern Sri Anandan, a Master’s student in Information Technology at Lawrence Technological University specializing in Business Analytics.
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Olivatte: A gamified educational app simplifying certification processes for medical professionals, with plans to expand to other certification-reliant industries. Joining Ollivate is intern Ankita Bhosale, a University of Michigan, Dearborn graduate student pursuing a Master of Science.
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EliteCare Technologies: A platform that helps outpatient clinics optimize billing for transitional care services through real-time updates on patient hospital admissions and discharges. Joining Elite Care is intern Vikalp Vinod Chaubey, a graduate student at Lawrence Technological University pursuing a Master of Science in Information Technology.
Comprehensive Support for Startups
Program benefits include:
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Expert presentations and targeted programming.
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Guidance on business development, fundraising, intellectual property, and market strategies.
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Goal-driven benchmarks tailored to each team.
“These cohorts represent a wealth of creativity and determination,” said Tom Stewart, Director of Venture Programming at the MSU Research Foundation. “We look forward to supporting these entrepreneurs as they develop and scale their innovative solutions.”
Continued Support After the Program
Upon completion, cohort teams join the Red Cedar Ventures portfolio, gaining access to ongoing mentorship, additional investment opportunities, and one-on-one coaching as they transition from startup to growth phases.
For more information about the Conquer Accelerator or to apply for the next cohort, visit msufoundation.org/conquer-accelerator.
This story was originally published by the Michigan State University Research Foundation.
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About the MSU Innovation Center:
The MSU Innovation Center combines research partnerships, technology transfer, and startup support for MSU faculty who aim to see their research applied to make the world a better place.
Composed of Business Connect, MSU Technologies, and Spartan Innovations, the MSU Innovation Center aims to amplify the impact of faculty research and drive economic growth while positively impacting society to solve real-world challenges with cutting-edge ideas.
Through mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with the private sector, we connect MSU faculty with companies for corporate-sponsored research collaborations. We also play a key role in facilitating the commercialization and public use of technologies and copyrightable materials, moving MSU’s innovations from the lab to the marketplace. Importantly, we provide significant support for faculty entrepreneurs in establishing startup companies based on technologies developed at MSU.