It takes more than just a celebrity chef and a few honeymoon suites to make truly memorable hotel. Behind the scenes, there's a world of integrated data, targeted messaging, and technologies that allow guests to customize their experience and actually make it more like home.
For independent inventors, it can be difficult accessing the necessary space and tools to make their ideas become a reality. Here in Grand Rapids, however, older and newer groups alike are providing 'makerspaces' for these individuals throughout the city, and GR is increasingly proving to be fertile ground for our city's inventors, designers and tinkerers.
Women are overwhelmingly outnumbered by men in the computing workforce. To foster support in a world that can often feel isolating, local female design leaders from companies like Visualhero, Atomic Object, Amway, and Infor are banding together as part of a group called Ladies That UX.
The Internet of Things is pushing the boundaries of technology, and West Michigan leaders have keen insights on a frontier that is revolutionizing the way the world interacts.
These West Michigan women are kicking butt and taking names. As business owners and entrepreneurs in male-dominated fields, they're proving there's no glass ceiling that can't be shattered.
Atomic Object is helping young minds experiment with new ideas and methods in the annual Atomic Games, where college students build artificially intelligent systems that can learn and master board games.
When it comes to products changing the state, country and world, West Michigan should not be overlooked. This area is a hub for an incredibly diverse group of companies that have their sights set on success, and their efforts are making the globe more environmentally friendly, a better place for those battling mental health issues, increasingly delicious, and an all-around more interesting place to be.
Even though minority-owned businesses in Grand Rapids have grown in number in recent years and organizations like Spring GR have arrived on the scene to support startups in underserved communities, entrepreneurs of color continue to face distinct challenges and longer odds, especially in the capital-intensive high-tech sector.
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