ABOUT MIDDLE THIRDMiddle Third supports the professional workforce and entrepreneurs. From early stage startups, to mid-career professionals, we leverage our expertise to clarify complex situations and historic technology transitions by communicating strategies to help people understand and access opportunities that generational change provides.
With a track record of success in driving change, Middle Third is a woman-owned consultancy based in Detroit, Michigan focused on supporting the professional workforce at the intersection of existing industry and new technology, taking a data informed approach to place based economic development. We are guided by the notion that setting context answers the question of why. It gives power to purpose. Shifting someone’s context can change everything about their behavior. Context influences our focus and attention. Small changes in how someone more deeply understands the larger, more complex system or evolution they are supporting, can have huge ripple effects on the success of the bigger outcome. It may even present opportunities to leap ahead making some possibilities become more likely, while others, less. Our focus at Middle Third is to facilitate the process in which we help industry professionals clarify their context to empower their work and advance their career. We are the pebble that causes that ripple. |
MEET ALISYN
In tech it’s about creating products that can change the world. |
Public Speaker • Inspirational Leader • Agile Problem Solver
Alisyn Malek is a change maker in the mobility and automotive sectors whose profound knowledge and range of unique experiences sets her apart. Having led global organizations and startups, to driving investments and developing products and policy with society-wide benefits, Alisyn plays an active role leading, coaching and inspiring others to tackle complex challenges head on, more deeply understand the context of their discrete efforts, and provide effective solutions.
Founder and CEO of Middle Third, Alisyn provides context and clarity about the future of technology and the transition to innovation focused economies. Alisyn supports early stage mobility startups in clarifying their mission, coaches early to mid-career automotive professionals in understanding and accessing opportunities that generational change provides, and runs programming to support these career transitions at scale. Supporting Newlab, Alisyn launched an ecosystem focused approach to support early stage mobility founders in the Detroit market.
Prior, Alisyn was the Executive Director of the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility, a global initiative of c-suite leaders and former regulators with a mission to inform, shape, and advocate for policies that address the changing mobility landscape through a systems lens that is rooted in research and puts people first.
Founder and CEO of Middle Third, Alisyn provides context and clarity about the future of technology and the transition to innovation focused economies. Alisyn supports early stage mobility startups in clarifying their mission, coaches early to mid-career automotive professionals in understanding and accessing opportunities that generational change provides, and runs programming to support these career transitions at scale. Supporting Newlab, Alisyn launched an ecosystem focused approach to support early stage mobility founders in the Detroit market.
Prior, Alisyn was the Executive Director of the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility, a global initiative of c-suite leaders and former regulators with a mission to inform, shape, and advocate for policies that address the changing mobility landscape through a systems lens that is rooted in research and puts people first.
Author of Intersection: Reimagining the future of mobility across traditional boundaries, Alisyn’s bold vision for the world’s transportation systems is brought to bear as she sheds light on the broad variety of changes the mobility sector is currently undergoing to improve how people and goods move. She has been a venture scout for Cleo Capital and currently serves as a Mentor-in-Residence for faculty startups at the University of Michigan.
Alisyn’s unparalleled understanding of how automotive and innovative technologies work together inspired her to co-found May Mobility in 2017, building an autonomous vehicle transportation solution that would solve urban transportation challenges ahead of the competition. As COO, she grew the company from laboratory concept to operations in three states and set a strong pipeline for growth in less than three years creating the finance, marketing, sales, customer support and field operations teams. She also led successful fundraising efforts, bringing in more than $83M from investors such as Toyota Motor Company, BMW iVentures, Trucks Venture Capital and Y Combinator.
Alisyn’s unparalleled understanding of how automotive and innovative technologies work together inspired her to co-found May Mobility in 2017, building an autonomous vehicle transportation solution that would solve urban transportation challenges ahead of the competition. As COO, she grew the company from laboratory concept to operations in three states and set a strong pipeline for growth in less than three years creating the finance, marketing, sales, customer support and field operations teams. She also led successful fundraising efforts, bringing in more than $83M from investors such as Toyota Motor Company, BMW iVentures, Trucks Venture Capital and Y Combinator.
Before that, during her time at GM Ventures leading investments across electrification, connected vehicles, mobility and autonomy, one of the most notable activities Alisyn spearheaded was the acquisition of Cruise Automation. Her efforts helped further accelerate GM's development of autonomous vehicle technology, as featured in Driven- the race to create the autonomous car.
Alisyn began her career as an engineer working on electric vehicle charging technology at General Motors before moving to their corporate venture arm. She held roles as a design release engineer and vehicle systems engineer for advanced charging systems. She helped pioneer advanced electric charging standards globally, and holds two patents from this work, as well as research published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in their conference proceedings.
Alisyn’s desire to support the automotive sector’s professional workforce took root early in her career. From course work throughout her master’s program, the Energy Systems Engineering Masters at the University of Michigan, to published papers and public speaking engagements on the importance of worker retraining and development, to working in various industry settings, it’s been a part of her professional journey and personal passion since day one.
Alisyn has been recognized as a Notable Leader in EVs by Crain's Detroit in 2022, received the University of a Michigan Department of Integrative Systems + Design (ISD) Alumni Merit Award in 2020, was named an Automotive News All Star in 2019, a top ten female innovator to watch by Smithsonian in 2018 and named a top automotive professional under 35 to watch by LinkedIn for her work in cutting-edge product development and corporate venture.
Alisyn began her career as an engineer working on electric vehicle charging technology at General Motors before moving to their corporate venture arm. She held roles as a design release engineer and vehicle systems engineer for advanced charging systems. She helped pioneer advanced electric charging standards globally, and holds two patents from this work, as well as research published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in their conference proceedings.
Alisyn’s desire to support the automotive sector’s professional workforce took root early in her career. From course work throughout her master’s program, the Energy Systems Engineering Masters at the University of Michigan, to published papers and public speaking engagements on the importance of worker retraining and development, to working in various industry settings, it’s been a part of her professional journey and personal passion since day one.
Alisyn has been recognized as a Notable Leader in EVs by Crain's Detroit in 2022, received the University of a Michigan Department of Integrative Systems + Design (ISD) Alumni Merit Award in 2020, was named an Automotive News All Star in 2019, a top ten female innovator to watch by Smithsonian in 2018 and named a top automotive professional under 35 to watch by LinkedIn for her work in cutting-edge product development and corporate venture.