TechTown proudly salutes NextEnergy for its designation as Michigan's first, and only, charging electric vehicle charging station. The non-profit is poised to announce a full plan Thursday but a sneak peak of the news, and the potential it holds for the state and the 12-block TechTown corridor, is available over at Xconomy.com.

TechTown Senior SmartStart Support leader Ebony Johnson takes on the added challenge of representing Detroit's largest small business incubator as the incoming secretary for the Michigan Business Incubator Association. Congratulations Ebony.

NextCAT, a biodiesel startup in the SmartStart accelerator program at TechTown, was awarded $150,000 from the National Science Foundation and an additional $25,000 in matching funds from the State of Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund. The company’s already succeeded in raising $100,000 this year—S50,000 from the Michigan Microloan Fund and $50,000 from the First Step Fund. NextCAT is commercializing a biofuel catalyst using Wayne State University technology that will dramatically decrease the cost of biofuel.