There’s an “easy button” in the hospital that I press a hundred times every day. With each press, I make myself a better doctor. It’s not a button on a computer. It’s not electronic at all. It’s a hand sanitizer. A decade or two ago, hospital handwashing compliance rates were in the single digits because … Continue reading “How to Make Healthcare Better? Make It Easy”
Category: Detroit
TechShop Detroit Plans Programs to Introduce Kids to STEAM Careers
When Will Brick, TechShop Detroit’s manager, was young, he was the kind of kid who loved to tinker. He often rode his bike around town “looking for things to turn into other things,” he said. Young Will would have been right at home at his current place of employment, especially in the coming months as … Continue reading “TechShop Detroit Plans Programs to Introduce Kids to STEAM Careers”
Strata Oncology Closes $12M Round, Aims to Increase Tumor Sequencing
Ann Arbor, MI-based precision medicine startup Strata Oncology announced last week that it has raised a $12 million Series A round. Arboretum Ventures and Baird Capital led the financing, with participation from Michigan eLab, a returning investor. Strata is on a mission to make tumor sequencing for cancer patients more accessible. As personalized genetic therapies … Continue reading “Strata Oncology Closes $12M Round, Aims to Increase Tumor Sequencing”
Biotech Roundup: Deals Gone Wrong, Ethical Red Flags & Bay Goodbyes
It was fitting this week that, in the lead-up to two of biomedicine’s biggest self-celebrations, we were served ample reminder of the industry’s expensive decisions gone wrong. This weekend, much of academia and industry involved in cancer will gather in Chicago for the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology conference. Thousands of others will head … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Deals Gone Wrong, Ethical Red Flags & Bay Goodbyes”
7 Steps Online Companies Can Take to Manage Sales Tax Exposure
States have been fighting to collect sales taxes from online retailers since the dawn of the e-commerce age. But today, online companies that sell services rather than merchandise also need to be concerned about state sales taxes. Even though most services are usually not subject to sales tax, some states are now asserting that certain … Continue reading “7 Steps Online Companies Can Take to Manage Sales Tax Exposure”
Strata Oncology Receives $12,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b0984cf-70e3-4ca6-8843-b25c98654287 Date 6/3/2016 Company Name Strata Oncology Mailing Address 8170 Jackson Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 USA Company Description At Strata Oncology, our goal is to dramatically expand late stage cancer patients’ access to tumor sequencing and precision medicine trials and to accelerate the approval and availability of breakthrough cancer medicines. Website … Continue reading “Strata Oncology Receives $12,000,000 Series A Round”
A Startup CEO Visits Cuba in Transition
I just returned from several days visiting Cuba with several of my BFFs. No amount of pre-reading prepared me for the wonderful experience. Americans cannot go as “tourists,” but must go on an approved people-to-people exchange. As such, we visited schools, farms, a university, children’s programs, museums, churches, a factory and the like. I’m sharing … Continue reading “A Startup CEO Visits Cuba in Transition”
Roundup: LIFT, Walsh College, U-M, WSU, Free Prix & More
Here’s a look at recent innovation news from around Michigan: —Detroit-based Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), a public-private partnership focused on the development and deployment of advanced lightweight metal manufacturing technologies, has formed a team of manufacturers and universities to develop a database and computer models that better predict the way aluminum alloys deteriorate after being … Continue reading “Roundup: LIFT, Walsh College, U-M, WSU, Free Prix & More”
Michigan’s Social Venture Fund Invests in Querium, Austin Edtech Firm
Austin—Edtech startup Querium has received an early stage bridge round of funds from the University of Michigan’s Social Venture Fund, among other investors. Querium, which uses artificial intelligence to provide students with step-by-step coaching in math, science, and engineering courses, raised $366,000 of a $720,000 convertible note from 10 investors. The Social Venture Fund, a … Continue reading “Michigan’s Social Venture Fund Invests in Querium, Austin Edtech Firm”
GreenStone Credit Services Joins List of Ag-Tech Incubator Sponsors
The Great Lakes Ag-Tech Business Incubator in West Michigan has scored a new sponsor: GreenStone Farm Credit Services, an East Lansing, MI-based financial institution that is the largest agricultural lender in Michigan and northeast Wisconsin. As part of the new partnership, GreenStone will contribute $25,000 to support the commercialization efforts of the incubator’s startups, along … Continue reading “GreenStone Credit Services Joins List of Ag-Tech Incubator Sponsors”
U-M Student Fund Invests in Conversa Health’s Patient Engagement Tech
The University of Michigan’s student-run Social Venture Fund has contributed to a $3 million seed round for Conversa Health, a Bay Area heathtech company aiming to improve patient engagement. The amount of U-M’s investment was not disclosed. Conversa CEO West Shell said he started the company to try to fix the “monstrous gap” in the … Continue reading “U-M Student Fund Invests in Conversa Health’s Patient Engagement Tech”
Is Technology Crucial for Innovation?
Technology is crucial for innovation—and innovation in technology is critical to innovation in just about every other arena. Why? Because it’s the forward march of technology that allows us to do more with less, improving our lives in the process. Just look at how we’re living right now. We communicate worldwide via email or Skype. … Continue reading “Is Technology Crucial for Innovation?”
With Recruits Coming, Precision Med Effort Pledges $142M For Biobank
The Obama administration’s ambitious long-term health study, dubbed the Precision Medicine Initiative, has tapped the Mayo Clinic to build a repository for biological samples collected from the study’s participants. Through the National Institutes of Health, the administration has awarded $142 million over five years to the Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic for the so-called “biobank,” which … Continue reading “With Recruits Coming, Precision Med Effort Pledges $142M For Biobank”
117M LinkedIn Passwords for Sale: What You Should Do Now
Last week, a hack many of us had forgotten about shot right back into the headlines. First, the background: in 2012, LinkedIn acknowledged it had suffered a data breach that exposed the passwords of 6.5 million of its customers. What we discovered last week, however, was that the breach was actually much bigger than anyone … Continue reading “117M LinkedIn Passwords for Sale: What You Should Do Now”
Biotech Roundup: Duchenne Delay, Forum’s Fate, Califf, Ionis & More
Memorial Day weekend may be fast approaching, but don’t fire up those grills yet: there’s plenty of headlines to dig into first in our biotech trip around the Xconomy network. In New York, the nation’s most prestigious science competition changed sponsors for just the second time in its 74-year history. In Boston, one company’s controversial … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Duchenne Delay, Forum’s Fate, Califf, Ionis & More”
Pro:Up Aims to Connect Kids to Life-Changing Career Opportunities
When Pro:Up CEO Justine Sheu and her co-founders were working as college guidance counselors in the troubled Detroit Public School system, they noticed how crippling the perceived lack of opportunities could be to the students they worked with. Kids from low-income families or ones that hadn’t yet sent a member to college seemed especially underexposed … Continue reading “Pro:Up Aims to Connect Kids to Life-Changing Career Opportunities”
Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators
Startup incubators and accelerators represent an important avenue of advancement in the tech industry for women and underrepresented minorities. And while several high-profile accelerators are taking specific steps to recruit companies led by diverse founders, progress is slow in coming. That was evident on the stage at the end of Techstars Seattle’s latest Demo Day … Continue reading “Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators”
FDA Commish Califf to Big Data Crowd: Flood Of New Treatments Coming
New FDA commissioner Robert Califf said Wednesday that the recent spike in drug approvals is no temporary phenomenon, thanks to a better understanding of biology and continued adoption of sophisticated technology throughout healthcare. “I predict we’ll see of a flood of effective treatments”—not just drugs but combinations of drugs and data-enabled devices—“and we’ll have to … Continue reading “FDA Commish Califf to Big Data Crowd: Flood Of New Treatments Coming”
New Proposed Laws, Collaborations Pave Way for Driverless Future
This has been a banner week for Michigan-centric news pertaining to the development of driverless vehicles. On Wednesday, Google announced in a Google+ post that, after placing a team of employees in the metro Detroit area for “the past few years,” it would open a facility in suburban Novi, MI, to develop self-driving car technology. … Continue reading “New Proposed Laws, Collaborations Pave Way for Driverless Future”
Verizon’s “Multicast” Aims to Put Indy 500 Fans in the Driver’s Seat
Racecar driver Simon Pagenaud started the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis from the pole and led 57 of its 82 laps on his way to Victory Circle earlier this month. And Verizon Wireless subscribers across the world were invited along for the ride, thanks to streaming video from in-car cameras delivered via the carrier’s … Continue reading “Verizon’s “Multicast” Aims to Put Indy 500 Fans in the Driver’s Seat”
Meet the Bad Guys After Your Data
Cyber attacks make news headlines virtually every day; businesses and organizations know the threats are out there and that they need to take action quickly because threats are growing in both number and scope of complexity. The reality is, however, that the “bad guys” are likely already on your network and endpoints, poised to steal … Continue reading “Meet the Bad Guys After Your Data”
Sarepta Saga Drags On as FDA Delays Decision on Duchenne Drug
The multi-year saga of eteplirsen, a Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug from Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta Therapeutics, will continue to drag on. Sarepta (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) said today that the FDA won’t complete its review of its drug, eteplirsen, by the established May 26 deadline. As a result, rather than approve or reject eteplirsen—which has the chance to … Continue reading “Sarepta Saga Drags On as FDA Delays Decision on Duchenne Drug”
Fintech Panel with Dan Gilbert
As part of Detroit Startup Week, Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert will host a panel discussion with financial technology experts about why Detroit is a good place to start a fintech company. Free and open to the public; click here to register.
NuTonomy, Optimus Lead Pack of Self-Driving Vehicle Startups
Here comes the blind fury of autonomous vehicle startups. We knew it was coming, since everyone from Google and Uber to GM and Tesla is working on the technology. Boston-area startup NuTonomy, founded by a pair of MIT scientists in 2013, is the latest to make a splash. The company announced on Tuesday a Series … Continue reading “NuTonomy, Optimus Lead Pack of Self-Driving Vehicle Startups”
Roundup: NextChallenge, Ranker, QuantumShift, Comcast, MBDA & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —NextEnergy, Denso, Wells Fargo, and DTE Energy are seeking hardware and software solutions to unmet challenges facing urban areas for NextChallenge: Smart Cities, a global competition designed to inspire innovative technology in smart parking, smart transportation, smart infrastructure, and smart buildings. Submissions will be accepted … Continue reading “Roundup: NextChallenge, Ranker, QuantumShift, Comcast, MBDA & More”
Software Robots Are Transforming Old Guard Industries
Everyone’s talking about robots and automation. Do you imagine having a “Rosie” cleaning your home, or the next industrial revolution of automation putting millions out of work? Neither is quite reality, but there is a highly valuable virtual workforce of “software robots” working in today’s offices. They aren’t rolling around like BB-8 delivering the mail, … Continue reading “Software Robots Are Transforming Old Guard Industries”
The Biotech Roundup: Immunotherapy Ups And Downs, Gene Deals & More
A quick housekeeping note: Starting this week, we are combining our East Coast and West Coast biotech roundups into a single weekly post that will also include highlights from our other cities and regions, including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Xconomy’s latest bureau, Indiana. As with our bygone coastal roundups, this new national roundup is not … Continue reading “The Biotech Roundup: Immunotherapy Ups And Downs, Gene Deals & More”
As the Mobility Sector Revs Up, Startups and Dealerships Respond
Mobility, in case you haven’t heard, is the up-and-coming tech buzzword driving the future of transportation. As defined by the auto industry, mobility refers to moving goods and people from point A to point B. This encompasses vehicles for personal use, fleet vehicles, public transit, ridesharing, bicycles, car-sharing, self-driving cars, planes, trains, and essentially any … Continue reading “As the Mobility Sector Revs Up, Startups and Dealerships Respond”
Desai Accelerator Basks in Success of 2015 as New Cohort Starts
The University of Michigan’s Desai Accelerator, a joint venture between the school’s College of Engineering and Ross School of Business that is open to anyone regardless of university affiliation, has chosen its 2016 cohort. Six tech startups were selected from the more than 80 that applied; 83 percent are Michigan-based, 33 percent have female founders, … Continue reading “Desai Accelerator Basks in Success of 2015 as New Cohort Starts”
As He Bids to Buy Company, What Are Dan Gilbert’s Plans for Yahoo?
According to a report published in the Detroit News today, Quicken Loans chairman Dan Gilbert is serious enough about buying Yahoo that he’s lined up financing from investor Warren Buffett, the second-richest man in America. Buffett told CNBC Monday that his firm, Berkshire Hathaway, has offered to be a potential finance partner while Gilbert leads … Continue reading “As He Bids to Buy Company, What Are Dan Gilbert’s Plans for Yahoo?”
Learn These Tech Skills & Get a Raise, PayScale Report Says
Want to make a few extra (thousand) bucks? For software developers, it’s possible if you add a few trending programming languages to your resume, according to Seattle-based PayScale, a crowdsourcing and data analytics company that seeks out and provides salary information. Developers and programmers who learn the Go or Scala computer programming languages will make … Continue reading “Learn These Tech Skills & Get a Raise, PayScale Report Says”
Meet the UbiMobility 2016 Delegation
The Michigan chapter of the French-American Chamber of Commerce and Business France host this event highlighting “French tech, innovation, and savoir-faire in connected and autonomous vehicles.” The event ties into UbiMobility: Connected Cars France, a 10-month business immersion program designed to help French companies increase their visibility and gain access to the American autonomous vehicle … Continue reading “Meet the UbiMobility 2016 Delegation”
Internal Threats: 10 Ways to Protect Your Business
The topic of cybercriminals can invoke the image of a scruffy-looking hacker glaring at a computer screen from a mysterious location. But the most serious threats to your business’s information security could be much closer than you think. A growing number of small and midsize businesses consider internal security breaches—accidental and malicious—from employees a bigger … Continue reading “Internal Threats: 10 Ways to Protect Your Business”
White House Wants to Spend $121M on National Microbiome Initiative
The Obama administration announced this morning a public-private initiative to study the collections of microorganisms that live on or in humans and practically everywhere else on Earth. More than 100 other institutions are joining the administration with funding and resources in what’s being billed as the National Microbiome Initiative. The microbiome has become a subject … Continue reading “White House Wants to Spend $121M on National Microbiome Initiative”
Hacking Health, DMI Hope to Strengthen Detroit’s Health IT Ecosystem
Detroit-area clinicians, healthcare organizations, health IT startups, and others are gathering at the University of Windsor in Ontario Friday for the second annual Hacking Health event, which is designed to break down barriers and inspire innovative collaborations between the health-tech ecosystems on both sides of the Detroit River. WEtech Alliance, TechTown Detroit, and the EPICentre … Continue reading “Hacking Health, DMI Hope to Strengthen Detroit’s Health IT Ecosystem”
Do You Have What It Takes to Dive Into “Shark Tank”?
Calling all Detroit entrepreneurs: “Shark Tank,” the popular ABC show that offers startups the chance to pitch their business ventures to potential investors, will be in Detroit next week in search of contestants. Values Partnerships, Grand Circus, and Brandcamp University are working with the show’s producers to recruit a more diverse set of ideas and … Continue reading “Do You Have What It Takes to Dive Into “Shark Tank”?”
Collective Metrics Aims to Improve Data Collection on Economic Growth
Startup accelerators and incubators are all the rage, but figuring out how much they’re actually helping the innovation communities they serve has traditionally been a challenge. A Grand Rapids, MI-based startup called Collective Metrics is hoping to change that for Michigan’s economic developers and entrepreneurs. Collective Metrics was co-founded by Austin Dean, an analyst at … Continue reading “Collective Metrics Aims to Improve Data Collection on Economic Growth”
MGH Goes Epic: What I Learned in the Trenches
On April 2 at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the green charts went away. Every morning around 6:30 am since starting residency, my co-interns and I had frantically scrambled around the halls searching for these plastic binders, which contained the sole record of our patients’ vital signs. It was a ritual that blended equal parts anxiety, … Continue reading “MGH Goes Epic: What I Learned in the Trenches”
Across The Board: Ideas To Narrow Biotech’s Gender Gap
The evidence is piling up. Companies with more women in charge are better businesses. So why are so many biotechs still led mainly by men? Saira Ramasastry, a former Merrill Lynch analyst, is now a Bay Area consultant on the boards of three biotechs, including Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGMO]]). Having benefited from female mentors such … Continue reading “Across The Board: Ideas To Narrow Biotech’s Gender Gap”
Roundup: MSU and U-M Startups, DEVELOP(her), Hatch Detroit & More
Here’s a look at startup and innovation news from around Michigan: —On April 13, three startup teams from Michigan State University hit Chicago for the National Automatic Merchandising Association OneShow event, a food service and vending trade show, to compete in the Swim with the Sharks pitch contest. Bringitt, a peer-to-peer shipping network; Ineed, an app … Continue reading “Roundup: MSU and U-M Startups, DEVELOP(her), Hatch Detroit & More”
How a Mobile Device Can Reduce Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a major problem. In 2014, more than 30,000 people were killed and more than 430,000 injured in car crashes involving distracted drivers. Ironically, it may just be that the root of the problem – a smartphone – could actually be the solution. People know they shouldn’t, but they do. In a survey … Continue reading “How a Mobile Device Can Reduce Distracted Driving”
Ford Expands Mobility Play with $182.2M Pivotal Investment
[Updated, 11:56am. See below] When Pivotal launched in 2013 with 1,250 employees and a valuation of over $1 billion, my colleague Wade Roush wrote that the cloud computing infrastructure firm “isn’t your typical startup.” Further proof of that came yesterday when Ford announced it was plunking down more than $182 million to continue its collaboration with Pivotal. Alan … Continue reading “Ford Expands Mobility Play with $182.2M Pivotal Investment”
Detroit and the Future-Ready Economy
Rocket Fiber and Dell team up to host this free, half-day conference about Detroit’s rise as a smart city and what it takes to be “future ready.” The conversation will touch on connecting people and the resources they need, priorities for the future-ready enterprise, and effectively managing tech transformations. CIOs and members of the public … Continue reading “Detroit and the Future-Ready Economy”
AgTech Accelerator Aims to Sway Agriculture Investment Trends
Agriculture and food-related companies make up a global industry, but when it comes to seeding startups in the sector, agricultural technologies face a relative funding famine. AgTech Accelerator, a new startup program launched Thursday in Research Triangle Park, NC, is trying to address funding issues facing agtech companies, while also providing some of the business … Continue reading “AgTech Accelerator Aims to Sway Agriculture Investment Trends”
SPLT Competes at Google Demo Day, Gets Steve Case’s Attention
SPLT, the Techstars Mobility alum now based in Detroit, has spent the past few months crisscrossing the globe to take part in startup competitions and other events as it continues to rapidly grow. This week, the enterprise ridesharing startup that connects employees within organizations to share their commute is out in Mountain View, CA, as … Continue reading “SPLT Competes at Google Demo Day, Gets Steve Case’s Attention”
More than a Matter of Appearances: Pharma’s Existential PR Problem
When President Obama forced Pfizer to scrap its proposed $160 billion merger with Allergan, the industry as well as the company emerged as losers in the eyes of the public, despite Pfizer’s credible and constructive position. As Pfizer CEO Ian Read explained in a recent op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer has long … Continue reading “More than a Matter of Appearances: Pharma’s Existential PR Problem”
Ann Arbor #Socialcon
The Social Media Association of Michigan hosts this event dedicated to improving social networking, where participants can expect a “high impact day of deep social media education with presentations and hands-on workshops for your professional development.” To learn more, click here.
Xconomy Launches Robotics and A.I. Channel
At the end of March, Xconomy held a jam-packed event called Robo Madness: The A.I. Explosion. If you were among the roughly 250 people who descended on the Googleplex in the heart of Cambridge’s Kendall Square for the event, you may have heard me note that robotics and artificial intelligence were clearly growing in importance … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches Robotics and A.I. Channel”
Down to Wire on Napa Summit—Get Your Invite to Our May 16-17 Event
It’s getting close to the last call for Xconomy’s invitation-only Napa Summit. We have a star-studded lineup. But there are only a few tickets and hotel rooms left, and the May 16-17 event is coming up fast. So request your invitation right away if you’d like to join us. It all starts with a dinner … Continue reading “Down to Wire on Napa Summit—Get Your Invite to Our May 16-17 Event”
A Vision for Boosting the Life Sciences in San Diego and Beyond
The life sciences industry represents a vital piece of San Diego’s innovation economy, contributing $31.8 billion each year in local economic impact—more than defense or even tourism, according to the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Beyond our region, San Diego’s life sciences community is significant for a different reason: Our companies contribute novel healthcare … Continue reading “A Vision for Boosting the Life Sciences in San Diego and Beyond”