Category: Detroit

U-M Spinout OcuSciences Is Medical Main Street Innovator of the Year

OcuSciences, an Ann Arbor, MI-based medical device startup spun out of technology developed at the University of Michigan, has been named the “innovator of the year” by Medical Main Street, an initiative to establish Oakland County as a center of innovation in medical research and development, education, and commercialization. The award honors the inventors of … Continue reading “U-M Spinout OcuSciences Is Medical Main Street Innovator of the Year”

Tetra Discovery Partners Lands New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=701c1345-9d10-4714-a71c-85b64d84d582 Date 10/16/2014 Company Name Tetra Discovery Partners Mailing Address 301 Michigan Street NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 USA Company Description Our research focuses on developing new treatments for depression based on subtype-selective modulation of phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B). PDE4 in neurons is responsible for the hydrolysis of cAMP. We and our colleagues … Continue reading “Tetra Discovery Partners Lands New Funding Round”

CATALYST: Capital Area Prosperity Project

Business and community leaders in Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton counties will come together with entrepreneurs to collaboratively imagine a new economic future for the region. Speakers include Gov. Snyder, the Kellogg Company’s George Franklin, and Lansing mayor Virg Bernero. For more info and registration, click here.

CAD Career Expo

Baker College-Cadillac is trying to help solve the shortage of CAD designers in Northern Michigan by hosting this event with four local manufacturers with job openings. Learn more about careers in the field from the people who are doing the hiring. For more information, call (231) 876-3100.

Inno-Vention 2014

This annual conference put on by Oakland County’s Medical Main Street is focused on demonstrations showing healthcare-related products that are new-to-market, visual, and highly innovative. There will also be a breakout session about future trends in healthcare. To register, click here.

TECH248

Oakland County’s government office hosts this event, which aims to bring together more than 1,900 IT/tech firms located in the county. Learn more about workforce development, connectivity, crowdfunding, and branding the region as a tech hub. Free and open to the public; click here to register.

Biz Grid Live

More than 30 organizations that provide assistance to businesses will be on hand to offer guidance and insight. The event also includes panel discussions, a keynote by Shinola’s Jacques Panis, and a resource fair. For details and registration, click here.

Protean Rebrands as Stratos, Closes $5.8 Million Seed Round

Stratos, the Ann Arbor-based mobile payment startup formerly known as Protean Payment, has closed on a $5.8 million seed funding round, with investments from Toba Capital, Western Technology Investment, Resonant Venture Partners, and Hyde Park Venture Partners. Stratos co-founder and CEO Thiago Olson says the funding will allow the company to step up its hiring … Continue reading “Protean Rebrands as Stratos, Closes $5.8 Million Seed Round”

Roundup: Mt. Elliott Makerspace, Rockwell Medical, Zell Lurie, More

Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Last week, I spotted a headline that made my heart sink: The eastside Detroit church that houses the Mt. Elliott Makerspace is struggling, and the funds that support programs like the makerspace are nearly exhausted. I visited the church in April 2012 and wrote about … Continue reading “Roundup: Mt. Elliott Makerspace, Rockwell Medical, Zell Lurie, More”

Venture Firms Turn Down Funding Volume, but Still Rockin’ in Q3

Venture capital activity descended from the stratosphere during the third quarter, but it was still flying high, as venture firms invested nearly $9.8 billion in 879 deals across the United States, according to a report released today by the financial data firm CB Insights. The amount invested during the quarter was down 30 percent from … Continue reading “Venture Firms Turn Down Funding Volume, but Still Rockin’ in Q3”

Biotech Startups Tap Spider Genes in Quest to Spin Silk Gold

A modern-day Silk Road is emerging, and traffic on it is building up. These explorers aren’t traversing routes across continents, but instead are seeking scientific and agricultural alchemy to produce a sort of holy grail in apparel: commercial amounts of spider silk. Spider silk is a multi-purpose fiber able to be transformed into surgical bandages, … Continue reading “Biotech Startups Tap Spider Genes in Quest to Spin Silk Gold”

U-M to Launch New Maker Space in Detroit’s Brightmoor Neighborhood

A new maker space is coming to Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, and it’s backed by students and faculty from the University of Michigan’s Penny Stamps School of Art and Design and a $100,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. The Brightmoor Alliance community group and Detroit Community Schools will work with the Stamps School to get the … Continue reading “U-M to Launch New Maker Space in Detroit’s Brightmoor Neighborhood”

Loquidity Brings Crowdfunding to Midwestern Real Estate Markets

While U.S. investors and startups wait for the Securities and Exchange Commission to devise the rules regarding the crowdfunding piece of the JOBS Act, states are passing their own companion legislation to try to stimulate investing. In December 2013, Gov. Rick Snyder signed the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption (MILE) Act, which allows a business incorporated … Continue reading “Loquidity Brings Crowdfunding to Midwestern Real Estate Markets”

Can Salesforce1 Push the Workforce into the Mobile Age?

Dreamforce 2014 is quickly approaching, and it has me thinking about the impact Salesforce (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRM]]) has had on the way we work and more generally on the future of work itself. Dreamforce is the annual Salesforce user conference, and it has more or less become a must-attend event for anyone in the cloud computing … Continue reading “Can Salesforce1 Push the Workforce into the Mobile Age?”

Incubator Brings Startup Services, Co-Working to Grandmont Rosedale

The Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood on the west side of Detroit has long been an oasis of stability in a sometimes turbulent city. Originally created in the 1920s as a neighborhood for middle managers who worked for Ford, people who buy houses in the neighborhood tend to stay for decades. It’s diverse and well-kept, and watched … Continue reading “Incubator Brings Startup Services, Co-Working to Grandmont Rosedale”

What Seattle Needs (Part 3): Working Together to Revitalize Biotech

These are incredibly exciting times in biomedical research. Though the biopharmaceutical industry is in flux, prospects for a greater understanding of the disease process, and the development of new treatments, has never been brighter. Gilead Sciences’s new hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) will actually cure most patients of their infections, and replaces treatments that were … Continue reading “What Seattle Needs (Part 3): Working Together to Revitalize Biotech”

So Far, Little Proof That Digital Health Is Healthy. Does It Matter?

Digital health is popular among investors, there’s no doubt. But is it good for us? Products such as fitness wristbands and online wellness coaching are generating buzz, and as a techno-skeptic I often roll my eyes at the trendy accessories and general assumption that life is easier online. Meanwhile, the funding keeps rolling in. Through … Continue reading “So Far, Little Proof That Digital Health Is Healthy. Does It Matter?”

U-M Tech Transfer Racks Up Another Record-Breaking Year

The University of Michigan’s technology transfer office says it had another record-breaking year: More inventions, more patents, more licensing revenue, and more startups created than the previous year. “There’s no one single factor,” says Ken Nisbet, the school’s tech transfer director. “Having a large amount of research translates into a lot of good ideas. Also … Continue reading “U-M Tech Transfer Racks Up Another Record-Breaking Year”

Madison’s Solomo Technology Wins $100K Steve Case Investment

[Corrected 10/8/14, 10:41 a.m. See below.] Solomo Technology founder and CEO Liz Eversoll walked away with a $100,000 investment from AOL co-founder Steve Case after she won yesterday’s startup pitch competition in Madison, WI. The event was part of the “Rise of the Rest Road Trip” highlighting emerging startup clusters in the Midwest. Eversoll also … Continue reading “Madison’s Solomo Technology Wins $100K Steve Case Investment”

What Seattle Needs (Part 2): Dealing With Amgen’s Upcoming Departure

Reality bites: Amgen’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) decision to leave Washington state is a serious blow to our local bioscience ecosystem. Those who think that all of those people who got laid off (or choose not to relocate) will be able to find biopharma jobs here in Seattle are kidding themselves. Our community is not large and … Continue reading “What Seattle Needs (Part 2): Dealing With Amgen’s Upcoming Departure”

Taking a Hachette to Amazon in the Market for Dead Trees

There’s a strange battle going on right now. Weird enough to fit into the science fiction and fantasy section of your local bookstore, but with enough intrigue to make for a good thriller. One of the big five traditional New York publishing houses, Hachette, is mired in a guerrilla campaign against mega online retailer Amazon. … Continue reading “Taking a Hachette to Amazon in the Market for Dead Trees”

What Seattle Needs (Part 1): “Semi-Successful” Biotech Companies

I know what you’re thinking: that’s a pretty strange headline. Why would a city want to attract or build companies that are only “semi-successful?” Wouldn’t it want companies that are flourishing or expanding rapidly? Actually, here in Seattle, we don’t. Semi-successful companies are exactly what we need here as the river of economic change washes … Continue reading “What Seattle Needs (Part 1): “Semi-Successful” Biotech Companies”

Walshpreneur Fair

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Walsh College will host this event, which features food, a presentation by Emagine Entertainment founder Paul Glantz, and a panel discussion with past Blackstone LaunchPad members about what it’s like to start a business . For more information, click here.

Open Automotive Detroit

The GENIVI Alliance presents this conference dedicated to the latest connected vehicle trends. Topics include the automotive Internet of Things, in-vehicle apps, open source IVI, and collaboration. For details, click here.

1DEVDAY

This software developer conference, held since 2009, draws coders, software architects, students, hobbyists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and more for keynote speeches, workshops, demos, and networking. To register, click here.

Innovation Hub: Niche Social Networks

When most people think of social networks, they think of Facebook. But apart from Mark Zuckerberg’s behemoth, which has 1.3 billion active users at last count, we’re seeing a rise in niche-based online communities, tailored to our personal or professional interests. Gina Bianchini is an expert on building custom social networks. She started Ning with … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Niche Social Networks”

NEI Embeds at Co-Working Spaces to Better Connect with Entrepreneurs

A well-funded nonprofit that gives grants to Detroit-area entrepreneurs plans to station some of its staff members in the region’s co-working offices, hoping that an “in the trenches” perspective will help it better understand what startup founders need to succeed. “It’s more effective and it gives us more flexibility,” says Jim Boyle, spokesman for the … Continue reading “NEI Embeds at Co-Working Spaces to Better Connect with Entrepreneurs”

Leveling Information Silos in the Workplace

Today’s mobile device technology has made it possible for both professionals and consumers to have nearly all of the information they need right at their fingertips. Moreover, the types of information now available to them are limitless—it could be work e-mail, travel itineraries, social media updates, or even the answer to that trivia question that’s … Continue reading “Leveling Information Silos in the Workplace”

Stratos Obtains $5,800,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f64ec0e2-8f92-47d2-bf2b-627769010923 Date 10/3/2014 Company Name Stratos Mailing Address 617 Detroit St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA Company Description We’re a team of creative thinkers, engineers and software developers. And we’re bringing simplicity, security and intelligence to something we all use every day. Go ahead. Look in your wallet. Credit cards. Loyalty cards. … Continue reading “Stratos Obtains $5,800,000 New Financing”

Locqus Lands $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e02294b0-5bde-411e-abb1-b9f05de231cf Date 10/3/2014 Company Name Locqus Mailing Address 1528 Woodward Ave. Detroit, MI 48226 USA Company Description Locqus is a simple field management solution that lets you easily keep track of your workforce, customers and company all from your smartphone, tablet or desktop. It also gives you the ability to accept payments … Continue reading “Locqus Lands $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round”

Need More Business Engagement on the Social Web? Qzzr Has It Covered

Josh Little likes to call himself a “qwizard.” He’s a former teacher and serial entrepreneur who has spent his career building a better mousetrap, so to speak, when it comes to training, marketing, and sales. Now, with his latest venture, called Qzzr, Little has found a new way to engage customers and generate sales leads: … Continue reading “Need More Business Engagement on the Social Web? Qzzr Has It Covered”

Roundup: U-M, Grand Circus, MTAM, Automation Alley, Delphinius, MBI

Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hot spots: —The Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has been named one of the top three graduate entrepreneurship programs in the country for the third year in a row. The rankings are compiled by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur … Continue reading “Roundup: U-M, Grand Circus, MTAM, Automation Alley, Delphinius, MBI”

SproutsIO’s Microfarming Units Can Turn Your Apartment Into a Garden

I often say that moving to Detroit was the best decision I made last decade, but there is one thing I left behind that I constantly pine for: My garden. There’s a beautiful, well-tended community garden in my neighborhood, but good luck getting a spot in it—nobody ever gives theirs up. Apartment rules prevent me … Continue reading “SproutsIO’s Microfarming Units Can Turn Your Apartment Into a Garden”

Steve Case Gears Up For Second “Rise of the Rest” Midwestern Tour

AOL co-founder Steve Case likes to point out that a century ago, Detroit was America’s innovation capital, and Silicon Valley was just a bunch of farmland. Today, Silicon Valley is the bustling tech capital of the world, and the Motor City is trying to reinvent itself after a couple of decades marred by the outsourcing … Continue reading “Steve Case Gears Up For Second “Rise of the Rest” Midwestern Tour”

Detroit’s Cribspot Raises $660K Seed Round, Plans 15-City Expansion

Cribspot, the Detroit-based startup focused on disrupting the campus rental market, announced this week that it has closed on a $660,000 seed round led by Huron River Ventures, with the First Step Fund and undisclosed angel investors participating. “I think we have the model to really change how people find housing,” says co-founder Alex Gross. … Continue reading “Detroit’s Cribspot Raises $660K Seed Round, Plans 15-City Expansion”

The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 0-2 Years

It’s a great time to start a tech company.  The economy is recovering. The business opportunities are immense. And thanks to the boom in seed investments and crowd-funding it’s easier than ever to raise money for the business. Meanwhile, cloud computing has leveled the playing field by minimizing upfront costs, while social media has made … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 0-2 Years”

Resolve Minor Civil Infractions Online with Court Innovations

Imagine: You’re late for work and going 10 miles-per-hour over the speed limit to try to shave a few minutes off your commute, when you’re pulled over. The police officer gives you a ticket, but it’s more expensive than you anticipated. You want to take care of the matter quickly, though, before the late fees … Continue reading “Resolve Minor Civil Infractions Online with Court Innovations”

Cribspot Receives $660,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a057a44-0cc2-4acb-8219-70678fa6bff1 Date 9/24/2014 Company Name Cribspot Mailing Address Undisclosed Ann Arbor, MI 11205 USA Company Description Cribspot is an online platform for college students and property managers that streamlines finding and leasing off-campus housing. Website http://www.cribspot.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $660,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Cribspot Receives $660,000 Seed Funding”

Loveland Technologies Lands $780,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=31794490-8e72-41ec-bc55-f3abf8eb257f Date 9/24/2014 Company Name Loveland Technologies Mailing Address 1514 Washington Blvd. Detroit, MI 48226 USA Company Description Loveland is based in Detroit, Michigan and the San Francisco Bay Area with a growing team dedicated to putting America online parcel by parcel. We work with governments, neighborhood groups, development, and conservation projects … Continue reading “Loveland Technologies Lands $780,000 Series A Financing Round”

U-M Social Venture Fund Invests in Detroit’s Loveland Technologies

The University of Michigan today announced that its Social Venture Fund has backed Detroit-based startup Loveland Technologies as part of a Series AA round of financing. An SEC filing shows that Loveland has raised about $780,000 from seven investors, although the company declined to say how much it had raised or name other investors. The … Continue reading “U-M Social Venture Fund Invests in Detroit’s Loveland Technologies”

“100K” Marathon: A Decades-Long Health Study Makes Its Business Case

For the past several months, 108 people, most of them in the Seattle area, have been under constant biomedical surveillance. And they like it. They’ve agreed to submit to a battery of medical tests that began this year but could stretch for 25 years or more in a landmark study organized by Seattle’s Institute for … Continue reading ““100K” Marathon: A Decades-Long Health Study Makes Its Business Case”

Duo Security Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=827ed4a5-87a9-420c-9a49-9a5bf754c840 Date 9/22/2014 Company Name Duo Security Mailing Address 617 Detroit St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA Company Description Duo Security provides strong two-factor authentication as a service built to prevent account takeover and data theft. Duo uses a mobile phone as the second factor to make authenticating easy and convenient. At … Continue reading “Duo Security Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

After Early Successes, The Hatch Incubator at MSU Doubles in Size

Two years ago, Spartan Innovations was launched to help nurture and commercialize startups founded by Michigan State University students and faculty or from technology developed at MSU. This week, the MSU Innovation Center announced that The Hatch, its early-stage incubator and co-working space, is expanding. “The growth has been exponential,” says Paul Jacques, the director … Continue reading “After Early Successes, The Hatch Incubator at MSU Doubles in Size”

Code Fellows Plans to Open Detroit Office, Help Fill Talent Pipeline

As part of Detroit Homecoming, three days of events devoted to luring expats back to the Motor City, more than 150 former residents were invited back to learn more about how they can participate in the city’s revitalization. (Allow us to digress: One of the announcements made as part of Detroit Homecoming was that Austin, … Continue reading “Code Fellows Plans to Open Detroit Office, Help Fill Talent Pipeline”

A Prescription for the Achilles Heel of Healthcare IT

What keeps doctors from sleeping at night? Electronic Health Records (EHRs). More specifically, the “homework” these essential-but-sometimes-inefficient systems generate is enough to cause nightmares. In a recent study that observed physician behavior, primary care providers spent 40 percent of their patient visit time focused on their computer screens, clicking and scrolling through the patient’s EHR. … Continue reading “A Prescription for the Achilles Heel of Healthcare IT”