Maybe this holiday weekend you’re joining the 40 million Americans who go camping each year. Those of us who love the great outdoors know that camping web sites and apps are desperately in need of innovation—many look like they were designed in the 1990s and often don’t have complete information. CampThat, which just opened up … Continue reading “CampThat Web App Helps Campers Connect With Campgrounds, Each Other”
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."
A Detroit Entrepreneur Transforms Tragedy Into Life-Saving Inventions
Orlando Robinson has always been a tinkerer. Growing up near Schoolcraft and Greenfield on the west side of Detroit, he was the kind of kid who dismantled electronics just to reassemble them for fun. He graduated from high school early, enrolled at Wayne State University at age 16, and landed in Iraq with the U.S. … Continue reading “A Detroit Entrepreneur Transforms Tragedy Into Life-Saving Inventions”
Detroit’s Practice.Space Incubator Offers an Urban Redevelopment Trial Run
There’s a new business incubator in town called Practice.Space, and it’s targeted to mid-career professionals, new graduates, and others who are interested in playing a part in Detroit’s revitalization but aren’t sure where to begin. “The people we have in mind are maybe architects, lawyers, or graphic designers who want to make a pivot in … Continue reading “Detroit’s Practice.Space Incubator Offers an Urban Redevelopment Trial Run”
Michigan VC Roundup: Good News Abounds
—The Detroit-based Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) announced its initial investment of $16.7 million in 20 Michigan companies has led to a return of nearly $300 million. Xconomist Chris Rizik, who is the fund-of-funds’ CEO, says it’s great when a plan works out. “We hoped ultimately that the money could be leveraged eight times, since … Continue reading “Michigan VC Roundup: Good News Abounds”
Rockwell Medical Snags $20M in New Financing
In May, we wrote about the Wixom, MI-based company Rockwell Medical, which disrupted the dialysis industry by being the first to develop, patent, and bring to market a dry acid mixing system for hemodialysis concentrate. Last week, the company announced it had secured $20 million in debt financing from Hercules Technology Growth Capital, which is based … Continue reading “Rockwell Medical Snags $20M in New Financing”
Wayne State Tech Transfer: New Leadership, New Programs, New Stability
In late May, the Wayne State University (WSU) announced Joan Dunbar would lead its technology commercialization efforts. She had already been serving in the position on an interim basis since the spring of 2012, when Harl Tolbert left the job after only a few months. Dunbar, the founding director of biotechnology development and biomedical innovation … Continue reading “Wayne State Tech Transfer: New Leadership, New Programs, New Stability”
Pure Michigan Social Entrepreneurship Challenge Awards $93K to 10 Startups
On Monday, the winners of the Pure Michigan Social Entrepreneurship Challenge were announced at the Entrepreneur Connect event in Lansing, MI. The statewide contest was hosted by Michigan Corps, the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and represents the nation’s first coordinated, public-private effort to advance social entrepreneurship. According to Elizabeth … Continue reading “Pure Michigan Social Entrepreneurship Challenge Awards $93K to 10 Startups”
Former Genzyme Exec Talks About His New Role as U-M Innovation Evangelist
Richard Douglas has long-standing ties to the University of Michigan. He went there for his undergrad degree in honors chemistry before getting his PhD at UC Berkeley and a job with the Boston-based life sciences company Genzyme, where he eventually rose to the position of senior vice president of corporate development. When Genzyme was purchased … Continue reading “Former Genzyme Exec Talks About His New Role as U-M Innovation Evangelist”
Ornicept: Bringing Big Data to Natural Resource Management
Russell Conard, co-founder of the Ann Arbor-based startup Ornicept, likes to describe himself as a computer scientist with a birding habit. Conard hooked up with Ornicept’s other co-founder, Justin Otani, who is the son of a wildlife biologist, while they were both attending Indiana University. The two wanted to know how scientists and researchers collect … Continue reading “Ornicept: Bringing Big Data to Natural Resource Management”
Bridging the Gap Between Ann Arbor and Detroit: A Proposition
The University of Michigan’s Office of Tech Transfer hosted its semi-annual Entrepreneurs Engage yesterday, and the turnout appeared to be even larger than the one held in February. The unconference format calls for the audience to suggest discussion topics, and then attendees spend about 45 minutes in each discussion—or they don’t. There are only a few rules: … Continue reading “Bridging the Gap Between Ann Arbor and Detroit: A Proposition”
IDInteract Lauches TechVets Training Program in Detroit
IDInteract, a Detroit-based social marketing and brand interaction startup we profiled in March, is launching a new internship/retraining program today geared toward U.S. veterans interested in learning new IT skills. Called TechVets, it’s open to anyone honorably discharged from the military with a background in basic programming. “We want them to have a little bit … Continue reading “IDInteract Lauches TechVets Training Program in Detroit”
Detroit Startup Rippld Finds New Life in Silicon Valley
On a recent rainy summer morning, Adrian Walker, co-founder of the Detroit and now San Francisco-based startup Rippld, described how he almost threw in the towel on the fledgling team-building network he built for creative professionals. It was December 2012, and Rippld was nearly out of money, behind schedule on its public launch, and had recently … Continue reading “Detroit Startup Rippld Finds New Life in Silicon Valley”
GM Opens Developer Portal Ahead of 4G Car Launch
People were buzzing at least week’s Telematics Update conference about the dawn of the 4G car, made possible starting in 2014 thanks to a partnership between General Motors and AT&T. In my informal, off-the record poll, executives running some of the world’s largest mobile technology companies said they considered it to be the biggest thing … Continue reading “GM Opens Developer Portal Ahead of 4G Car Launch”
365 Retail Markets on the Future of Vending Machines
Last month, the Troy, MI-based startup 365 Retail Markets scored a financing round led by Ann Arbor’s Plymouth Venture Partners for an undisclosed amount. Plymouth Management Company partner Jeff Barry says the fund was attracted to 365 because of its 300 percent annual growth rate. 365’s CEO, Joe Hessling, expects that explosive growth to continue because … Continue reading “365 Retail Markets on the Future of Vending Machines”
Can “Civic Hackers” Help the City of Detroit Make Business Run Smoother?
At last Saturday’s National Day of Civic Hacking pain pitch event, held at the Boll YMCA in downtown Detroit, I was hoping to see the place flooded with representatives from Detroit city government. After all, it was an event where government and nonprofit entities were invited to get up in front of a room full … Continue reading “Can “Civic Hackers” Help the City of Detroit Make Business Run Smoother?”
Get to Know Your College Town With Guidesmob’s Apps
When I was in college, back in the 1990s, new students curious about what their university’s town had to offer relied on the local alternative weekly newspaper’s annual guide to places to go and things to do. Published in late summer, some of the information in it was already outdated by mid-semester as restaurants and … Continue reading “Get to Know Your College Town With Guidesmob’s Apps”
Balanon Leaves Detroit Labs for Protean Payment
Last Friday morning, Xconomist Henry Balanon, co-founder and director of mobile at app development shop Detroit Labs, sent an e-mail through the Madison Building, Detroit Labs, and Bizdom e-mail lists telling respondents that, effective at the end of the workday, he was leaving the company he co-founded: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision because I’ve … Continue reading “Balanon Leaves Detroit Labs for Protean Payment”
Report: MI Graduates Starting Companies at Double the National Average
The University Research Corridor (URC), a partnership launched in 2006 by Michigan’s three major research universities, released a report today at the Mackinac Policy Conference detailing a sharp increase in entrepreneurial activity among its graduates. According to the report, alumni from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University are starting their own companies … Continue reading “Report: MI Graduates Starting Companies at Double the National Average”
Covaron Advanced Materials Secures Seed-Round Funding
The Ann Arbor, MI-based startup Covaron Advanced Materials, formerly known as Kymeira Advanced Materials, has secured $300,000 in seed funding from four investors: Houston’s Mercury Fund; Two Seven Ventures in Aspen, CO; Huron River Ventures in Ann Arbor; and the Detroit-based First Step Fund. Dave Hatfield, Covaron’s co-founder and CEO, says the company has created a … Continue reading “Covaron Advanced Materials Secures Seed-Round Funding”
Campus Commandos’ Adam Grant on Marketing to College Students
If you’re a certified geezer like I am (let’s say Generation X and older), then you have likely run into a brick wall when trying, at some point, to communicate with a Millennial. My big communication breakdown moment happened last spring, when my second cousin Tyler turned 16. He had exactly zero interest in rushing … Continue reading “Campus Commandos’ Adam Grant on Marketing to College Students”
International Caregiver Network, JEMS Tech Sign Mobile Health Deal
JEMS Technology, the Orion, MI-based mobile health company, announced late last month that it has signed a deal with the Southfield, MI-based International Caregiver Network (ICN) to offer JEMS’ remote monitoring platform to ICN’s network of home health and hospice care providers. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. JEM offers plug-and-play, real-time video … Continue reading “International Caregiver Network, JEMS Tech Sign Mobile Health Deal”
Girl Develop It’s Detroit Chapter Teaches Women to Code
It’s no secret that the tech world—in Detroit just as much as Silicon Valley or anywhere else, really—is a man’s world. Go to any local tech event to see the demographics play out. Even in a budding tech community like Detroit’s, which can be open and welcoming in its newness, female tech founders and CEOs … Continue reading “Girl Develop It’s Detroit Chapter Teaches Women to Code”
Bay Area’s TubeMogul Opens Detroit Office to Pursue Automotive Ad Dollars
TubeMogul, a Bay Area startup that runs a platform distributing pay-per-view video ads across the Internet, announced earlier this month that it is opening an office in downtown Detroit. TubeMogul joins companies like Twitter in setting up shop in Dan Gilbert’s Madison Building and deploying new technologies to chase Big Three ad dollars. TubeMogul’s Jen … Continue reading “Bay Area’s TubeMogul Opens Detroit Office to Pursue Automotive Ad Dollars”
Kiva’s Domestic Microlending Initiative Expands to Flint
Kiva Detroit, Kiva’s first domestic microlending initiative—and the country’s first community-led microlending program—spent its first year focused on expanding the social network of lenders and community volunteers on the ground actively recruiting small businesses in need of a loan. Now, Michigan Corps has replicated that model for the first time and launched it in a … Continue reading “Kiva’s Domestic Microlending Initiative Expands to Flint”
NYT: Chinese Automakers Building Detroit Presence
A story ran in Monday’s New York Times detailing the increasing presence of Chinese automakers in Detroit. Though the headline suggested the Chinese companies were establishing their American outposts “quietly,” Xconomy reported on the trend in July 2011. Though the NYT article claimed there was no way to know for certain how many Chinese companies … Continue reading “NYT: Chinese Automakers Building Detroit Presence”
NewME To Bring Silicon Valley to Detroit With Pop-Up Event
The San Francisco-based NewME Accelerator, a tech startup incubator focused on businesses led by minorities underrepresented in the tech world, is planning a Detroit pop-up accelerator May 29 to May 31. The three-day event is being held in partnership with Google for Entrepreneurs, TechTown, Bizdom, the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan, and Wayne State University. … Continue reading “NewME To Bring Silicon Valley to Detroit With Pop-Up Event”
ePrize Snaps Up Competitor in Third Acquisition This Year
The Pleasant Ridge, MI-based digital marketing and engagement company ePrize announced this week that it has acquired Promotions.com. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the company did say it will retain 13 Promotions.com employees and fold them into its New York and Chicago offices. Promotions.com offered similar services as ePrize: digital promotions … Continue reading “ePrize Snaps Up Competitor in Third Acquisition This Year”
Rockwell Medical Set to Disrupt Dialysis Treatment With New Drugs, DaVita Deal
In the late 1990s, Wixom, MI-based Rockwell Medical revolutionized the dialysis industry by being the first to develop, patent, and bring to market a dry acid mixing system for hemodialysis concentrate. It eliminated the need for the bulky 55-gallon drums that were the industry standard at the time. Now, CEO Rob Chioini believes the company … Continue reading “Rockwell Medical Set to Disrupt Dialysis Treatment With New Drugs, DaVita Deal”
Quikly: Part Daily Deal, Part Flash Sale, All Growth
Back in February 2012, Xconomy profiled Shawn Geller, the founder and CEO of the startup Quikly (though back then it was called Quikkly). Geller had come to Detroit from Philadelphia to build his company at the Madison Building alongside a growing number of tech startups. Geller said at the time that Detroit wasn’t a place … Continue reading “Quikly: Part Daily Deal, Part Flash Sale, All Growth”
Ambiq Micro Continues Growth From Austin Base
When we last caught up with University of Michigan spin-off company Ambiq Micro, it was moving its microcontroller development operation to Austin, TX. Co-founder Scott Hanson told AnnArbor.com at the time that the reason behind the move was Texas’ wealth of talent. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that one of Ambiq Micro’s lead investors, DFJ … Continue reading “Ambiq Micro Continues Growth From Austin Base”
Vectorform: Quietly Developing Software for Some of the World’s Largest Brands
The news hit the blogosphere two weeks ago that Michigan Gov. Rick Syder’s administration was supposedly holding secret meetings with tech companies in an effort to develop “value schools” that relied on IT and a voucher-like funding mechanism to reduce costs. The Detroit News broke the story about the group, which called itself “skunk works” and allegedly … Continue reading “Vectorform: Quietly Developing Software for Some of the World’s Largest Brands”
Synthetic Biologics, Fuelled by Billionaire, Takes Aim at C.Diff
[Corrected 5/3/13, 2:30 p.m. See below.] Founded in 2001, Synthetic Biologics is a biotech company headquartered in Rockville, MD, with an office in Ann Arbor, MI, focused on the treatment of serious infectious diseases. CEO Jeff Riley says the company has been transformed during the past year or so—when billionaire biotech investor RJ Kirk came … Continue reading “Synthetic Biologics, Fuelled by Billionaire, Takes Aim at C.Diff”
Rapt.fm Offers Online Space for Freestyle Rappers to Battle
My friend Troy has a rapping alter ego he calls Masta Flow. At parties, after a certain number of beverages have been consumed, Masta Flow often makes an appearance. Masta Flow’s freestyle raps usually veer toward the scatological and are often cringeworthy because of clumsy execution. On one occasion, when Masta Flow popped up and … Continue reading “Rapt.fm Offers Online Space for Freestyle Rappers to Battle”
Esperion Therapeutics Raises $33M to Further Clinical Trials
The Ann Arbor-based biotech company Esperion Therapeutics announced today that it has completed a $33 million round of preferred stock financing. Longitude Capital led the round, with Aisling Capital, Alta Partners, Domain Associates, Arboretum Ventures, and Asset Management participating. Longitude’s founder and managing director, Patrick Enright, will join Esperion’s board as a result of the financing deal. … Continue reading “Esperion Therapeutics Raises $33M to Further Clinical Trials”
Seelio Raises $900K For Online College Student Network
The Ann Arbor-based startup Seelio, which has developed an online networking platform to help students and fledgling professionals showcase their talent, announced this week that it has raised $900,000 in seed financing. Contributing to the round are the Detroit-based First Step Fund, the state-administered Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, and a group of angel investors, including Steve Fireng, … Continue reading “Seelio Raises $900K For Online College Student Network”
Canadian Software Firm Red Piston Happy to be in Detroit
Developing a mobile game featuring flying penises might not sound like prestigious work, but for Red Piston it was a pretty big deal. The Windsor, ON-based software company with a new Detroit office created “Dave and Chuck the Freak’s Kick-Ass Game” for the notorious local radio hosts Dave Hunter and Charles Urquhart. It quickly went … Continue reading “Canadian Software Firm Red Piston Happy to be in Detroit”
U-M’s Student-Led Social Venture Fund Invests in Mytonomy
The University of Michigan’s student-run Social Venture Fund announced last week that it has invested in Mytonomy, an ed tech startup based in Washington, D.C. NewSchools Venture Fund led the round and Kapor Capital also participated. The Social Venture Fund makes early-stage investments of up to $100,000 in innovative socially or environmentally responsible companies. This is the third … Continue reading “U-M’s Student-Led Social Venture Fund Invests in Mytonomy”
Venture Funding in Detroit Down in Q1, Still Higher Than 2011
According to MoneyTree data released today, first-quarter venture funding in southeast Michigan was down compared to the first quarter of 2012, though the deal count rose by one. Compared to last year, funding in Q1 2013 was down by almost two-thirds, with venture capitalists investing $17.6 million in 13 deals. However, 2012 was a record-high … Continue reading “Venture Funding in Detroit Down in Q1, Still Higher Than 2011”
AlertWatch Offers New Way to Monitor Patients in the OR
Watching the real-time feed of AlertWatch patients in the operating room at the University of Michigan hospital is a hypnotic experience. In fact, CEO Justin Adams admits that at least one surgeon he knows watches it almost exclusively at home. AlertWatch makes software developed at U-M’s Venture Accelerator to monitor patients in the operating room, … Continue reading “AlertWatch Offers New Way to Monitor Patients in the OR”
Coolhouse Labs: The Accelerator With a View of Lake Michigan
When you grow up in a quaint resort town on the hilly shores of Lake Michigan, moving back is always on your mind. So says Jordan Breighner, founder of Coolhouse Labs, a new tech startup incubator located in Harbor Springs, MI. “I moved away when I was 14 to Utah, and then I lived in … Continue reading “Coolhouse Labs: The Accelerator With a View of Lake Michigan”
EcoMotors CEO Talks $200M Deal With Chinese Manufacturer
Last week, Allen Park, MI-based EcoMotors announced a $200 million deal with China’s Zhongding Power to build a manufacturing plant in Anhui Province. The plant will produce EcoMotors’ opposed piston opposed cylinder (“opoc”) engines, which the company says are cheaper to manufacture and will deliver up to 60 percent greater fuel efficiency than conventional engines at half the … Continue reading “EcoMotors CEO Talks $200M Deal With Chinese Manufacturer”
Who Says There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch? Not Danny Beckett
Danny Beckett, the co-founder and chairman of Free Lunch Friday, says his concept offering startups a monthly opportunity to break bread and connect without spending any of their hard-earned cash actually started in Michigan. Beckett, who was born and raised here, used to race motorcycles professionally, but his true passion has long been nurturing startups. … Continue reading “Who Says There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch? Not Danny Beckett”
Llamasoft Continues Push Into Chinese Market With Mengniu Deal
Llamasoft, the Ann Arbor-based supply chain software company, announced this week that it has inked a deal with Mengniu, one of China’s leading dairy producers. Mengniu will use Llamasoft’s Supply Chain Guru product to manage its 20 production plants located throughout China. Rabobank ranked Mengniu the 18th largest dairy producer in the world. The terms … Continue reading “Llamasoft Continues Push Into Chinese Market With Mengniu Deal”
Cengage Learning: Digitizing the World’s Libraries from SE Michigan
How many of us in Detroit are aware that one of the world’s biggest players in the digitization of school and library resources is located right in our backyard? Cengage Learning has spent almost 60 years growing its publishing business, first in Detroit and now in Farmington Hills. “It’s not well-known that such a large global … Continue reading “Cengage Learning: Digitizing the World’s Libraries from SE Michigan”
ReapSo: Spin to Win Discounts, Loyalty Rewards
Ever since the advent of Groupon, it seems like startups across the land are tripping over one another trying to be the next big thing in deals that drive customers into businesses. Jumping into the fray is ReapSo, a Farmington Hills, MI-based company started in 2012 by Bill Wildern and Steve Valentine, two self-described automotive … Continue reading “ReapSo: Spin to Win Discounts, Loyalty Rewards”
AlphaCore Acquired by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune
AlphaCore Pharma, an Ann Arbor-based biotech company working on a drug to treat atherosclerosis, announced this week that it has been acquired by MedImmune, the biologics division of the Delaware-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sparking AstraZeneca’s interest is AlphaCore’s ACP-501, a recombinant human lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) enzyme, which … Continue reading “AlphaCore Acquired by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune”
Revitalization or Ruin: What Does Detroit’s Future Look Like?
Four years ago this week, I put the deposit down on my first apartment in Detroit. I had been spending an increasing amount of time in the city on weekends, and every time I visited, I felt—at the risk of sounding corny here—a connection forming. The city had just plain gotten under my skin. Something … Continue reading “Revitalization or Ruin: What Does Detroit’s Future Look Like?”
U-M’s Month of Entrepreneurship Seeks to Engage Entire Campus
The University of Michigan is attempting to bring its nationally recognized entrepreneurship efforts to the entire 43,000-member student body during its Month of Entrepreneurship, which, with events in February and March, is technically now stretching into a third month due to popular demand. It’s only the fourth time something like this has been done in … Continue reading “U-M’s Month of Entrepreneurship Seeks to Engage Entire Campus”
GreenLancer Raises $275,000 From Group of MI Investors
GreenLancer, the Detroit-based solar engineering company Xconomy profiled last July, announced last week that it has oversubscribed its Series A fundraising round, snagging $275,000 from four Michigan-based investors. The company, which is based online and employs a national network of contract employees, or greenlancers, to work on jobs, is leaving the round open as it … Continue reading “GreenLancer Raises $275,000 From Group of MI Investors”
Wayne State’s Warrior Fund Invests in Four Student Ventures
Late last month, student-run startups from the Blackstone LaunchPad incubator gathered for pitch competition on the campus of Wayne State University (WSU). The startups were able to pitch for up to $5,000 in funding from the Warrior Fund, WSU’s pre-seed fund to support student tech startups. Blackstone, which operates on the campuses of WSU and … Continue reading “Wayne State’s Warrior Fund Invests in Four Student Ventures”