Technology for Good: Dug Song on Shaping a Better World Through Innovation and Impact (Part 2)

As Michigan reclaims its identity as a hub of American innovation, the next industrial revolution looks far different from the assembly lines that once defined it. New initiatives like the forthcoming University of Michigan Innovation Center, alongside grassroots movements such as  Black Tech Saturdays, are powering that resurgence. Together, they reflect a statewide belief that technology can build communities and create opportunity for all. According to Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report, Detroit is now one of the top emerging startup ecosystems in the world, underscoring its accelerating momentum in innovation and impact.

At a time when automation and AI continue to reshape industries, can technology be the tool that rebuilds communities, expands opportunity, and ensures shared prosperity in the next era of American innovation?

In Part 2 of this three-part series on DisruptED, host Ron J. Stefanski continues his deep-dive conversation with Dug Song, the co-founder of Duo Security and Founder of Song United. Building on Part 1’s exploration of how technology can be a force for good, this installment shifts the focus to how that vision is taking shape across Michigan’s growing tech ecosystem. Stefanski and Song examine Detroit and Ann Arbor’s shared momentum, the role of social capital in driving inclusive growth, and how community initiatives are redefining innovation and impact in real time.

Key Points of Conversation:

• Social capital as the missing link: Michigan is rich in human, intellectual, and cultural capital, but Song argues that social capital — the networks and trust that connect people — is what truly drives innovation.
• Inclusive investment and ecosystem building: Dug’s post-Duo mission is to invest in underrepresented founders, community-led organizations, and policy reforms that foster equity in tech and venture capital. He believes lasting innovation requires businesses to reinvest in the communities where they operate, creating shared prosperity across Michigan’s economy.
• Detroit’s global momentum: Detroit’s growing startup ecosystem, bolstered by Ann Arbor’s research and talent base, illustrates how the two cities function as a single innovation corridor. Together, they position the region as one of the world’s fastest-emerging tech hubs — proof that innovation and impact can scale together.

Dug Song co-founded Duo Security, one of the most successful cybersecurity startups in U.S. history, and was later acquired by Cisco in 2018. He now focuses on driving inclusive innovation through strategic investment, philanthropy, and policy advocacy across Michigan’s growing tech ecosystem. As a lifelong advocate for entrepreneurship and community building, Song has supported Black Tech Saturdays and invested in over fifty venture funds. Many of those funds are led by underrepresented founders, helping shape Michigan’s path toward a more equitable innovation economy.