200 entrepreneurs reach out to Ann Arbor SPARK this year

About 200 entities, think singular or a pair of entrepreneurs, have reached out to Ann Arbor SPARK so far this year about creating their own start-ups, and that type of contact is expected to continue.Thirty three of those 200 ideas for new companies are actually starting the process of coming to fruition with Ann Arbor SPARK. They are taking advantage of the business accelerator’s resources to develop, fundraise, prototype, license, or commercialize their products or services.The 200 contacts are a modest increase from years before as the 4-year-old economic development agency starts to gain traction from its years of community outreach. Many of them come from a combination of Ann Arbor SPARK’s outreach events or referrals with other partnering organizations, such as the University of Michigan’s Business Engagement Center, Tech Brewery, and TechArb, among others. “SPARK has been around,” says Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications with Ann Arbor SPARK. One of the big draws for growing these businesses is SPARK’s renowned Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp. It has run 15 of these weekend business cram sessions so far and has another set for this fall. About 15 start-ups attend each boot camp, with 225 participants to date. Of those, 181 have gone on to employ 662 people and garner $19 million in funding.Source: Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications with Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon Zemke