a document directly into the InfoReady interface, so users can work within the platform they’re comfortable with. The program then strings together a cohesive report from the items users posted.
“If you’ve used LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail, then you should not need any training on InfoReady,” Kulkarni says.
The InfoReady platform also keeps all the content its engine picks up, as well as that which users submit, in a resource library to enable collaborators to quickly access and reuse items in reports. It also provides tracking and analytics to monitor who performed which task.
Ultimately, the software, which is available for a monthly subscription rate per user, could serve those working in sectors such as intellectual property surveillance, healthcare, and human resources—for example, helping to bring life to the job search process, he says. “The whole matchmaking science is something that’s missing, and the collaboration around that is missing,” he says. InfoReady could also work to match investors and entrepreneurs, he says.
InfoReady has raised about $1 million in seed funding, from Ann Arbor Spark’s Michigan pre-seed fund, Automation Alley’s seed fund, First Step Fund, and angel investors including Terry Cross. The startup is also planning a quick follow-on round in the neighborhood of $2 million, Kulkarni says. The near-term focus for the 11-employee company is viral marketing and sales to really nail the grants space, he says, before going out to raise a venture capital round later next spring or summer.
“The reason I’m taking this route is the market is still very cautious,” he says. “I don’t want to paint a big picture. I want to get further along.” The firm has also introduced a second application (still in stealth mode, but in the HR space) for its software, which has already attracted some customers. And InfoReady has gotten some interest from large information management and integration software firms for strategic investments, so we’ll have to be on the lookout for what names show alongside the startup.
