Vince Nystrom, Managing Director of Outdoor Innovation Fund, InvestUP

Venture Capital in Rural Regions
Date - December 18, 2023, 5:30 pm
Topic - 
Sponsor - UP Health Systems Marquette

Vince Nystrom is the Managing Director of the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund, a $3 million investment fund powered by InvestUP, dedicated to fostering early-stage startups in outdoor innovation and recreation technology across Michigan. The fund
will invest in Michigan based startups innovating new technology in outdoor recreation.  Originally from Marquette, Vince is a 1989 graduate of Marquette Senior High School. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Michigan State University and worked for a decade in the
manufacturing sector with an emphasis on automation, robotics, and machine vision. This experience included working for a fortune
100 company, a high-tech NASDAQ firm, and a technology start-up where he designed automation systems and installed equipment in facilities all over the country.  Vince entered the economic development sector in 2002 with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as the Director of Technology Business Development with MEDC’s Entrepreneurial Team. This work focused on sector acceleration strategies and early-stage company support programs including the launch of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, SmartZones, university initiatives, Technology Tri-Corridor Fund, and other start-up investment initiatives.
Vince joined Ann Arbor SPARK in 2008 as the Vice President, Business Development. In this role, he led the Ann Arbor region’s business development activities for retention, expansion, and attraction. Experiences also include serving as the Program Director for Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance between Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University to transform, strengthen and diversify Michigan’s economy. He developed and managed URC programs focused on industry engagement,
university partnerships, and economic development-related initiatives. Returning to the MEDC in 2012 as Vice President of Strategic Accounts, Vince managed the statewide business development team and led the creation and launch of Michigan’s Pure Michigan Business
Connect initiative.  Vince returned to the private sector in 2016 as a partner at Renaissance Venture Capital Fund.  Renaissance invests in venture capital funds and startups with the goal of profitable investing and driving the growth of regional venture capital investment. He led the connection of Michigan start-up companies with national venture capital funds, generating over $2.3 billion in venture investment in Michigan. The role also included serving as a bridge for innovation and customer connections between Renaissance’s venture and start-up investments to Renaissance corporate investors/partners.