Great Lakes Angels has formed a partnership with intellectual property law firm Rader, Fishman & Grauer to help create more synergies and efficiencies with the start-ups backed by the group of local angel investors.
"It's more beneficial now than it was 3-4 years ago," says David Weaver, chairman & president of
Great Lakes Angels. "Now we are supporting companies."
The Bloomfield Hills-based
Rader, Fishman & Grauer has offices in Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley and Tokyo. The firm will help the start-ups in the Great Lakes Angels portfolio sort through the patent process and make sure their intellectual property is protected and in order. It will also help them make connections around the world.
Weaver began revamping Great Lakes Angels, based in Bloomfield Hills, over the last year. He hopes to have its membership up to 25-30 wealthy individuals by the end of the year. He is planning to not only capitalize on the region's wealth -- Oakland County is one of the Top 5 wealthiest counties in the U.S. -- but also its proximity to Canada by forming partnerships with business people in Ontario.
"We need more people in this space," Weaver says.
Source: David Weaver, chairman & president of Great Lakes AngelsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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