Category: Detroit

4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014

Once business organizations reach a certain size, their leaders have to start thinking systematically about how to structure reporting relationships to ensure vital information reaches the top; how to identify and account for the internal and external risks that could hobble the company; and how to ensure the organization is complying with a skein of … Continue reading “4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014”

My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014

I am a biotech VC, but not a techie. So I don’t follow stem cells, gene therapy, and other similar “blockbuster” technologies in the life sciences. Rather than looking at all the gosh-and-golly stuff going into the biotech pipeline, I wait to see what is coming out of the other end. So far, very little … Continue reading “My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014”

We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year

As 2013 drew to a close, we asked some of our Xconomists to ponder innovation, past and future, and to give us their predictions for the breakout innovations they expect to see in their respective fields. Here’s what they had to say: Texas Xconomist Blair Garrou, managing director at Mercury Fund in Houston: I’m excited … Continue reading “We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year”

Healthsense Receives $330,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=55de3489-f8a3-42fd-8253-08fb8ecac836 Date 12/26/2013 Company Name Healthsense Mailing Address 1191 Northland Dr. Mendota Heights, MN 55120 Company Description Healthsense, based in Mendota Heights, MN, is a market leader in providing technology solutions for the future of aging services. Healthsense offers completely integrated systems based on a standard Wi-Fi platform for Personal Emergency Response … Continue reading “Healthsense Receives $330,000 New Financing Round”

How do Michigan and Wisconsin Compare in the Eyes of VCs?

It’s no surprise that Detroit’s civic problems would resonate most clearly with people around the Great Lakes region. And in Milwaukee, the discussion has been pretty pointed at times—questions about the city’s urban poverty, how Detroit’s bankruptcy might affect Milwaukee, and whether state policies could drive public employees into the suburbs. One thing they definitely … Continue reading “How do Michigan and Wisconsin Compare in the Eyes of VCs?”

Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference

Innovation is one of those goals that transcends borders. Spurring technology innovation, and through it the creation of new industries that accelerate job growth, is always high on the agenda of any advanced economy. But what if you had to change the culture of an entire nation at the same time? That’s a major part … Continue reading “Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference”

A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records

It takes a lot of patience to be a patient. There are about 1.2 billion physician office visits annually in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The center, which has collected data on this subject for decades, also reports that patients wait an average of just “north” of 11 minutes … Continue reading “A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records”

Detroit Native Returns to the City to Launch Pedicab Startup

Gabby Bryant, 23, is exactly the kind of person Detroit needs to help execute its comeback. She was born and raised in Detroit, but eventually left to study economics and African American studies at Harvard. She thought she’d go on to Washington, DC, after she graduated, but instead she found herself thinking more and more … Continue reading “Detroit Native Returns to the City to Launch Pedicab Startup”

Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Here’s a fresh take on the spirit of giving: Ten Washington technology companies have agreed to “pay it forward” by supporting Seattle’s first not-for-profit coding academy focused on preparing women who show technical aptitude, but have little or no technical experience, to become software developers. During the Technology Alliance’s early days in the mid-1990s, Washington … Continue reading “Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving”

10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience

San Francisco, we’re coming. Of course, you are ready for the biotech onslaught. The cab drivers, hotel people, cops, security dudes, restaurant and bar staff—you all know the drill come January. So what about all the healthcare industry capitalists? Are you ready to make the most of this week when all the decision makers and … Continue reading “10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience”

HistoSonics Secures $1,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bebf9b75-054e-496f-a750-603990fb3467 Date 12/23/2013 Company Name HistoSonics Mailing Address 3626 W. Liberty Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Company Description HistoSonics Inc which will develop a novel medical device that uses tightly focused ultrasound pulses to treat prostate disease. Website http://www.histosonics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “HistoSonics Secures $1,000,000 New Round”

GiveForward Lands $784,671 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba7c436b-e458-4a6d-b4e1-8e492fc5a239 Date 12/23/2013 Company Name GiveForward Mailing Address 1564 N. Damen Chicago, IL 60622 Company Description At GiveForward we’re passionate about empowering people to help those in need. We provide easy to use fundraising pages so you can raise money for the people and causes that need it most. Website http://www.giveforward.com Transaction … Continue reading “GiveForward Lands $784,671 New Financing”

Answers Acquires ForeSee Results for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=232f62d5-17e6-4a61-afe3-8f8fdbced777 Date 12/23/2013 Company Name ForeSee Results Mailing Address 2500 Green Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Company Description ForeSee Results owns and applies the proven and predictive methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to measurement of online customer satisfaction to help clients determine how to improve customer satisfaction and have … Continue reading “Answers Acquires ForeSee Results for Undisclosed Sum”

7Summits Lands New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=61734194-c59b-4a94-b6f8-8a02aaf672ae Date 12/21/2013 Company Name 7Summits Mailing Address 1110 Old World Third St. Milwaukee, WI 53203 Company Description At 7Summits, we believe in unleashing people’s potential to create, innovate, and compete in entirely new ways. Combining our creative talent and strong business acumen, this philosophy has driven us to become a valued … Continue reading “7Summits Lands New Funding”

Kidizen Secures $85,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e1803c00-52a0-4f0a-9ace-b721666aa5bb Date 12/21/2013 Company Name Kidizen Mailing Address Undisclosed Minneapolis, MN 55401 Company Description Kidizen is the peer-to-peer kidstuff marketplace for parents who understand the value of pre-loved things and want their children’s unique personalities to be reflected in their style. We help parents keep up with their kids’ constantly changing needs … Continue reading “Kidizen Secures $85,000 New Funding Round”

News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network”

Over the last 20 years, three new technologies have come together to reshape the way information enters our lives. First, of course, there was the Web, starting around 1993. Then came social networking, starting around 2003. And finally—hugely amplifying the effects of the first two—came broadband-capable smartphones and tablets, starting in 2007. Any one of … Continue reading “News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network””

With U-M Tech, Ford Research Car Maps Its Surroundings in 3D

A press preview event put on last week ahead of January’s North American International Auto Show had, as one might expect, the relentlessly positive feel of a pep rally. Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of North American operations, told the crowd that 2014 “represents a massive year for Ford.” Less than a week after the Dec. 12, of … Continue reading “With U-M Tech, Ford Research Car Maps Its Surroundings in 3D”

PharMEDium Receives New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=31da5815-d2ed-4a20-8492-250d39f94185 Date 12/20/2013 Company Name PharMEDium Mailing Address 150 North Field Drive Lake Forest, IL 60045 Company Description PharMEDium is the national leader in customized pharmacy sterile compounding for hospital intravenous and epidural therapies. PharMEDium has been committed to developing quality processes that facilitates the highest level of safety for patients who … Continue reading “PharMEDium Receives New Funding”

Retrofit Receives $5,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=90a1febd-1fc5-4d7b-8f09-c1cae15f6359 Date 12/20/2013 Company Name Retrofit Mailing Address 123 N. Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Company Description Retrofit strives to make a significant impact on the weight crisis faced by our families, friends, and country. Website http://www.retrofitme.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Retrofit says it … Continue reading “Retrofit Receives $5,000,000 New Financing”

HealthNetConnect on the Future of Telemedicine, Remote House Calls

Judging by last month’s Medical Main Street conference held in Troy, MI, health IT has never been hotter in Michigan. Among the many companies looking to compete on this crowded field is a Michigan medical supply company that has developed a remote diagnostic system that is already being used by major local hospitals. J&B Medical … Continue reading “HealthNetConnect on the Future of Telemedicine, Remote House Calls”

Elevation Training Mask Lands $20,162 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=315f09b0-1740-4fb9-a4ca-822d75d821d7 Date 12/19/2013 Company Name Elevation Training Mask Mailing Address 1140 Plett Rd. Cadillac, MI 49601 Company Description The secret of truly elite athletes isn’t the amount of time spent working out, the intensity of the workout, or the determination to push one’s body to the limits. No, world-class athletes are beating … Continue reading “Elevation Training Mask Lands $20,162 New Round”

MIT Enterprise Forum Great Lakes: Medical Devices

Medical devices are an area of innovation that is on the rise in Michigan. Business writers and technology gurus selected by the staff of the MIT Technology Review will participate in a panel discussion about Michigan’s role in developing some of these and other game-changing technologies. To learn more, click here.

Starting Your Own Business

Ann Arbor SPARK offers a day full of training workshops covering topics such as business plans, financing options, marketing plans, and how certain personality traits can impact the entrepreneurial experience. For more information, click here.

Detroit Tech Startup Match Up

Looking to join a startup, or are you a startup that needs to hire team members? This event is like “speed dating” but instead of finding your next dating opportunity, this event is designed to introduce Detroit’s tech startups to talented developers, designers, web content writers, business development specialists, social media experts, or an administrative whiz. Click … Continue reading “Detroit Tech Startup Match Up”

RidePal and the Private Bus Wars: Q&A with Founder Nathalie Criou

Aside from rent increases, few effects of the economic boom lifting up the San Francisco Bay Area (or afflicting it, depending on your point of view) have drawn more ire and resentment lately than the private buses. These big, faceless, Wi-Fi-equipped vehicles crawl the streets and highways of San Francisco and the peninsula, shuttling tech … Continue reading “RidePal and the Private Bus Wars: Q&A with Founder Nathalie Criou”

WyzAnt Secures $21,500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c94cad1c-e348-4bb7-9c53-626bbff02ed0 Date 12/18/2013 Company Name WyzAnt Mailing Address 1714 N Damen Ave Chicago, IL 60647 Company Description WyzAnt is the leading tutoring marketplace on the web with 73,000+ tutors offering private lessons in hundreds of subjects like math, science, test prep, foreign languages, music, computers and much more. Website http://www.wyzant.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “WyzAnt Secures $21,500,000 New Financing”

Wisely Analyzes Customer Spending Patterns in New Mobile App

A year ago, Glyph was a Detroit-based startup with an iPhone app that helped users maximize their credit card rewards. Over the summer, the company relocated to Ann Arbor and, on Dec. 5, pivoted and relaunched as Wisely with a new app in the iPhone store. “We changed the name and the focus,” says co-founder … Continue reading “Wisely Analyzes Customer Spending Patterns in New Mobile App”

Betting on the Recurring Revenue Market

Big companies are betting big on recurring revenue—that is, pricing plans designed to guarantee continuing income, as opposed to one-time payments. They believe that if they play their hands correctly, this strategy will deliver profitability and growth. We’ve been watching the red-hot recurring revenue market closely, and in recent months, we’ve seen one established company … Continue reading “Betting on the Recurring Revenue Market”

For CytRx’s Insiders, What a Difference a Day Makes

CytRx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTR]]) investors had a lot to be happy about last week.  The good times came on Wednesday, Dec. 11, after the small cap biotech announced encouraging summary results from a mid-stage clinical trial of its doxorubicin conjugate, aldoxorubicin, in patients getting their initial treatment for soft tissue sarcoma.  This announcement sent Los Angeles-based … Continue reading “For CytRx’s Insiders, What a Difference a Day Makes”

Abeona Therapeutics Lands $750,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=81971599-d4d8-4865-879f-1ed46aee0dc9 Date 12/17/2013 Company Name Abeona Therapeutics Mailing Address 11471 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44106 Company Description Abeona was founded in March 2013 to develop therapies for patients with lysosomal storage diseases. Abeona has exclusive rights to develop it’s two lead products, ABX-A and ABX-B, for Sanfilippo syndrome based on therapies developed … Continue reading “Abeona Therapeutics Lands $750,000 Seed Financing Round”

ViewRay Lands $30,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8dc974e4-881e-447c-b466-7f7e86f2f8ae Date 12/17/2013 Company Name ViewRay Mailing Address 2 Thermo Fisher Way Oakwood Village, OH 44146 Company Description The patent pending Renaissance race System 1000 combines two proven technologies: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gamma ray radiotherapy. Conversely, today’s competing image-guided radiotherapy systems are based on linear accelerators which require CT or … Continue reading “ViewRay Lands $30,000,000 New Funding”

ViewRay Secures $30,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8dc974e4-881e-447c-b466-7f7e86f2f8ae Date 12/17/2013 Company Name ViewRay Mailing Address 2 Thermo Fisher Way Oakwood Village, OH 44146 Company Description The patent pending Renaissance race System 1000 combines two proven technologies: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gamma ray radiotherapy. Conversely, today’s competing image-guided radiotherapy systems are based on linear accelerators which require CT or … Continue reading “ViewRay Secures $30,000,000 New Financing”

Coskata Garners $474,708 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7ccbc74-65ff-48ce-9ca5-a7a52a88af96 Date 12/17/2013 Company Name Coskata Mailing Address 4575 Weaver Parkway Warrenville, IL 60555 Company Description Coskata is a biology-based renewable energy company that is commercializing technology to produce biofuels from a wide variety of feedstocks. Using proprietary microorganisms and transformative bioreactor designs, the company projects that it will be able to … Continue reading “Coskata Garners $474,708 New Round”

Zyga Technology Garners $10,000,000 Series C Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13c0a720-451a-47f9-ad0e-a8bc6b28abe3 Date 12/17/2013 Company Name Zyga Technology Mailing Address 5600 Rowland Road Minnetonka, MN 55343 Company Description Zyga Technology is dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of solutions that provide empirical clinical and economic value in the treatment of underserved conditions of the spine. What’s more, our high quality medical devices … Continue reading “Zyga Technology Garners $10,000,000 Series C Financing”

Nanotronics Imaging Garners $7,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2be04086-c3fb-4421-a475-b876f388cca7 Date 12/17/2013 Company Name Nanotronics Imaging Mailing Address 2251 Front St. Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 Company Description Founded in 2008, Nanotronics Imaging is a high-tech, cutting edge, microscopy and software company delivering rapid testing and analysis solutions to sectors ranging from materials science, and semiconductors to life science and medicine. Website … Continue reading “Nanotronics Imaging Garners $7,000,000 Series B Round”

3D Design Software Helps Dearborn Mid-West Stay on Track

The Dearborn Mid-West Company (DMW) started as a small fabrication shop outside of Detroit in 1947. The company has rolled with the punches of the automotive industry ever since, incorporating new technology along the way to remain competitive. Today, DMW designs and manufactures major material handling systems, such as the kind of conveyors that pull … Continue reading “3D Design Software Helps Dearborn Mid-West Stay on Track”

Xconomy Launches in Wisconsin: Innovation Isn’t Something We Fly Over

There are no flyover zones in the United States. That’s the way Xconomy views the map, anyway, because we see innovation happening all over America. So it is with great pleasure that today we are launching Xconomy Wisconsin, the ninth hub in our growing national network. It is our third launch this year—after Boulder-Denver and … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Wisconsin: Innovation Isn’t Something We Fly Over”

What Was Hyped, and What Fell Out of Favor, This Year in Biotech

Every year, Science magazine profiles its “Breakthrough of the Year.” People get excited. But what many readers don’t fully appreciate is that these discoveries—at least in biomedicine—are almost always decades away from turning into useful new drugs, diagnostics, or other products that advance human health. There are, shall we say, kinks that need to be … Continue reading “What Was Hyped, and What Fell Out of Favor, This Year in Biotech”

How Nelson Mandela Inspired Me to Fight Infectious Disease

[Editor’s Note: Alan Aderem is a former political activist from South Africa who now serves as the President of Seattle BioMed, a research institute that focuses on global infectious diseases.] My first response to Nelson Mandela’s death was one of profound loss and sadness. This feeling was soon replaced by recognition of Mandela’s mammoth contributions … Continue reading “How Nelson Mandela Inspired Me to Fight Infectious Disease”

A Revolution is Taking Place in the Treatment of Blood Cancers

I try to avoid sensationalizing early clinical trial results presented at medical conferences, what’s commonly known as “hype over hope.” But at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans I was struck by the thought that I was a witness to the beginning of a revolution in the … Continue reading “A Revolution is Taking Place in the Treatment of Blood Cancers”

Mattersight Lands $6,000,002 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf69959d-5402-43b8-b15b-50ba5f913bb5 Date 12/16/2013 Company Name Mattersight Mailing Address 200 S. Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Company Description Mattersight is the leader in enterprise analytics for and customer-employee interactions, delivering Mattersight® Behavioral Analytics as a managed service. We have invested in excess of $75 million to build powerful technology that captures, analyzes, and … Continue reading “Mattersight Lands $6,000,002 New Funding Round”

Nanofiber Solutions Lands $1,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4801274e-cabc-4d85-9261-1af0cc7c2bb9 Date 12/16/2013 Company Name Nanofiber Solutions Mailing Address 1275 Kinnear Rd. Columbus, OH 43212 Company Description Nanofiber Solutions was founded by Dr. John Lannutti and Dr. Jed Johnson in April of 2009 as an extension of Dr. Jed Johnson’s doctoral research at The Ohio State University. Nanofiber Solutions is an engineering … Continue reading “Nanofiber Solutions Lands $1,500,000 New Funding”

Former MIT President Charles Vest Dead of Cancer at 72

[Updated, Dec. 14, 2013–see below] Charles Vest, one of the leading contemporary figures of higher education, engineering, and science, and an early friend of Xconomy, has passed away. He was 72, and the cause was cancer, according to an announcement from MIT. Chuck, as most people called him, was the down home, congenial president of “the … Continue reading “Former MIT President Charles Vest Dead of Cancer at 72”

Roundup: AutoHarvest, Wayne State, TechSmith & Google

Here’s a look at some of the news from the Southeast Michigan innovation community that you may have missed: —AutoHarvest, a nonprofit website that aims to connect the auto industry with entrepreneurs and inventors, announced late last month that it will collaborate with Omnia Group to translate its English-language website into Chinese, German, French, and … Continue reading “Roundup: AutoHarvest, Wayne State, TechSmith & Google”

Houzz—the Alluring App for Home Remodelers and Wannabes

The first time you open the Houzz app on your Apple or Android tablet, you’ll take in the midcentury modern living rooms with their Eames sofas and Noguchi coffee tables, the gleaming neo-Craftsman bungalows surrounded by herb gardens, and the outdoor kitchens complete with wood-fired pizza ovens, and you’ll think you’ve landed inside the digital … Continue reading “Houzz—the Alluring App for Home Remodelers and Wannabes”

State Economic Rankings Don’t Measure Up

This post was co-written with Yasuyuki Motoyama and Jared Konczal. A few weeks ago, a new ranking was published measuring “opportunity” on a state-by-state basis. Vermont came out on top as the friendliest state for upward mobility, scoring well on both the Community and Education metrics. Someone from Vermont e-mailed us here at the Kauffman … Continue reading “State Economic Rankings Don’t Measure Up”