Detroit Latin Heritage Month Innovation Summit

Assembly Summit 2026 — From Thesis to Throughput September 30, 2026 · Detroit, MI Together with the Automotive News Congress, we’re bringing our 5th annual Assembly Summit back to Detroit on September 30, 2026. This year’s theme, From Thesis to Throughput, explores how founders, operators, and investors turn frontier technology into industrial reality. Join us for an afternoon of panels, live demos, and fireside conversations spanning the hidden champions of the industrial economy, the next frontiers of AI, space infrastructure, and embodied AI moving from lab to line. Expect candid conversations and practical company-building insights from across mobility, automotive, defense, space, and industrial AI. SEPTEMBER 30 — THE DAY AT A GLANCE 11:00 AM–12:30 PM | Private LP & Portfolio Session Invitation-only for Assembly LPs and portfolio companies. 11:00 AM: Doors open for the private session, including lunch and our annual Assembly LP Update. 12:30 PM: Private session concludes. 12:30–5:00 PM | Assembly Summit Open to all registered Summit guests. 12:30 PM: General-admission doors open. 1:00 PM: Summit & Partner Welcome, followed by panels, live demos, and fireside conversations. 5:00 PM: Summit programming concludes. 5:00–7:00 PM | Summit Happy Hour Join us after the Summit for drinks and continued conversation. Learn more: summit.assemblyventures.com

Join us for an afternoon of pitches from 20 innovative startups, followed by a networking reception bringing together founders and Detroit’s broader innovation ecosystem across industry, investment, and entrepreneurship. From 3:45 - 6:00 PM, we’ll showcase a delegation of Korean startups visiting Detroit in partnership with KOSME, Korea's SMEs and Startups Agency. Startups across Physical Industries, Health & Life Sciences, and Enterprise & AI will pitch their companies to a panel of investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem partners, with a focus on opportunities for partnerships, pilots, investment, and customer connections. Guests will also have the opportunity to hear feedback and insights from the judges and vote for their favorite startup pitches. At 6:00 PM, the event will open into a larger networking reception, also serving as the BorgWarner Pitch Day after-event. Stay to connect with the innovation ecosystem over light bites and refreshing beverages, with startups from both the KOSME Program and BorgWarner’s Pitch Day hosting tables where attendees can stop by, learn more about the companies, and continue conversations from the pitch showcase. Agenda:

Join the MSU Research Foundation and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for the PitchMI Healthcare and Life Science Semifinal, where five of Michigan's most promising startups will compete live for $250,000 in prize funding and the opportunity to advance to the PitchMI Championship for an additional $1 million. PitchMI is one of the nation's largest founder-focused startup competitions, designed to identify, support, and invest in Michigan's most promising early-stage companies. * Finalists will deliver a 7-minute pitch followed by a 5-minute Q&A with an accomplished panel of investors and industry leaders. * One startup will earn the $250,000 in prize funding and secure its place in the PitchMI Championship. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, student, researcher, business leader, or simply passionate about innovation, this event offers a front-row seat to the founders and technologies shaping Michigan's future.