Backyard Brains turns $450K grant, sales into new jobs

Backyard Brains has been busy over the last year, scoring its first sale, two new hires and a $450,000 federal grant.The educational materials provider has now sold nearly 500 teaching kits that shows how the brain works. Its customers range from a few dozen high schools to universities to countries.”We’re pretty proud that we have real sales and real customers,” says Tim Marzullo, executive director of Backyard Brains. Marzullo and his partner Greg Gage, both neuroscientists, started the company as a way to provide a cost-effective product that teaches grade-school students the workings of neurons in the brain. Its Robo Roach allows them to control insects via antennas. Backyard Brains plans to upgrade its educational materials to include software and data analysis. Other plans include a marketing upgrade so it can score sales in the 13 states where it doesn’t yet have a presence. Marzullo also plans to expand staffing from four to six people this summer.Source: Tim Marzullo, executive director of Backyard BrainsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.