Category: Detroit

On Pixels, Atoms, and Gentrification: What Drives Detroit’s Future?

I attended the Knight Foundation‘s “Civic Engagement Showcase and Learning Conference” this morning in Detroit, and it was an eye-opening experience. (Search for #DetroitShowcase on Twitter to read the attendees’ tweets.) Predictably, non-profits and arts groups were heavily represented—I sat next to Detroit Opera House founder and director David DiChera in our small-group breakout session—but … Continue reading “On Pixels, Atoms, and Gentrification: What Drives Detroit’s Future?”

The End of Meat. And Driving. And Football.

Americans are great at giving up things—in emergencies, anyway. Under World War II rationing plans, U.S. citizens cut way back on their use of gasoline, nylon stockings, coffee, sugar, and everything made of steel or rubber. In the 1970s, in response to the Middle East oil embargoes, the federal government imposed odd-even gasoline rationing in … Continue reading “The End of Meat. And Driving. And Football.”

Tissue Regeneration Systems Garners $1,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=df11749f-d1a7-4d0f-8cb7-53567743c6a2&Preview=1 Date 9/7/2012 Company Name Tissue Regeneration Systems Mailing Address 401 West Morgan Road Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Company Description The company develops tissue regeneration medical devices and equipment. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A … Continue reading “Tissue Regeneration Systems Garners $1,000,000 New Financing”

Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings

After we put out the 2011 Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, my colleague Wade wrote a Friday column entitled “There Is an Incubator Bubble—And It Will Pop.” That particular guide listed 64 startup incubator programs, up from 34 in 2010, and 20 in our first guide in 2009. Wade concluded his column with the admonition: … Continue reading “Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings”

Wiselime Obtains $400,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=58079ba2-8ff9-4527-ab32-f8a04cf9a888&Preview=1 Date 9/6/2012 Company Name Wiselime Mailing Address Undisclosed Cleveland, OH 44105 Company Description Wiselime LLC, doing business as Tackk, a company providing a Web-publishing service for single-use and disposable content. Website http://www.wiselime.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $400,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Wiselime Obtains $400,000 New Funding Round”

U-M’s New Drug Discovery Center to Commercialize Research

Last week, the University of Michigan announced a new Center for the Discovery of New Medicines (CDNM) to help speed the school’s research findings to the marketplace. The new initiative is a cross-departmental effort to leverage resources like former Pfizer researchers, unique libraries of compounds, and a culture of data sharing to streamline early-stage drug … Continue reading “U-M’s New Drug Discovery Center to Commercialize Research”

Would Longer Drug Patents Really Lead to Lower Drug Prices?

Imagine needing a drug to save your life, finding one that is likely to work, and then realizing you can’t afford it. This was the ironic situation that recently confronted a research physician who was diagnosed with leukemia, the very disease he had devoted his life to studying. Fortunately, the doctor’s friends raised the money … Continue reading “Would Longer Drug Patents Really Lead to Lower Drug Prices?”

Detroit Startup Chalkfly Helps Customers Give Back to Schools

As a new school year starts today for Detroit kids, a new Bizdom startup has launched that allows customers to help make lives of local students and teachers a little bit easier. It’s called Chalkfly, an office and school supplies website that donates 5 percent from each purchase back to the schools or teachers of the … Continue reading “Detroit Startup Chalkfly Helps Customers Give Back to Schools”

Fearless Football and Biotech Picks For Fall 2012

Football season starts this week, which means a few things to me. Summer vacation season is over, people’s batteries should be recharged, and it’s time to start fresh at work and school. This is also the time of year I look for lessons and storylines from America’s most popular spectator sport for ways to liven … Continue reading “Fearless Football and Biotech Picks For Fall 2012”

eSpark Receives $5,700,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3ae93c30-f10b-4e22-bc6d-9cd996eb1f28&Preview=1 Date 9/2/2012 Company Name eSpark Mailing Address 180 N Stetson Street Chicago, IL 60601 Company Description We make learning fun for elementary school students so they succeed in school and in life. Website http://www.esparklearning.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,700,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes eSpark plans to dedicate … Continue reading “eSpark Receives $5,700,000 Series A Round”

Aerpio Therapeutics Garners $27,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c531f160-55a7-4c4b-8180-d12d692b4e71&Preview=1 Date 9/1/2012 Company Name Aerpio Therapeutics Mailing Address 9987 Carver Road Cincinnati, OH 45242 Company Description Aerpio Therapeutics is a new, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of vascular disease and enhancement of wound healing. Website http://www.aerpio.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Aerpio Therapeutics Garners $27,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Phones on Flights: The New Mobile Madness

Earlier this week I was in seat 27D on an American Airlines 737 flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Francisco. We were descending into SFO on the final leg of the flight when I glanced across the aisle and was surprised to see that the people in 27B and 27C—an older gentleman and a young … Continue reading “Phones on Flights: The New Mobile Madness”

It’s Time to Woo More Foreign Students and Companies, Says Paul Krutko

Paul Krutko is the president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, the city’s economic development agency. He’s just back from Washington, D.C., where he was part of a delegation—along with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Mike Finney; JoAnn Crary, president of Saginaw Future; and Ray Byers, Wayne County’s chief economic development officer—who attended this week’s … Continue reading “It’s Time to Woo More Foreign Students and Companies, Says Paul Krutko”

Xconomist of the Week: Josh Linkner On Detroit “Getting Back Its Mojo”

Detroit Venture Partners CEO and managing partner Josh Linkner, with his success as a serial entrepreneur, venture fund backed by Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert, and unwavering commitment to nurturing Motor City startups, has become an icon of the city’s revitalization. He’s the kind of guy other investors all over the country—and I … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Josh Linkner On Detroit “Getting Back Its Mojo””

Fetchnotes Garners New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e58206e9-f03e-49bd-8298-c59d0a5715c6&Preview=1 Date 8/29/2012 Company Name Fetchnotes Mailing Address 3122 Vistabrook Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 Company Description Fetchnotes is a note-taking and organization tool that gets your tasks, ideas, reminders and more out of your brain and into your workflow. It uses dynamic, tag-based organization so that you can spend less … Continue reading “Fetchnotes Garners New Funding”

How the Daily Office Birthday Email Became the Startup Cup of Zup

There was a time, at the turn of the century, when my chief purpose in life seemed to be serving as the stenographer for my tight-knit group of friends. All of us were newly graduated from college and, for one reason or another (often not at our own choosing), we were back in our hometown. … Continue reading “How the Daily Office Birthday Email Became the Startup Cup of Zup”

Endotronix Obtains $1,795,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3c230676-0fc7-4045-9c4e-896d77060ec0&Preview=1 Date 8/28/2012 Company Name Endotronix Mailing Address 11000 Cedar Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 Company Description The company operates as a medical device company. Website http://www.endotronix.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,795,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

Blackstone LaunchPad Fosters Entrepreneurship, Possibility

Energy, hope, and possibility: That, essentially, is what Bill Green says the Launch Pad program is about. Green, senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate education at the University of Miami, co-founded the Launch Pad there as a way to integrate the values of entrepreneurship campus-wide and turn students into CEOs of startups, which Green believes is key … Continue reading “Blackstone LaunchPad Fosters Entrepreneurship, Possibility”

Ann Arbor Open Coffee

This networking event, hosted by Ann Arbor SPARK, is geared toward entrepreneurs, investors, and those who work with innovation businesses, particularly in IT, cleantech, and life sciences. For details, click here.

Navigating the Patent Process

TechTown hosts this event open to all entrepreneurs and inventors. Attorneys from Dykema Gossett will be on hand to help guide participants through the patent process. The event is free to TechTown clients and $25 for the pubic. Click here to register.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen

I recently took a vacation in Italy, and in my quest to eat everything not nailed down in the Lake Como region, I had the good fortune to participate in an amazing private cooking class in the resort kitchen of the Villa d’Este Hotel. The sous chef, a charming Italian man (duh) took my family through … Continue reading “If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen”

U-M Student Startup Fetchnotes Wins TechStars Spot

Fetchnotes, the Ann Arbor, MI-based startup founded by a group of University of Michigan students, announced today that it has been accepted into the national business accelerator TechStars Boston. It’s a prestigious program that accepts only 1 percent of startups that apply to participate, and Fetchnotes is the first U-M student startup to earn the … Continue reading “U-M Student Startup Fetchnotes Wins TechStars Spot”

10 Indispensable Apps for the Back-to-School Season

There’s a reason that George Fox University, Regis College, Chicago State University, Seton Hill, and other colleges and universities are giving iPads to all incoming freshmen this fall. It’s because the Apple tablets are just as good as laptops for many types of educational tasks, such as notetaking, and even better for others, such as … Continue reading “10 Indispensable Apps for the Back-to-School Season”

Tornier NV Acquires OrthoHelix Surgical Designs for $135,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=898abd28-aa1d-47fc-86f5-7bb951abeb47&Preview=1 Date 8/24/2012 Company Name OrthoHelix Surgical Designs Mailing Address 1065 Medina Road Medina, OH 44256 Company Description Our mission is to develop and deliver to surgeons innovative implants and instruments that elevate the art of small bone surgery. Website http://www.orthohelix.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $135,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Tornier NV Acquires OrthoHelix Surgical Designs for $135,000,000”

After Acquisition, ePrize Committed to Mobile Growth, Hiring

On Monday, Pleasant Ridge, MI-based digital marketing and engagement company ePrize announced it had been acquired by Greenwich, CT-based Catterton Partners. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, though ePrize CEO Matt Wise points out that the company’s backers, including Quicken Loans‘ Dan Gilbert, scored a healthy return on their investments. “Most of ePrize’s … Continue reading “After Acquisition, ePrize Committed to Mobile Growth, Hiring”

The Top 5 Risks Confronting Startups

You might have a great idea for a startup. You may be passionate, driven, and ready to go. But how ready are you to manage your risks? Many startups fail because of ineffective risk management. So how do you avoid a similar fate? It all depends on how well you understand and manage your risks. … Continue reading “The Top 5 Risks Confronting Startups”

Tolera Therapeutics Garners $750,050 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=31e6e01f-6de9-44c0-807d-96f280431920&Preview=1 Date 8/22/2012 Company Name Tolera Therapeutics Mailing Address 350 E. Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Company Description Building upon research done at the University of Kentucky and the Cleveland Clinic, Tolera Therapeutics is developing and commercializing therapies for the immune suppression / modulation market with the goal of addressing unmet medical … Continue reading “Tolera Therapeutics Garners $750,050 New Funding”

On Our New Mobile Site, You’ve Been Upgraded to Xconomy Class

Visiting Xconomy.com on a smartphone should be like flying first class in the Pan Am heyday: a chance to listen in on the conversations of some of the day’s biggest movers and shakers in state-of-the-art surroundings with the minimum of aggravation or delay. That’s why we’re excited to announce the arrival of a dramatically upgraded version … Continue reading “On Our New Mobile Site, You’ve Been Upgraded to Xconomy Class”

An Insider’s View on Raising Money from Life Sciences VCs

The life sciences venture capital industry is undergoing rapid change. Although many innovative ideas have been taken from the bench to scientific discovery to treating patients, funding today to develop new products and services is getting more difficult to attain. Getting a product to market involves not only a long scientific process, but a carefully … Continue reading “An Insider’s View on Raising Money from Life Sciences VCs”

Segetis Receives $25,500,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=85dc45f2-d311-4100-9b08-cb1087233091&Preview=1 Date 8/21/2012 Company Name Segetis Mailing Address 680 Mendelssohn Avenue N. Golden Valley, MN 55427 Company Description Segetis is a green chemistry company developing a variety of bio-based chemical products from renewable agricultural and forestry feedstocks. Segetis advances cost-competitive technologies for generating the second wave of industrial bioproducts – high value … Continue reading “Segetis Receives $25,500,000 Series C Round”

Michigan eLab Connects Silicon Valley VC to U-M Entrepreneurs

A group of University of Michigan alumni have formed the Michigan eLab, a new venture capital fund that aims to connect tech startups from the university community with Silicon Valley cash and resources. The co-founders all have significant entrepreneurial chops: Rick Bolander launched Blue Sky Ventures and has been involved with Apex Venture Partners; Scott … Continue reading “Michigan eLab Connects Silicon Valley VC to U-M Entrepreneurs”

Alzheimer’s R&D Isn’t Doomed, it’s Learning From Failure

The biggest hope for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in a long time just went up in smoke. The next high-profile drug candidate will probably be toast in a few weeks, analysts say. The easiest thing now would be to write off the whole field of Alzheimer’s R&D, and declare that scientists have to go … Continue reading “Alzheimer’s R&D Isn’t Doomed, it’s Learning From Failure”

U-M Program Steers Detroit Kids Toward STEM Careers

I love my job for many reasons. Among them is the fact that every week, I learn something new. This week, an invitation to watch a robotics demo put on by local high school teams at the Compuware Building in downtown Detroit led me to the Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ), an innovative University of Michigan program that introduces … Continue reading “U-M Program Steers Detroit Kids Toward STEM Careers”

The Case of the Tilted Clubhouse: A Geographical Detective Story

Today, technologies like Google, Siri, and Wolfram Alpha can answer virtually any question in milliseconds. So it’s refreshing to come across a mystery that takes a little longer to unravel. I recently found the solution to a minor historical puzzle that’s been gnawing at me for almost two years, ever since I moved to the … Continue reading “The Case of the Tilted Clubhouse: A Geographical Detective Story”

Bizdom Presents: IdeaMensch Detroit

Startup accelerator Bizdom hosts this event where speakers will share their ideas, successes, and struggles in 10-minute presentations. Speakers include Josh Linkner, managing partner at Detroit Venture Partners; Stacy Goldberg, founder and CEO of Savorfull; and Tom Nardone, president of PriveCo.

IntelliWheels Lands $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6dfb0fba-a9fe-40e1-9ae4-f44989beb97f&Preview=1 Date 8/17/2012 Company Name IntelliWheels Mailing Address Hazel Wood Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Company Description IntelliWheels, Inc., is a startup company out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that develops technology to improve mobility options for wheelchair users. It was founded by Scott Daigle, a mechanical engineer, and Marissa Siebel, … Continue reading “IntelliWheels Lands $500,000 New Funding”

Four SE Michigan Universities Launch TurboVote

TurboVote, a voter-assistance startup that was launched last fall while its founders were attending Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, announced yesterday that it has partnered with four Michigan universities to make voting easier for Detroiters. Just in time for the presidential election, Wayne State University in Detroit, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Marygrove College in Detroit, and Eastern Michigan … Continue reading “Four SE Michigan Universities Launch TurboVote”

Xconomist of the Week: Habib Kairouz Foresees a Valuation Correction

A perhaps overused idiom in technology news is to proclaim that the latest bubble is about to burst. While there have been flashy stories about the rise and stumblings of some high profile startups, Habib Kairouz, a managing partner with venture capital firm Rho Ventures in New York, says he believes the market is entering … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Habib Kairouz Foresees a Valuation Correction”

Lots of Local Investors Join Livio’s Series C Round

Ferndale, MI-based Livio announced this week that it has completed a Series C round of funding for an undisclosed amount. Plenty of local investors participated in the round, including longtime backer Beringea, North Coast Technology Investors, and the First Step Fund. Rhode Island-based Angel Street Capital and Silicon Valley’s Western Technology Investment also contributed to the round. Jake … Continue reading “Lots of Local Investors Join Livio’s Series C Round”

Livio Radio Lands Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=955e5478-9cbf-4cbc-980e-40c3d0db9d32&Preview=1 Date 8/15/2012 Company Name Livio Radio Mailing Address 3136 Hilton Ferndale, MI 48220 Company Description The company provides Internet audio streams. Website http://www.livioradio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Beringea Venture Investor Western Technology Investment … Continue reading “Livio Radio Lands Series C Financing Round”

Target Data Receives $1,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b322bc54-784b-4c47-9229-b488ac6ccdbc&Preview=1 Date 8/15/2012 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 Receives $1,000,000 New Funding”

CakeStyle Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=36c31d81-802c-4519-adec-f0b0d8b6ae5a&Preview=1 Date 8/15/2012 Company Name CakeStyle Mailing Address 4 E Ohio Studio 12 Chicago, IL 60611 Company Description CakeStyle is a personal styling service for busy women that delivers a box of handpicked clothing and accessories to your door each season. Our expert CakeStylists select pieces from brands like Elie Tahari, Diane … Continue reading “CakeStyle Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Round”

Remove the Cap on Social Security

I am apolitical by nature. The entire process of electing representatives, from city councils to Presidents, leaves me cold. Blame my extraordinary microeconomics professor H. Scott Bierman who was at Carleton College then but now is the President at Beloit College. He helped me crystallize a handful of tangential thoughts about our system into a … Continue reading “Remove the Cap on Social Security”

Duo Security Obtains $999,997 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c4ae2ccf-54c1-411f-8ca1-a86f9fb1f9d0&Preview=1 Date 8/14/2012 Company Name Duo Security Mailing Address 1327 Jones Dr Ann Arbor, MI 48105 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 Duo, … Continue reading “Duo Security Obtains $999,997 New Funding Round”

Taking the Moneyball Approach to Healthcare with ArborMetrix

It’s clear, despite pre-election uncertainty, that accurate data will be crucial to the future of American healthcare. The name of the game will soon be metrics, as in: If you don’t meet these benchmarks, we’re not going to pay you. Having the best, most up-to-date data not only helps doctors improve care, but it also … Continue reading “Taking the Moneyball Approach to Healthcare with ArborMetrix”

Brace Yourself: Biotech IPOs Are Beating Tech’s Big Names

The average American on the street has a Facebook account, an opinion about Facebook, heard about the Facebook initial public offering, and knows it collapsed. That same person doesn’t see how their life connects with biotech, probably can’t name a single biotech company, and certainly hasn’t heard of any members of the biotech IPO class … Continue reading “Brace Yourself: Biotech IPOs Are Beating Tech’s Big Names”

Mapping the Cloud With Ann Arbor’s DeepField Networks

When I was talking to Craig Labovitz last week about his new big data startup, DeepField Networks, there were moments when I wished the Internet really was just a series of tubes. That would probably be easier to understand than the massive, many-headed beast that it is today, which is why Labovitz launched his company … Continue reading “Mapping the Cloud With Ann Arbor’s DeepField Networks”