Earlier this month, venture capital firm Draper Triangle announced an investment of $10 million in Ann Arbor’s Pixel Velocity, with plans to quickly grow the company to take advantage of the rise of cloud technologies and Internet of Things applications. Jonathan Murray, Draper Triangle’s Michigan-based managing director, has taken a seat on Pixel Velocity’s board … Continue reading “Pixel Velocity Expands in IoT With $10M From Draper Triangle”
Author: Sarah Schmid Stevenson
Sarah is a former Xconomy editor. Prior to joining Xconomy in 2011, she did communications work for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan House of Representatives. She has also worked as a reporter and copy editor at the Missoula Independent and the Lansing State Journal. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Native American Studies from the University of Montana and proudly calls Detroit "the most fascinating city I've ever lived in."
Ann Arbor’s Warmilu Hopes to Save Preemies With High-Tech Blankets
Grace Hsia, CEO of the Ann Arbor, MI-based med tech startup Warmilu, was a pre-term baby. Now, she and her company are on a mission to help premature babies in developing countries survive, with the help of high-tech blankets. “Just over three years ago, we began as material science engineering students at the University of … Continue reading “Ann Arbor’s Warmilu Hopes to Save Preemies With High-Tech Blankets”
Commentary: TechTown’s Leslie Smith Leaving For New Gig in Memphis
I got the news that Leslie Smith, TechTown‘s CEO since 2011, was leaving for a new gig in Memphis through an invitation to her going-away party. I was promptly crushed. Not only has Leslie been a great source who’s always good for a no-b.s. quote, she’s also a person who has worked tirelessly to better … Continue reading “Commentary: TechTown’s Leslie Smith Leaving For New Gig in Memphis”
U-M’s Michigan Business Challenge Awards Top Student Startups
The Michigan Business Challenge, the University of Michigan’s annual business competition for innovative, student-led startups, ended Friday after a four-month process. More than $129,000 in grants and prizes went to the winners, including Applebaum Dare to Dream and Mayleben Venture Shaping grants. New this year was a social impact track, which organizers hoped would attract … Continue reading “U-M’s Michigan Business Challenge Awards Top Student Startups”
MagicBook App Transforms Reading into an Active, 3D Endeavor
These days, it seems kids learn how to operate their parents’ iPads before they learn to read—and that can be problematic, says Marjorie Knepp, co-founder of Ann Arbor, MI-based augmented reality startup MagicBook. After all, how can a set of bound pages possibly compare to a gadget that produces colors, sounds, games, cartoons, and movies? … Continue reading “MagicBook App Transforms Reading into an Active, 3D Endeavor”
MI Roundup: U-M, Duo Security, MGCS, NVCA, Grand Circus
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: — After repeatedly hearing from business owners who need more employees with .NET expertise, software guru Bill Wagner is teaming with Grand Circus to offer a .NET bootcamp this spring. Having .NET skills is critical for developers working in the corporate world, Wagner says, and … Continue reading “MI Roundup: U-M, Duo Security, MGCS, NVCA, Grand Circus”
Civionics Wins Cash, Aims to Help Manufacturers Increase Profits
A University of Michigan spinoff startup was the big winner at the 15th Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship (ACE) event held in Ann Arbor, MI. Ten startups pitched as part of the ACE Challenge, and Civionics walked away with the $5,000 grand prize thanks to its embedded wireless-sensor technology. “We’re not the typical startup,” says Civionics … Continue reading “Civionics Wins Cash, Aims to Help Manufacturers Increase Profits”
Start Garden Expands to Keep Up with Changing Grand Rapids Ecosystem
In 2012, Amway scion Rick DeVos launched Start Garden, a $15 million seed fund based in Grand Rapids, MI, that would support early-stage startups in $5,000 increments. Those startups would then be invited back a few months later to update the investors on their progress. If Start Garden liked what it heard, it awarded the … Continue reading “Start Garden Expands to Keep Up with Changing Grand Rapids Ecosystem”
MI’s Tech Industry Still Growing, Automation Alley Report Finds
Southeast Michigan’s tech industry continued to grow in 2014, and tech job creation in the region appears to remain on the rise. That’s according to Automation Alley, the Southeast Michigan business accelerator and association of technology professionals. The group announced the findings from its annual technology industry outlook today at a luncheon in downtown Detroit. The … Continue reading “MI’s Tech Industry Still Growing, Automation Alley Report Finds”
MI Kickstarter Report: Hardware Rules List of Top 5 Projects in 2014
Last week, I wrote about a Michigan-based company’s struggle to complete a 2013 Kickstarter project that raised more than $500,000 toward the development of Bluetooth headphones. Today, let’s focus on the best-funded tech-based Kickstarter projects across the state in 2014. Perhaps not surprisingly in a state that has given birth to so many world-changing machines, … Continue reading “MI Kickstarter Report: Hardware Rules List of Top 5 Projects in 2014”
With FDA Hold Lifted, Esperion Cholesterol Drug Heads to Phase 3
In 1998, Xconomist Roger Newton co-founded a company called Esperion Therapeutics and drove the development of atorvastatin (Lipitor), a blockbuster cholesterol-lowering statin drug that is reportedly the most widely prescribed medicine in the world. After ushering in the age of statins, Newton eventually sold Esperion to Pfizer for $1.3 billion in 2008. The deal represented … Continue reading “With FDA Hold Lifted, Esperion Cholesterol Drug Heads to Phase 3”
Sound Band Saga Continues After Redesign; Hybra Founder Not Worried
[Corrected on 4/25/16, 1:58 pm. See below.] In December, the calls and e-mails from concerned Sound Band backers started coming in once again. “Please, please do an update on Hybra,” read one e-mail, whose author asked to remain anonymous. “267 backers now formally want a refund. Considering that most people probably forgot about the project … Continue reading “Sound Band Saga Continues After Redesign; Hybra Founder Not Worried”
Coolhouse Labs Incubator to Expand to Ann Arbor, Offer More Funding
Coolhouse Labs, the incubator that has run a successful “summer camp” for startups for the past two years in Harbor Springs, MI, announced this week that it is planning to expand its operations to Ann Arbor next year, where it will host approximately 10 early-stage companies between January and April of 2016. Founder Jordan Breighner … Continue reading “Coolhouse Labs Incubator to Expand to Ann Arbor, Offer More Funding”
Linkner Announces New Business Leadership Venture Based in Detroit
Serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and Xconomist Josh Linkner today announced he is launching a new venture called Fuel Leadership in order to innovate something he considers to be woefully outdated: leadership development events. “Having spoken at many business events, I’ve seen how the general model is flawed,” he says. “The need for leadership is greater … Continue reading “Linkner Announces New Business Leadership Venture Based in Detroit”
Catching Up With Kidpreneur, and One of Its Kids, a Year Later
Last year, serial entrepreneur Thanh Tran launched a new venture to teach kids about Web design, coding, robotics, and the “lean startup” philosophy of entrepreneurship. In October, the company moved into a new office space in Wixom, MI, and Ben Seidman, Kidpreneur’s business and marketing manager, says things are booming. “Out here, we have more … Continue reading “Catching Up With Kidpreneur, and One of Its Kids, a Year Later”
Roundup: U-M, NextEnergy, Blackstone LaunchPad, Rockwell Medical & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —The University of Michigan is constructing a 32-acre mini-city to test driverless vehicles on the northern part ofcampus. Called M City, it will include a network of roads with up to five lanes, intersections, roundabouts, traffic signs and signals, sidewalks, bus facilities, benches, simulated buildings, … Continue reading “Roundup: U-M, NextEnergy, Blackstone LaunchPad, Rockwell Medical & More”
LevelEleven, AdAdapted, and Genomenon Win Google’s Detroit Demo Day
Three Detroit-area startups will vie for a spot in a pitch contest at Google’s California headquarters this spring, after winning the second annual Google Demo Day in downtown Detroit last Thursday. The winners, announced Monday, were LevelEleven, AdAdapted, and Genomenon. Of the three finalists, one company will be chosen in mid-February to head to Mountain … Continue reading “LevelEleven, AdAdapted, and Genomenon Win Google’s Detroit Demo Day”
Ford’s Silicon Valley Center Looks to Hire 125, Catalyze Company
Ford officially opened its Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, CA, on Friday. Although the automaker first announced the center two years ago, its mission has since solidified. In addition to building relationships with Silicon Valley “thought leaders,” says Ken Washington, Ford’s vice president of research and advanced engineering, the company’s researchers in Palo … Continue reading “Ford’s Silicon Valley Center Looks to Hire 125, Catalyze Company”
Fontinalis Invests in Cloud-Based Air Cargo Startup SmartKargo
Fontinalis Partners, the Detroit-based venture capital firm focused on next-generation mobility and transportation startups, announced this week that it has invested in SmartKargo, headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. SmartKargo was founded by MIT grads in 2013 to harness cloud computing, data analytics, and mobile devices in the management … Continue reading “Fontinalis Invests in Cloud-Based Air Cargo Startup SmartKargo”
Local Motors Looks to Disrupt Manufacturing with 3D-Printed Car
At this year’s edition of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), going on right now in Detroit, I saw a few things I hadn’t seen in previous years. One was the presence of bomb-sniffing dogs, thanks to a suspicious package left across the street from the auto show that was later determined to be … Continue reading “Local Motors Looks to Disrupt Manufacturing with 3D-Printed Car”
VC Activity in MI Nearly Doubled in 2014, Beating National Trend
Venture capital activity in Michigan nearly doubled in 2014, according to the MoneyTree report released last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). There was $219 million in venture capital invested in Michigan startups last year, compared with $111 million in 2013. Michigan’s rate of increase far exceeds the national average: 97 … Continue reading “VC Activity in MI Nearly Doubled in 2014, Beating National Trend”
Ventris Learning Aims to Close the Educational Achievement Gap
In the United States, a third of all fourth graders score below the basic level in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, a standardized test that assesses students in their knowledge of a variety of subjects, including reading, writing, math, history, and civics. Scoring particularly low were students in socioeconomically challenged urban school … Continue reading “Ventris Learning Aims to Close the Educational Achievement Gap”
Failure:Lab Offers Empowerment Through Personal Tales of Woe
Failure: We’ve all experienced it, and, in the startup world, failure is often seen as a necessary step on the path to success. But if it’s such a universal experience, why are we so reluctant to talk about it? Wouldn’t we all feel a little better if we knew our friends and neighbors struggle just … Continue reading “Failure:Lab Offers Empowerment Through Personal Tales of Woe”
Secure Beginnings Offers Air-Permeable Crib Mattress to Combat SIDS
My first, adorable-beyond-words niece was born November 30, and since then I’ve gotten a crash course on the modern rules of safe sleeping for infants. These days, they tell you to take all pillows and blankets out of the crib, lay newborns on their backs, and avoid letting them get too warm. It’s understandable why … Continue reading “Secure Beginnings Offers Air-Permeable Crib Mattress to Combat SIDS”
Invest Michigan Awards $375K to Four Tech Startups
Invest Michigan announced this week that it has invested $375,000 in four early-stage tech startups through the Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0. Invest Michigan is funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund and has $5.8 million earmarked for investment in high-tech startups with an additional $1 million dedicated to help universities transfer technology to the marketplace. “These … Continue reading “Invest Michigan Awards $375K to Four Tech Startups”
Vineyard Capital, Detroit Venture Partners Lead $5M Round for Reach Influence
Royal Oak, MI-based retail analytics firm Reach Influence announced yesterday that it has closed a $5 million funding round led by Vineyard Capital Group, which is based in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Detroit Venture Partners also participated in the round. Eric Green, CEO of Reach Influence, says the investment comes with an invitation to locate in … Continue reading “Vineyard Capital, Detroit Venture Partners Lead $5M Round for Reach Influence”
Wisely Expands Mission to Help Businesses Serve Their Best Customers
As I was driving through the Poconos on my way home from a holiday vacation last week, I flipped on NPR just in time to hear a Marketplace report on Wisely, the Ann Arbor-based startup that is on a new mission to cultivate relationships between customers and merchants. Wisely has been through a few iterations … Continue reading “Wisely Expands Mission to Help Businesses Serve Their Best Customers”
U-M Spinout 3D Biomatrix Secures U.S. Patent for Cell Culture Product
3D Biomatrix, the Ann Arbor, MI-based life science startup spun out of the University of Michigan in 2010, has finally secured a U.S. patent for the technology behind its hanging drop plates, which are used by researchers to grow cells in culture. It’s the first and only drop plate patent of its kind issued in … Continue reading “U-M Spinout 3D Biomatrix Secures U.S. Patent for Cell Culture Product”
Birdhouse Aims to Be Go-To App for Families Coping with Autism
[Corrected 1/5/15, 2:35 pm. See below.] Ben Chutz and Dani Gillman, co-founders of the Detroit-based startup Birdhouse for Autism, launched their company in 2012 because they were struggling to manage their daughter’s autism with the current tools available. For years, Gillman relied on paper notebooks, then a table she designed in Microsoft Word and printed … Continue reading “Birdhouse Aims to Be Go-To App for Families Coping with Autism”
Sisu Global Health Wins $250K Grant, Launches Indiegogo Campaign
Sisu Global Health, a Grand Rapids, MI-based medtech startup focused on making products for the developing world, launched an Indiegogo campaign last week to fund a training workshop in Zimbabwe that will teach doctors how to use its Hemafuse product. The company hopes to raise $45,000 by Jan. 16. So far, 20 donors have ponied … Continue reading “Sisu Global Health Wins $250K Grant, Launches Indiegogo Campaign”
Arborlight: LED-Based Skylights and Sunshine in Real Time
Cubicle World, that mythical place where many of today’s office workers dwell, can be very dreary. These cramped little warrens are often marked by a lack of windows, harsh lighting, stale air, and screwy temperatures—the air conditioning blasts in the winter; the heat roars in the summer. Functionality and affordability rule, and somewhere much farther … Continue reading “Arborlight: LED-Based Skylights and Sunshine in Real Time”
Snyder Creates New State Dept. of Talent and Economic Development
As its economy recovers from a decade-long slump, Michigan has become a place where the need for talent far outpaces the local workforce available to fill all of the open positions—nearly 82,000 job openings are currently listed on the state’s Pure Michigan Talent Connect website. The need for tech talent is particularly keen, and it’s … Continue reading “Snyder Creates New State Dept. of Talent and Economic Development”
Ann Arbor’s FarmLogs Closes $10M Series B, Plans New Premium Features
The Ann Arbor, MI-based ag tech startup FarmLogs announced today that it has raised a $10 million Series B round of funding. The round included repeat investors Huron River Ventures, Hyde Park Ventures, and Drive Capital, as well as new investment from Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator, and SV Angel. “It’s very exciting,” Vollmar … Continue reading “Ann Arbor’s FarmLogs Closes $10M Series B, Plans New Premium Features”
MCWT Aims to Make Michigan the Top State for Women in Technology
The tech industry has a well-known gender diversity problem, but in Michigan, there’s a group working to make the Great Lakes state a leader in terms of recruiting and inspiring women working in technology. The Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) began in 2000 as a networking organization for working women. Since then, it … Continue reading “MCWT Aims to Make Michigan the Top State for Women in Technology”
Great Lakes Ag Tech Business Incubator Seeks Farmer-Entrepreneurs
Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the nation after California, producing everything from blueberries to black beans to begonias. Now, organizers of a new startup accelerator want to add ag-tech software and equipment to that bounty. Called the Great Lakes Ag Technology Business Incubator, the non-profit program will be overseen by officials from … Continue reading “Great Lakes Ag Tech Business Incubator Seeks Farmer-Entrepreneurs”
Roundup: Delphinius Medical Technologies, Fontinalis, U-M, Detroit Labs
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Fontinalis Partners, a Detroit-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage mobility and transportation startups, has launched a new Special Venture Partner (SVP) program in an effort to enhance the firm’s capabilities and reach new markets. The SVPs will serve as advisors to Fontinalis portfolio companies. … Continue reading “Roundup: Delphinius Medical Technologies, Fontinalis, U-M, Detroit Labs”
Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit
If you’re looking for further validation that Detroit’s tech ecosystem is gaining respect in the eyes of the world, here it is: Ford, in partnership with global auto supplier Magna International and Verizon Telematics, will announce today that it is helping to bring the esteemed Techstars startup accelerator to the Motor City. Techstars Mobility will … Continue reading “Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit”
Plymouth Ventures Leads $4.5 Investment Round in CloudOne
Plymouth Ventures, the Ann Arbor, MI-based venture capital firm focused primarily on Midwestern companies, led CloudOne’s Series D round, valued at $4.5 million. CloudOne, based in Indianapolis, brings enterprise applications to the cloud and helps corporations figure out their place in the Internet of Things. The new investment will help the company grow its hybrid … Continue reading “Plymouth Ventures Leads $4.5 Investment Round in CloudOne”
Detroit’s Rockbridge Acquires Robb Report, Plans Digital Expansion
In most people’s minds, the words “luxury” and “Detroit” don’t immediately go together, but that could change soon: Rockbridge Growth Equity, a private equity firm founded by Dan Gilbert, has acquired Robb Report, arguably the world’s best-known lifestyle magazine dedicated to people for whom money is no object. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Detroit’s Rockbridge Acquires Robb Report, Plans Digital Expansion”
Can Data Visualization and Analytics Solve Detroit’s Transit Woes?
There’s a sign above the entrance to the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) building that says, “Through These Doors Pass Transit’s Best.” But ask any regular rider of Detroit’s city bus system how DDOT is functioning, and they would likely disagree with that optimistic motto. Detroit’s transit system has long had the reputation of being … Continue reading “Can Data Visualization and Analytics Solve Detroit’s Transit Woes?”
MSU, U-M Partner to Teach Kids About Genomics, Diversity, STEM Careers
Michigan State University and the University of Michigan will partner on a new program to teach middle schoolers in Detroit and Flint about genomics and evolution in the hopes that it will promote diversity and encourage students of color to pursue a career in science. The five-year program, which is being funded through a $1.2 … Continue reading “MSU, U-M Partner to Teach Kids About Genomics, Diversity, STEM Careers”
Venture Local Teaches Investors, Businesses About MI’s New Laws
Angela Barbash, the founder of Reconsider and Revalue, has made it her mission to help investors back small businesses in their own communities. Now, thanks to legislation enacted in October, Barbash has a new tool in her “locavesting” arsenal: A first-in-the-nation local stock exchange. Though details are still pretty sparse, House Bill 5273, which was … Continue reading “Venture Local Teaches Investors, Businesses About MI’s New Laws”
Seven Blackstone LaunchPad Ventures Win Best of MichBusiness Honors
Seven ventures from the Blackstone LaunchPad business development initiative at Walsh College in Troy, MI, have been recognized as up-and-coming startups by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA). As part of the MBPA’s Best of MichBusiness awards program, companies that make Michigan a good place to do business are honored. The LaunchPad program was created at … Continue reading “Seven Blackstone LaunchPad Ventures Win Best of MichBusiness Honors”
Roundup: NextEnergy, Start Garden, LLamasoft, Atterocor, U-M, More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —NextEnergy, the Detroit-based nonprofit driving the development of Michigan’s clean energy sectors, has officially launched NextChallenge, a business competition meant to inspire the development of innovative energy solutions. The challenge will address the unique lighting technology needs of Ford Motor Company and RecoveryPark, a major … Continue reading “Roundup: NextEnergy, Start Garden, LLamasoft, Atterocor, U-M, More”
Tricycle Collective Aims to Help Families Avoid Tax Foreclosure
The Wayne County tax auction is held every fall with the goal of getting blighted or otherwise neglected properties in Detroit, which have fallen into tax or mortgage delinquency, back into the hands of tax-paying homeowners. But many of those homes on the auction block still have people living in them, and some of those … Continue reading “Tricycle Collective Aims to Help Families Avoid Tax Foreclosure”
Hobson Acquisition Helps Zipments Prepare for Holiday Shoppers
Zipments, a New York City-based online delivery and “crowdsourced courier” service, is gearing up for a busy holiday season—and the company is hoping a market expansion and the summer acquisition of a same-day delivery service will pay off. In addition to New York, Zipments now operates in San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. As part … Continue reading “Hobson Acquisition Helps Zipments Prepare for Holiday Shoppers”
Ann Arbor SPARK Honors 15 Steadily Growing Michigan Companies
Ann Arbor SPARK, the nonprofit business development organization that offers incubation services to tech-based startups, has announced its FastTrack awards to recognize companies in the region that have demonstrated consistent growth. To be eligible for a FastTrack award, companies were required to have revenue of at least $100,000 in 2010, with an annual growth rate … Continue reading “Ann Arbor SPARK Honors 15 Steadily Growing Michigan Companies”
How Will the Auto Industry Capitalize on the Internet of Things?
The “Internet of Things” is a very broad term, but think of it this way: in the future, all of our devices could talk to one another, enabling new ways to interact with the world around us. According to ABI Research, there will be more than 30 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things … Continue reading “How Will the Auto Industry Capitalize on the Internet of Things?”
SBIR Award, $1M Investment Get ONL Therapeutics to Clinical Trials
ONL Therapeutics, a University of Michigan spin-out biopharmaceutical startup working on sight-preserving therapies for retinal diseases, announced today that it has won a $1.3 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award from the National Eye Institute. The SBIR funding will go toward the development of ONL101, a small-molecule peptide initially created for the … Continue reading “SBIR Award, $1M Investment Get ONL Therapeutics to Clinical Trials”
StreetShares: Social Lending By and For Military Veterans
We hear a lot of platitudes this time of year about supporting our troops and being thankful for the sacrifices of U.S. veterans. It’s an easy thing to say. Less easy is actually putting your money where your mouth is, but now, thanks to the StreetShares social lending platform, you can—in the form of investing … Continue reading “StreetShares: Social Lending By and For Military Veterans”