Astronomicon is back for another year! Find the convention April 10 through April 12, 2026 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest. We’re joined by founders and organizers Mike and Dustin to hear about the history, how the con is going, and what to look forward to this year.

Christina Fair has lots of titles: Founder of Reconnect, Co-founder of Hum, Entrepreneur in Residence at Ann Arbor SPARK, Executive Director of Detroit Executives Association, and board member of Bees in the D. She joins us this week to talk about her work across Detroit’s startup and community ecosystem, including Ann Arbor Spark, Michigan Founders Fund, and the Detroit Executives Association. Christina explains Bees in the D’s urban rooftop hives, Meijer honey distribution, and Detroit City Distillery collaborations. She describes common startup challenges—especially people and leadership gaps—contrasting Midwest “nice” with Silicon Valley’s fail-fast culture, and emphasizes finding complementary co-founders. They cover revenue vs exit-focused business models, AI-driven process automation in real estate, Hum’s pivot from move-event ISP strategy to an embedded internet-shopping widget, Detroit’s digital divide efforts, and the speed of AI-enabled prototyping.

Our guest this week is Pete Martin, Director of Portfolio Management at Michigan State University Research Foundation. We talk about Michigan technology startups, including pitching and funding. Pete talks about his origin and some of the startups he finds interesting. We also take a look at why companies and people leave or ignore Michigan. Of course, we had to touch on the impact AI is having on startups. Finally, if you’re looking for a new gig, check out the MSU Research Foundation job board.