My mother always warned me never to start a column with a reference to management consultants. Sorry, Mom. Cover your eyes. But anyone else with personal health or personal finance interest in the latest cholesterol-fighting drugs, read on. Two years ago, three McKinseyites published a study about forecasts for drug sales. The upshot: To predict … Continue reading “Take a Grain of Salt (Or Two) With New Cholesterol Drug Predictions”
Category: Detroit
Sprinkle Camp Offers Hackers an All-Expense-Paid Weekend in Detroit
Detroit in 2015 reminds a lot of people of New York City (minus the functional public transportation system, of course) before former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg helped transform it into a bright, shiny playground for the upwardly mobile. The edge that used to attract artists and innovative thinkers of all stripes to the … Continue reading “Sprinkle Camp Offers Hackers an All-Expense-Paid Weekend in Detroit”
MI Roundup: Gilbert vs. Lacob, TierConnect, Detroit Materials & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Ann Arbor’s Plymouth Ventures announced this week that it has made a follow-on investment in 365 Retail Markets, a Troy-based startup that provides hardware and software to vending machine owners who are looking to cash in on a wave of the future: unmanned, miniature convenience … Continue reading “MI Roundup: Gilbert vs. Lacob, TierConnect, Detroit Materials & More”
Apple Watch: The First Wearable Device Worth Wearing
It’s just a watch. I’ve had my Apple Watch for three weeks now, and I have no qualms about telling you that the device’s killer app is telling time. That’s what I was expecting. After all, it looks like a wristwatch, you wear it in the same place as a wristwatch, and the first thing … Continue reading “Apple Watch: The First Wearable Device Worth Wearing”
SPARK Nabs Federal Funds for Willow Run Plant Redevelopment Plan
Ann Arbor SPARK announced late last month that it has been awarded a 2014 Regional Innovation Strategies Program Science and Research Park Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. The $247,170 grant will support SPARK’s ongoing efforts to create a connected vehicle development center at the former Willow Run plant in … Continue reading “SPARK Nabs Federal Funds for Willow Run Plant Redevelopment Plan”
Google Quietly Operating Sensor Startup Following Stealthy Buyout
Google (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) has acquired a San Diego startup that invented new sensor technology for precisely tracking changes in direction, according to two industry experts who would only discuss the deal anonymously. The Mountain View, CA-based technology giant agreed to buy Lumedyne Technologies in November for about $85 million, one expert said, just months after … Continue reading “Google Quietly Operating Sensor Startup Following Stealthy Buyout”
ASCO Roundup: Checkpoints, Pushback Against Prices, CAR-T & More
As has been the case the past few years, the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, which just wrapped up in Chicago, was the latest referendum on immunotherapy. But this year, not only did the meeting feature scientific developments for these new types of cancer fighters that rev up patients’ immune systems, but it … Continue reading “ASCO Roundup: Checkpoints, Pushback Against Prices, CAR-T & More”
Big M Event Looks at Future of Manufacturing, Industrial Security
The Big M conference returns to Detroit today to take a deep dive into the future of manufacturing and how it intersects with new technologies—the cloud, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and wearable devices, for instance—to shape what’s to come. Michigan, of course, has long been a manufacturing powerhouse. According to the Big M’s … Continue reading “Big M Event Looks at Future of Manufacturing, Industrial Security”
TernPro Receives $395,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f4cd0320-541a-4402-8b85-8810b7d7b8c5 Date 6/2/2015 Company Name TernPro Mailing Address 1528 Woodward Avenue 3rd Floor Detroit, MI 48226 USA Company Description Our cloud platform allows you to easily upload, store, and organize all of your video footage. This means you and your team can easily access your video anytime, anywhere. Website http://www.ternpro.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “TernPro Receives $395,000 Seed Round”
Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You
OK, you’ve already read the latest hot science bestsellers—Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (both terrific, by the way)—and you’re wondering what to grab next. I’ve suggested below a number of remarkable science books that I’m fond of, and that you might find interesting as … Continue reading “Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You”
TernPro’s $395K Seed Round to Push Collaboration Software to Market
TernPro, the Detroit-based startup developing collaboration software called Slope, announced this week that it has closed on a round of seed funding worth $395,000. Slope’s investors include Bizdom, Venture for America, and angels based in Michigan, New York, and Ohio. The team behind Slope, which allows marketing and creative teams to store, organize, and collaborate … Continue reading “TernPro’s $395K Seed Round to Push Collaboration Software to Market”
Armune Bioscience Develops First Cancer-Specific Prostate Test
Armune Bioscience, the Kalamazoo-based cancer diagnostic startup, has developed what it calls “the world’s only tumor-specific, non-PSA blood test designed to help doctors detect prostate cancer.” Called Apifiny, the test is now available nationally as the company works to get the word out to clinicians that it believes it has developed a better way to … Continue reading “Armune Bioscience Develops First Cancer-Specific Prostate Test”
Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors
One of the sharpest controversies about our nation’s history is who gets top credit for the titanic American public-private partnership that won World War II with an avalanche of production. Some call it a rescue by private business, others view it as an example of Franklin Roosevelt’s multi-layered and often-mysterious leadership. How we see this … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors”
Roundup: MCWT, Blackstone LaunchPad, Court Innovations, Prix & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —The Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) has announced its annual scholarship awards for female students pursuing computer science. This year, the nonprofit awarded a record 22 young women with scholarships or laptops. Sponsors such as the FCA Foundation and CMS Energy increased support … Continue reading “Roundup: MCWT, Blackstone LaunchPad, Court Innovations, Prix & More”
After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?
Two recent happenings prompted this column. First, Orexigen Therapeutics drew fire from, well, nearly everyone earlier this month for an improper release of data related to its weight-loss drug Contrave. The second happening is Memorial Day weekend. I’m assuming you, like me, did not spend the long weekend hunting and gathering, sharpening your arrowheads, and … Continue reading “After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?”
The Big M Manufacturing Convergence
Learn about new technologies and emerging trends in this conference devoted to advanced manufacturing. Click here for details.
Automation Alley’s #hack4detroit
Calling all software developers and coders: This second annual hackathon is designed to allow developers to compete in a 24-hour event to solve a technology problem in the city by building an app. The winners will get a $5,000 prize. For more information, click here.
CREATE:Detroit
City planners and urbanists from around the world will be on hand for this “festival of ideas” on how to build a more creative and inclusive city. The event is hosted by Richard Florida, the Creative Class Group, and Rock Ventures. Click here for details.
Sprinkle Camp Demo Day
Sprinkle Camp is a New York City-based program that offers participating software developers an all-expenses-paid weekend in Detroit to build their passion projects. The teams will share what they’ve built at this demo day event that is free and open to the public. To learn more, click here.
Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 Invests $325K in Five Startups
The Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 (MPSF), a $6.8 million statewide investment fund that backs early-stage technology companies, has announced its latest batch of capital deployments. The five companies receiving a total of $325,000 range from an Ann Arbor startup that has developed a smart skylight, to a new online tool for college students looking for … Continue reading “Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 Invests $325K in Five Startups”
Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure
Over the last two years I have often been asked: What is the best way to move out of Amazon Web Services (AWS) or other public cloud services? There are many reasons for making such a move, but cost, stability, and planned growth are the primary factors. Many companies that surpass $50,000 a month in … Continue reading “Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure”
MGCS Highlights MI’s Strengths, Challenges, Need for More Capital
The 34th annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) continues today in Ypsilanti, attracting venture capitalists and hot startups from around the region for a two-day conference where companies have a chance to pitch their ideas and network with potential investors. The keynote speech yesterday was delivered by Brad Keywell, a former metro Detroiter and University … Continue reading “MGCS Highlights MI’s Strengths, Challenges, Need for More Capital”
Amplifinity Obtains $2,489,114 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e5ca9617-a3b4-4778-af91-8afd1c559d9a Date 5/20/2015 Company Name Amplifinity Mailing Address 912 North Main Street Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA Company Description Building a consumer-to-consumer marketing channel takes two things: Knowing what motivates advocates to talk about your brand, and the technology to make the channel effective and measureable; Amplifinity offers both. Website http://www.amplifinity.com Transaction … Continue reading “Amplifinity Obtains $2,489,114 New Financing Round”
Can Billy Sims Revolutionize the Way the U.S. Sells Food to China?
It’s not every day I get an e-mail pitch that begins, “Hello, my name is Billy Sims, I am the 1978/ Heisman Trophy Winner and former all pro running back for the Detroit Lions.” As a lifelong Lions fan and a beast on the fantasy football field (ahem), I didn’t need any further prompting. We … Continue reading “Can Billy Sims Revolutionize the Way the U.S. Sells Food to China?”
Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale
Mark Organ thinks very differently about how to evolve as a founder-CEO now that he’s on his second company. A decade ago, Mark co-founded customer relations management software company Eloqua. “I held on too long to all the details of the business,” he says. Even though the company had reached several million dollars in revenue, … Continue reading “Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale”
Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols
[Updated 5/19/15, 10:40 a.m. See below.] The push to regulate increasingly popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft has shifted from city halls to state capitol buildings—with implications for the companies’ reputations and expansion plans, as well as the future of transportation systems worldwide. Last year saw passage of the first rules for ridesharing companies—or … Continue reading “Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols”
Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite
“It’s like a mini-Davos.” That’s the way one leading venture capitalist describes Xconomy’s Napa Summit. And while he is perhaps a bit effusive, we do believe our annual retreat in wine country is something special. Maybe you can judge for yourself. We are just two weeks away from Napa Summit 2015, which will take place … Continue reading “Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite”
Tissue Regeneration Systems Receives $2,093,182 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=89335cb3-99e4-464d-92be-81c41be8d193 Date 5/18/2015 Company Name Tissue Regeneration Systems Mailing Address 46701 Commerce Center Drive Plymouth, MI 48170 USA Company Description Tissue Regeneration Systems (TRS) is a start-up medical device company commercializing a breakthrough skeletal reconstruction and bone regeneration technology platform licensed from the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin. Website http://www.tissuesys.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Tissue Regeneration Systems Receives $2,093,182 New Funding”
Gener8tor Strikes Up the UW Band to Send Off Latest Startup Class
A year ago, Wisconsin startup accelerator Gener8tor kicked off the closing pitch event for its winter session in Madison with a laser light show and smoke machines. This year, attendees were treated to a mini-pep rally by members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison band. A small group of trumpet players, trombone players, percussionists, and a … Continue reading “Gener8tor Strikes Up the UW Band to Send Off Latest Startup Class”
Grand Angels President Talks Growth, Opportunities in MI
Grand Angels, one of Michigan’s most active angel investor organizations, has just released its annual report. The findings highlight the group’s decision to make more investments and refine its direction to encompass four market segments: life sciences; digital media, software and IT; advanced manufacturing and materials; and advanced technologies in agriculture and food. Since its … Continue reading “Grand Angels President Talks Growth, Opportunities in MI”
Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding
After reading that angels would be the No. 1 losers due to the explosive growth of crowdfunding, angels like me have been keeping a wary eye on equity crowdfunding. Some reports in the press have suggested that crowdfunding could actually replace angels as a capital source. So far, the warnings have turned into a big … Continue reading “Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding”
MI Roundup: WSU, 123Net, ArdentCause, Jacobs Media, GM
Here’s a look at recent news you may have missed from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Wayne State University and Blackstone LaunchPad will host the HackWSU event in Detroit on May 23. The 24-hour hackathon is open to all current high school and college students interested in writing Web-based software, creating mobile apps, or designing computer … Continue reading “MI Roundup: WSU, 123Net, ArdentCause, Jacobs Media, GM”
An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health
[Updated, 12:05 pm ET] There’s a parable about the elephant and the rider that’s been used by Chip and Dan Heath, and that originated with Jonathan Haidt, to describe how humans make decisions. A person’s mind can be thought of as consisting of a rider, representing the rational part of human thinking, and the elephant … Continue reading “An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health”
Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?
The hourly job market is the bedrock of the American workforce, 76 million members strong. While the growth in retail and hospitality positions, representing one third of these jobs, is pacing our economic recovery, the sector still spends an astonishing $1 billion annually on hiring. A thought provoking question: Can the industry create more than … Continue reading “Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?”
A123 Systems Drafting Settlement With Apple on “Poaching” Lawsuit
A123 Systems, the electric-car battery maker that is suing Apple for allegedly “poaching” employees, is in the final steps of drafting a settlement with the electronics giant, according to a court filing. A123 and Apple have reached an agreement and signed a term sheet, according to a document filed yesterday in Massachusetts district court. A123 … Continue reading “A123 Systems Drafting Settlement With Apple on “Poaching” Lawsuit”
Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross
Cancer is a humbling thing: Our own cells gone bad, killing us from the inside, and so often able to rebound from attack or avoid it entirely. There has been progress fighting some types of cancers, but in no way equal to the resources (or rhetoric) the human race has aimed at the problem. On … Continue reading “Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross”
The Future of Marketing Technology
The digital age has revolutionized marketing, increasing its complexity as well as creating the opportunity to dramatically improve customer experiences. As consumers, we live in an always-on and always-available world and we have come to expect our favorite brands to be one click or swipe away. As a consequence, the rapid advancements in technology that … Continue reading “The Future of Marketing Technology”
“RoboRoach” Startup Hopes Partners, TED Talk Help Usher In Profits
Backyard Brains, an Ann Arbor, MI-based startup founded by two neuroscientists from the University of Michigan, is making a name for itself by selling a plethora of fun, do-it-yourself science projects for budding makers and researchers—including what it calls the world’s first commercially available cyborg. If you’re picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator,” think again: … Continue reading ““RoboRoach” Startup Hopes Partners, TED Talk Help Usher In Profits”
Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite
We are just three weeks away from the Napa Summit 2015: The Xconomy Retreat on the Economy, Jobs, and Growth. Quite simply, it is my favorite event of the year. Beyond the incredible setting, this exclusive, invitation-only conference features some of the world’s leading innovators and investors in a uniquely intimate format—offering an unprecedented view … Continue reading “Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite”
NEIdeas Seeks to Connect Detroit Businesses with Resources to Grow
When the New Economy Initiative (NEI) kicked off its NEIdeas initiative last year, almost 600 entrepreneurs from all corners of the city of Detroit applied for the chance to win seed money to grow their small businesses. The program is back for a second year, this time open to existing small businesses in Detroit, Hamtramck, … Continue reading “NEIdeas Seeks to Connect Detroit Businesses with Resources to Grow”
Manulith’s MakerOS: Faster, Cheaper 3D Printing Services from Detroit
3D printing has the potential to disrupt logistics and the way we fabricate and manufacture consumer goods. It also promises to take the basement or garage workshop to new heights. But until desktop 3D printers become more affordable and practical, where can do-it-yourself tinkerers or small businesses go to put 3D printing projects in motion? … Continue reading “Manulith’s MakerOS: Faster, Cheaper 3D Printing Services from Detroit”
Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’
Few phrases have rung louder in the history of innovation than “Moore’s Law,” the amazingly potent guess, published 50 years ago on April 19, that the capacity of electronic circuits would double every couple of years. Since the 1968 founding of Intel, the world’s leading semiconductor-maker, that prediction has formed the basic doctrine of the … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’”
MI Roundup: NextEnergy, Stratos, URC, Vectorform, Comcast
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —NextEnergy, the Detroit-based nonprofit accelerating advanced energy technologies, has awarded a total of $295,000 to three companies as part of the Michigan Accelerating Technology (MATch) Energy Grant program. Navitas Advanced Solutions Group, from Ann Arbor, received $20,000 to support research on new electrode coating and … Continue reading “MI Roundup: NextEnergy, Stratos, URC, Vectorform, Comcast”
Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035
Predicting the future in the energy business is difficult for five years, let alone 20 years. That said, we feel the “better bet” is a future energy system that will be a lot more distributed as compared to the largely centralized grid of today. There will be much more generation and storage at the individual … Continue reading “Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035”
The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups
Developing new medicines is really difficult and very expensive. A recent report, “Decline In Economic Returns From New Drugs Raises Questions About Sustaining Innovations,” suggests that the newest medicines are generating a negative rate of return across the industry. A viewpoint commonly found on the Web opines that Big Pharma has lost the ability to … Continue reading “The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups”
Detroit and Windsor Join Forces for Cross-Border Health IT Hackathon
Detroit’s first-ever, cross-border healthcare IT hackathon kicks off this evening, as teams from around Michigan and Canada gather at Wayne State University to develop their mobile app and startup ideas before they then spend the weekend refining them. On Sunday, the teams will pitch their ideas at a demo day; at stake is more than … Continue reading “Detroit and Windsor Join Forces for Cross-Border Health IT Hackathon”
Believe It or Not, the Government Is Driving Healthcare Innovation
Editor’s note: Jay Sultan, principal strategy advisor at Edifecs, a global health information technology solutions company, has another take on what’s driving innovation in healthcare, following our earlier Xconomist Forum post by former Providence Health and Services CEO John Koster arguing that healthcare is transforming regardless of the Affordable Care Act. Largely missing from the … Continue reading “Believe It or Not, the Government Is Driving Healthcare Innovation”
Atomic Object Takes Off With $2.9M Expansion, Plans to Hire 33 People
Atomic Object, the software development firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, with offices in Detroit and Ann Arbor, today announced that it is investing $2.9 million in an expansion and adding 33 jobs across the state. As part of the expansion, the company will move to a new, 11,000-square-foot office on Wealthy Street in downtown … Continue reading “Atomic Object Takes Off With $2.9M Expansion, Plans to Hire 33 People”
Reflections on the “Build to Buy,” Part 2: The Applicability Problem
In a prior Xconomy post, I explored the unwritten and often hidden challenges of successfully navigating and completing a ‘build to buy’ acquisition. The fundamental issue that underlies those challenges is that the acquirers in these deals are not in the business of developing a single asset in a disciplined, focused manner. These buyers are … Continue reading “Reflections on the “Build to Buy,” Part 2: The Applicability Problem”
In Venture Reinvention, Versant Sees Gains Amid Biotech Boom Times
There’s not much ice in San Francisco, where I grew up, so hockey metaphors often go right over my head. But I can’t resist noting that Versant Ventures, led by a former hockey player, has made big line changes this decade to be able to skate another day, while many of its biotech venture peers … Continue reading “In Venture Reinvention, Versant Sees Gains Amid Biotech Boom Times”