We’re Building Something Special in Grand Rapids
This week our team heads to Grand Rapids Tech Week and Art Prize, but first some exciting updates and news.
One of the hardest things in entrepreneurship is to launch at the right time.
As entrepreneurs, we can never predict how markets or trends might change, and in the process of building an ecosystem, what might accelerate our collective momentum.
But there is something very special right now about building in Grand Rapids. The city was ranked the number one city on the rise nationally for careers by Linkedin, citing growth in tech, healthcare, and professional services. It's a place where private and public partnerships thrive. This week kicks off Grand Rapids Tech Week and the internationally renowned Art Prize, two anchor events in West Michigan.
Grand Rapids is also now home to Bamboo’s fastest growing entrepreneurship center. Our location at 2 Fulton is anchored by Start Garden, who’s hosting a Demo Day featuring 100 companies this week, and Midwest House whose December summit is coming up alongside our opening. All of our partners and collaborators are aligned on fostering density, supporting innovation, and welcoming back the creative arts and design community into our center (home to the former Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts).
While space and infrastructure are needed for an ecosystem to thrive, it’s really the people who lead the community and nurture an ecosystem’s success.
Today, we’re very excited to announce our Grand Rapids team.
Meet our Bamboo Grand Rapids Team
Community Director Matt Gira
We’re excited to welcome Matt Gira as our Community Director for Bamboo Grand Rapids. Matt is a founder who launched and ran a drone startup called Fathom (Techstars alum). Matt has spent the last five years working directly with entrepreneurs to help them generate revenue and launch at Yale’s Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking (Tsai CITY). He’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs learn to bootstrap, and shares his entrepreneurship advice here. Please help us give Matt a warm welcome back to Michigan with us!
Senior Manager of Events and Sales: Nicole LaRae Leech
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Nicole has built her career at the intersection of music, community, and live events. A longtime radio host on WYCE 88.1 fm, she has spent over 20 years championing independent artists through her weekly on-air programs.
Nicole’s event production journey began with local venues like Juke’s and The Pyramid Scheme, where she booked thousands of shows - ranging from grassroots showcases to national acts, festivals and community gatherings. She has helped shape cultural programming through projects like Grand Rapids Public Museum Concerts Under the Stars, Michigan House at SXSW, and her boutique record label, dizzbird records.
Most recently, Nicole served as Director of Programming and Production at the historic Kalamazoo State Theater, revitalizing its post-pandemic lineup with acts such as Json Isbell, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten, and Tig Notaro. She also continues to book talent at both of Bell’s venues in Kalamazoo.
Now joining Bamboo, Nicole is excited to bring her creativity, network, and deep love for connecting people through shared experiences back to her Grand Rapids community. She welcomes collaborations and new ideas for events that inspire and bring people together.
Identity & Marketing Consultant: Erin Wilson
A special thank you to Erin Wilson for being the first to join our Grand Rapids team, as an Identity & Marketing Consultant. Erin is leading the project of re-opening the 200 person movie theater and gathering spaces with us. We appreciate all your guidance and support on re-opening this special place for the greater creative community.
Thank you to our newest team members for helping us to accelerate our collective momentum in Grand Rapids, and for thoughtfully reopening the loved theater and art gallery venue again.
We’re Still Hiring: We’re seeking a Community Coordinator
We’re seeking our Community Coordinator to join us in November. This position supports the daily operations of a busy center interacting with our community. We will also have more positions opening up soon in 2026 and key vendor opportunities.
PS: Save the Date for our celebrations:
Midwest House Summit - Dec 3rd-4th
Bamboo Grand Opening - Dec 4th - details coming soon
For those considering traveling into Grand Rapids, we’re working with Midwest House on providing a bus from Ann Arbor and Detroit. Stay tuned for more details as we get through construction and onwards to opening.
If you’re in Grand Rapid’s this week, come say hello and see what we’re building at our Hard Hat Tours on Thursday, part of Grand Rapids Tech Week. Afterwards we’ll be at the Grand Impact, a community arts and tech takeover.