PlanetM brought Michigan’s mobility ecosystem to San Jose for TechCrunch Mobility on July 10, touting the many mobility transformations and developments taking place in the state. PlanetM sponsored two sessions focused on the ongoing collaboration between Michigan and Silicon Valley. 

Seun Phillips, managing director of PlanetM led a panel discussion that featured Alisyn Malek, COO and co-founder of May Mobility, Pauline Canteneur, business strategy analyst at FarmWise and Seth Winterroth, partner at Eclipse. The panelists discussed mobility trends and how they will impact the industry, innovative companies in Michigan, and the opportunities that await when Michigan and Silicon Valley team up to revolutionize the way we think about mobility-focused technology.

The PlanetM breakout session offered key insights into Michigan’s mobility ecosystem: the people, places and resources dedicated to the evolution of transportation mobility. Attendees had the opportunity to not only learn about the state’s mobility realm and the assistance programs, but also to connect with people and companies moving the world forward through technology innovation and collaboration - and how their businesses and startups can grow as a result of these collaborations.

Michigan was well-represented at the event. Alisyn Malek sat on a panel on Autonomous Robotaxis vs Shuttles, Ted Serbinski, Managing Director at Techstars Mobility, joined a panel discussion titled "Will Venture Capital Drive the Future of Mobility," and Ford’s CTO and Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering Ken Washington was featured in a session titled "Rebuilding the Motor City." Closing out the day was an exciting and close-to-home announcement from Michigan-based startup,Refraction AI, on its new autonomous delivery vehicle, "Goldilocks."