STATE OF TECHNOLOGY
Tech Strategy Progress Greater Grand Rapids’ technology sector is gaining momentum as early investments pay off and the region lays new groundwork for the decade ahead. Employment in the tech sector is growing. Software developers now comprise the largest share of tech jobs across the region, and venture capital investment activity has already surpassed that of 2025. That momentum extends beyond the numbers. Institutions and companies across the region are expanding, investing in, or relocating their tech operations here. Grand Valley State University will soon break ground on its Blue Dot Lab. Meanwhile, HealthBridge Financial invested $17 million in new office space for its fintech operation, and Michigan Capital Network raised a $100 million fund aimed at emerging defense technologies. These accomplishments come during a time when the global technology industry has experienced significant disruptions and advanced technologies have reshaped how companies operate and how people work. Greater Grand Rapids meets this moment as an applied technology hub, with sophisticated technology integrated throughout the region's advanced manufacturing and life science industries. Companies outside the traditional tech sector continue to adopt, and in some cases build, software and hardware solutions that are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence. Upticks in job postings for tech and AI-related positions suggest increased momentum in the regional job market. This report analyzes trends in tech hiring, adoption, capital investments, and initiatives shaping the region’s technology sector five years into the ten-year strategy.
38,326 2026 TECH JOBS (PROJECTED) 752 TECH JOBS ADDED FROM 2025 TO 2026 2,957 TECH JOBS ADDED SINCE STRATEGY LAUNCH 6.0% TECH JOB CONCENTRATION
In 2021, The Right Place, alongside strategic partners from across Greater Grand Rapids, announced a strategy to position the region as the Midwest’s leading hub for technology. Globally, the tech industry experienced disruptions through 2025. Greater Grand Rapids' tech sector was not immune to these impacts, which are reflected in the data. Despite these headwinds, projections show Greater Grand Rapids on pace to add tech jobs in 2026 .
TECH JOBS PROGRESS TO DATE:
ESTIMATED PROJECTED
06
Source: Lightcast (2025 estimated, 2026 projected)
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