Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ad8649ac-a993-4346-88c9-e4e3476255ed&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2013 Company Name LevelEleven Mailing Address 1555 Broadway St 3rd Floor Detroit, MI 48226 Company Description LevelEleven develops easy-to-use software tools that help sales and other managers keep their teams focused on the right things. Our flagship product, Contest Builder, is a salesforce.com app that gives companies new ways to … Continue reading “LevelEleven Lands $500,000 Seed Financing”
Category: Detroit
NxThera Lands $3,500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=75c593cd-12ca-417f-97e0-eff430a177a8&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2013 Company Name NxThera Mailing Address 7351 Kirkwood Lane N Maple Grove, MN 55369 Company Description NxThera develops medical technologies to treat a variety of endourology conditions, including BPH. The company’s technology platform utilizes a simple, minimally invasive, vapor therapy designed to measurably improve urinary flow and patient quality of … Continue reading “NxThera Lands $3,500,000 New Financing”
Cymbet Secures $13,393,110 Series E Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8ddc4de-57ae-4f96-86c8-74a4c9130092&Preview=1 Date 4/11/2013 Company Name Cymbet Mailing Address 18326 Joplin Street NW Elk River, MN 55330 Company Description Cymbet Corporation is a privately held technology company that designs and manufactures thin film power backup devices such as rechargeable thin film batteries for semiconductor, sensor, medical and related electronic applications. The company has … Continue reading “Cymbet Secures $13,393,110 Series E Financing”
Llamasoft Continues Push Into Chinese Market With Mengniu Deal
Llamasoft, the Ann Arbor-based supply chain software company, announced this week that it has inked a deal with Mengniu, one of China’s leading dairy producers. Mengniu will use Llamasoft’s Supply Chain Guru product to manage its 20 production plants located throughout China. Rabobank ranked Mengniu the 18th largest dairy producer in the world. The terms … Continue reading “Llamasoft Continues Push Into Chinese Market With Mengniu Deal”
The Ultimate “Lean In”: Starting Your Own Company
Sheryl Sandberg brings a much-needed voice to the table on female leadership. She speaks from the vantage point of a strong executive who has made her way to the top. Her concept of leaning in and not leaving before you leave is important, but all this comes from an employee’s view. About four years ago, … Continue reading “The Ultimate “Lean In”: Starting Your Own Company”
Lighting the Way to Better Understanding of the Brain
We are enamored by our brains. Arguably the most complex system in the universe that is made up of over 80 billion neurons, the brain is a complex organ that can be a source of marvel and devastation, from human consciousness to neurodegenerative disease. The triumph of overcoming brain disease and injury is captivating: Neuroscientist … Continue reading “Lighting the Way to Better Understanding of the Brain”
OptionsCity Obtains New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f03a3b36-af1e-4945-addd-55f43db14610&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name OptionsCity Mailing Address 200 W. Adams St Chicago, IL 60606 Company Description OptionsCity is a financial technology company incepted in 2006 by three Chicago software professionals and friends who shared the same passion and vision for technology and options trading. Together, Hazem Dawani, Victor Glava, and Rudy … Continue reading “OptionsCity Obtains New Funding”
Scanalytics Lands $20,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c1c9ec69-fd78-43a9-ba06-22b15eafa692&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name Scanalytics Mailing Address 1 East Main 3rd Floor Madison , WI 53701 Company Description Scanalytics measures the movements of individuals in physical locations such as retail establishments, tradeshows, and promotional events. They enable businesses to maximize customer engagements, predict patterns, increase customer retention, and measure in-store conversions. … Continue reading “Scanalytics Lands $20,000 New Funding Round”
ZeroLocus Receives $20,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=77a429e8-51e8-4192-b18f-2c45017d4462&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name ZeroLocus Mailing Address 231 E Buffalo Street 5th Floor Milwaukee, WI 53202 Company Description Zero Locus is developing software systems to perform advanced analytics in the “Big Data” space. Website http://www.zerolocus.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $20,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the … Continue reading “ZeroLocus Receives $20,000 Seed Funding Round”
Movein Garners $20,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6511d5b-bf19-47e0-a188-58ef92d8ac33&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name Movein Mailing Address Undisclosed Madison, WI 53532 Company Description We founded MoveinMadison.com in January 2011 for a simple reason: apartment hunting in Madison just plain sucked. As UW students and then recent graduates with more than 10 Madison apartment hunts between us, we had far too much … Continue reading “Movein Garners $20,000 Seed Round”
DineInTime Garners $20,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=863d2cfa-cb96-4a76-9106-5a359388dee3&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name DineInTime Mailing Address Undisclosed Madison, WI 53532 Company Description DineInTime replaces your restaurant’s pagers with a comprehensive software system that alerts patrons via phone when their table is ready. Website http://www.dineintimeapp.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $20,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the … Continue reading “DineInTime Garners $20,000 Seed Round”
Quietyme Obtains $20,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8d5a6774-a84e-416a-9679-887dce3cdded&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name Quietyme Mailing Address Undisclosed Neshkoro, WI 54960 Company Description Hotel noise is eliminated with the noise level monitoring service Quietyme provides. Quietyme enables property managers and hotel managers to give their residents a better night’s sleep by quieting noisy neighbors. Website http://www.quietyme.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Quietyme Obtains $20,000 Seed Funding”
WeMontage Garners $20,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b2df935b-c420-4495-b768-9a46ce847217&Preview=1 Date 4/10/2013 Company Name WeMontage Mailing Address 1009 Derby Ln Neenah, WI 54956 Company Description WeMontage is a website for creative professionals to make large, custom photo collages on removable wallpaper. Use WeMontage to create stunning wall art for your clients. Website http://www.wemontage.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $20,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “WeMontage Garners $20,000 Seed Funding”
Cengage Learning: Digitizing the World’s Libraries from SE Michigan
How many of us in Detroit are aware that one of the world’s biggest players in the digitization of school and library resources is located right in our backyard? Cengage Learning has spent almost 60 years growing its publishing business, first in Detroit and now in Farmington Hills. “It’s not well-known that such a large global … Continue reading “Cengage Learning: Digitizing the World’s Libraries from SE Michigan”
Business Law Workshop
Ann Arbor SPARK hosts this workshop covering business law topics that are important to entrepreneurs: proper business structure, intellectual property protection, founders and key employee compensation, and more. The featured panelist is Marisa Smith from the Whole Brain Group. For details and registration, click here.
Ask the Investor Event
The public is invited to ask a panel of investors for their suggestions about how to build a better business. On the panel will be Remos Lenio from DWH, Ann Arbor SPARK’s Joe Licovoli, and Michael Cole of Ann Arbor Angels. To register, click here.
MobileRealtyApps.com Lands New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ecff17c0-6be3-45de-a8f6-82a4fb967d53&Preview=1 Date 4/9/2013 Company Name MobileRealtyApps.com Mailing Address 400 South 4th St Minneapolis, MN 55415 Company Description Mobile Realty Apps provides a complete mobile solution to brokers and MLSs, featuring apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry, QR codes, text and voice response solutions. Mobile Realty Apps is perhaps best known for … Continue reading “MobileRealtyApps.com Lands New Financing”
ReapSo: Spin to Win Discounts, Loyalty Rewards
Ever since the advent of Groupon, it seems like startups across the land are tripping over one another trying to be the next big thing in deals that drive customers into businesses. Jumping into the fray is ReapSo, a Farmington Hills, MI-based company started in 2012 by Bill Wildern and Steve Valentine, two self-described automotive … Continue reading “ReapSo: Spin to Win Discounts, Loyalty Rewards”
The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!
When Fred Wilson wrote about Simplified Content Marketing, he got hundreds of comments, many of them saying essentially that this was nothing new. They are wrong. There’s something really dramatically new going on, but the shift is so massive, so tectonic, that it’s a little hard to even see while being in the middle of … Continue reading “The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!”
The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More
The human brain, as Francis Collins recently said, “is the most complicated organ in the universe.” We only have vague ideas today of how it works at the level of genes, and neural circuits. Deeper understanding could help us unravel some of today’s great mysteries, from autism to Alzheimer’s to epilepsy. The sequencing of the … Continue reading “The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More”
AlphaCore Acquired by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune
AlphaCore Pharma, an Ann Arbor-based biotech company working on a drug to treat atherosclerosis, announced this week that it has been acquired by MedImmune, the biologics division of the Delaware-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sparking AstraZeneca’s interest is AlphaCore’s ACP-501, a recombinant human lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) enzyme, which … Continue reading “AlphaCore Acquired by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune”
Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe
Ten years ago this month, I edited a cover story for MIT’s Technology Review magazine called “Surveillance Nation.” Written by veteran science journalist Charles Mann and network security guru Dan Farmer, the story looked at the state of digital video circa 2003 and envisaged a near future where every home, business, and street would be … Continue reading “Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe”
AdYapper Lands $118,000 Seed Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=412dc809-a46b-4dc8-9c4c-fb868ae900a2&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2013 Company Name AdYapper Mailing Address 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description We’re AdYapper and our mission is to empower you to take back your eyes and ears by giving you a voice in advertising. If you have to be inundated with advertising all … Continue reading “AdYapper Lands $118,000 Seed Financing Round”
Revitalization or Ruin: What Does Detroit’s Future Look Like?
Four years ago this week, I put the deposit down on my first apartment in Detroit. I had been spending an increasing amount of time in the city on weekends, and every time I visited, I felt—at the risk of sounding corny here—a connection forming. The city had just plain gotten under my skin. Something … Continue reading “Revitalization or Ruin: What Does Detroit’s Future Look Like?”
Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution
As recently reported in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News, there is a controversy brewing over robotic surgery and whether it is superior to alternative surgical approaches. Robotic training practices have also been questioned and it has been debated whether surgeons are receiving enough supervised cases before flying solo. What … Continue reading “Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution”
U-M’s Month of Entrepreneurship Seeks to Engage Entire Campus
The University of Michigan is attempting to bring its nationally recognized entrepreneurship efforts to the entire 43,000-member student body during its Month of Entrepreneurship, which, with events in February and March, is technically now stretching into a third month due to popular demand. It’s only the fourth time something like this has been done in … Continue reading “U-M’s Month of Entrepreneurship Seeks to Engage Entire Campus”
Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest
Let me make a modest proposal: Seattle should commit to sequencing and interpreting the genomes of every willing member of its population and should do it within the next five years. This program would elevate Seattle to the forefront of personalized genomic medicine, leverage many advantages unique to our area, and create a vibrant and … Continue reading “Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest”
SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable
Give the SEC a lot of credit…the headline they chose for their press release yesterday about public companies using social media could not have been more clear: “SEC Says Social Media OK for Company Announcements if Investors Are Alerted.” With those words, and a full report here, the commission has blessed the inevitable modernization of corporate … Continue reading “SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable”
GreenLancer Raises $275,000 From Group of MI Investors
GreenLancer, the Detroit-based solar engineering company Xconomy profiled last July, announced last week that it has oversubscribed its Series A fundraising round, snagging $275,000 from four Michigan-based investors. The company, which is based online and employs a national network of contract employees, or greenlancers, to work on jobs, is leaving the round open as it … Continue reading “GreenLancer Raises $275,000 From Group of MI Investors”
Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress
The cost of healthcare administration is a hot issue in America. According to the Center for American progress, in the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $361 billion annually goes to cover administrative costs. That number is a 14 percent of total healthcare expenditure nationwide. Improvements in IT are expected to reduce these expenditures dramatically. The … Continue reading “Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress”
Target Data Garners $350,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=94ab723d-0687-4ca5-bd35-1658c73c0610&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name Target Data Mailing Address 325 N. LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60654 Company Description As the industry’s only provider of an end-to-end platform for integrated mover marketing solutions, powered by the most accurate, most comprehensive, pre-mover data available, we make it possible for businesses to accurately identify, deeply … Continue reading “Target Data Garners $350,000 New Financing”
GloStream Lands $1,236,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=59e6e959-c1ec-4ff3-881a-b1039747798b&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name GloStream Mailing Address 1050 Wilshire Dr. Troy, MI 48084 Company Description GloStream was founded by two software developers who met on a Web site dedicated to the exchange of IT projects over the Internet. The two technology professionals with a gift for translating ideas into technological reality … Continue reading “GloStream Lands $1,236,000 New Funding”
Larky Receives $400,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fee6ecf3-d103-4b88-808d-b15aea303bef&Preview=1 Date 4/2/2013 Company Name Larky Mailing Address Undisclosed Detroit, MI 48201 Company Description Larky’s application helps consumers manage discounts from retailers, membership organizations increase loyalty, and merchants generate business. Website http://www.larky.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $400,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Going forward, the immediate plan with the funding … Continue reading “Larky Receives $400,000 Seed Round”
Wayne State’s Warrior Fund Invests in Four Student Ventures
Late last month, student-run startups from the Blackstone LaunchPad incubator gathered for pitch competition on the campus of Wayne State University (WSU). The startups were able to pitch for up to $5,000 in funding from the Warrior Fund, WSU’s pre-seed fund to support student tech startups. Blackstone, which operates on the campuses of WSU and … Continue reading “Wayne State’s Warrior Fund Invests in Four Student Ventures”
Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force
Gilead Sciences has had what you could call a “high-class problem” the last few years. Biotech companies that are great at one thing eventually must prove they can be great at something else. And Gilead is showing signs that it’s finally on its way to becoming a truly diversified biotech industry leader, with a plan … Continue reading “Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force”
To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question
Do you really need a to-do list? In the age of personal optimization, when books like The 4-Hour Workweek peddle the idea that you could be superhumanly productive if you just had the right tools, the question is almost blasphemous. Of course you need a to-do list. How else are you supposed to know what … Continue reading “To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question”
Aastrom Scraps Phase 3 Study, Cuts Workforce in Half
The Ann Arbor-based biotech company Aastrom Biosciences (Nasdaq: ASTM) announced this week that it’s halting its REVIVE-CLI Phase 3 clinical study of the company’s multicell therapy for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). The company also slashed its workforce in half in a reorganization of its R&D operation. About a year ago, Aastrom raised $40 million from Eastern Capital … Continue reading “Aastrom Scraps Phase 3 Study, Cuts Workforce in Half”
ENCODE and the Truth
Constant facts of all scientific endeavors – Nature always wins. The truth will come out. An absorbing article last month in The Scientist called The A@#hole Scientist wondered if scientists could be a-holes, as it called them. Of course they can. Simple logic. Scientists are human and humans can be a-holes. QED. According to the … Continue reading “ENCODE and the Truth”
A123 Changes Name to B456 After Sale
[Updated 3/29, see below] An interesting footnote to a big, bad bankruptcy case in the cleantech world: The former A123 Systems, which fell into bankruptcy after huge stumbles in its business, has officially changed its name to B456 Systems. The change was noted in a filing with the SEC. In it, the company notes that … Continue reading “A123 Changes Name to B456 After Sale”
Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry
Dear Xconomy, Welcome to Colorado. We’re glad to have you, but there’s a… thing you should know about. From the outside, the startup environment in Colorado just seems like one big funky but remarkably effective family of startup goodness. But, like any family, we have our internecine feuds. We are speaking, of course, about the … Continue reading “Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry”
Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network
Thank you Boulder and Denver! We are extremely pleased to announce today the launch of Xconomy Boulder/Denver, the seventh bureau in our growing network of news sites covering the business of technology in key innovation clusters around the United States. We couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of the entrepreneurial and innovation communities … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network”
Improv 4 Entrepreneurs
This event, brought to Detroit by Founder Campus and EPIX, is a hands-on class that uses improv techniques made popular by shows like Saturday Night Live and Whose Line Is It Anyway to strengthen participants’ entrepreneurial skills while having fun. To register, click here.
Michigan Energy Forum
Topic of discussion is the state’s energy policy and how we address energy policy has broad impacts on climate, economic competitiveness, employment and job skills, environment, and health. Roland Scott of ArborWind will moderate a panel discussion. For details and registration, click here.
GLEQ’s Entrepreneur Connect
More than $280,000 in prizes will be awarded to startups and business ideas at GLEQ’s year-end celebration. For more information, click here.
Michigan Celebrates Small Business
Small-business owners from across the state will gather to celebrate the winners of the annual 50 Businesses to Watch and Small Business awards. For details and registration, click here.
Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures
Third Rock Ventures was in the enviable position of turning away some institutional investors when the life sciences venture firm recently closed on $516 million for its third venture fund. So first let me say, “Congratulations!” to team Third Rock. Mark Levin has demonstrated at Third Rock and as the chairman and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures”
Nerd Nite
Nerd Nite, a grassroots monthly event held in 50 cities around the world, is coming to Detroit. Participants give short speeches on a wide variety of topics. Trivia and other shenanigans favored by nerds ensue. This month’s presenters: Micha Adams and Matt Buss, founders of Detroit Flyhouse, a circus school in Eastern Market; Charles Gibson of … Continue reading “Nerd Nite”
Mobile Monday Detroit
Detroit’s mobile development community will gather for this monthly meetup to discuss “Windows 8: A Connected Experience.” Click here for registration.
Women and Startups
The news from PyCon rekindles a long-running discussion about the lack of women in tech startups. The description of the roomful of men, cracking fraternity-scale jokes without regard for the few women in the room brings back plenty of memories of other rooms full of men in my twenty years of tech startup life. Far … Continue reading “Women and Startups”
Uber Launches On-Demand Car Service in Detroit
If you’re a car-challenged Detroiter like me, you have at least five phone numbers for taxis in your contact list. There’s the industry standard Checker Cabs, whose line is busy more often than not; there’s the friendly cab driver you had one time who gave you his private number and said to call that number … Continue reading “Uber Launches On-Demand Car Service in Detroit”