Innovation News

Park n Party revamps online parking reservation system

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August 7, 2013

Park n Party is gearing up to accommodate out-of-town visitors for its third University of Michigan Football season. The Ann Arbor-based start-up has created software that allows people attending big events to reserve parking spots online. The idea is to save people the trouble of driving around searching for a place to park their car. The company started with University of Michigan Football games and has expanded to include the Ann Arbor Art Fair and Notre Dame's stadium. "We expect to have our biggest season to date," says Jason Kapica, partner with Park n Party. "We have done more pre-season sales this year than any other time on our short history. We expect to have a great season." He adds that Park n Party is finding new revenue streams by helping corporations find places to hold their events at U-M games. It is also helping food trucks find the best places to set up shop at game time. Park n Party currently has eight or nine parking lots with thousands of parking space. It has also revamped its online reservation system so patrons can reserve multiple spots next to each other. "Our new system is much more like a shopping cart where you can buy 10 spaces," Kapica says. "That has really allowed us to grow on the reservation side." Source: Jason Kapica, partner with Park n Party Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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AlertWatch leads latest round of Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund

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Economic Development

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July 31, 2013

The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund has sent out $1.5 million more in investments in six Michigan-based start-ups, including three that call Ann Arbor home. AlertWatch, which is based in the University of Michigan's Venture Accelerator, received a $250,000 investment from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund. That money is helping the 2-year-old firm hit a couple of its major milestones, hire engineers and developers, and push the development of new products forward. "This money is absolutely essential to our firm," says Justin Adams, CEO of AlertWatch. "We raised a good amount of money from angels but there is a gap between where we could get without angel money and where we need to be." AlertWatch is developing patient-monitoring software to help reduce medical errors. It currently employs four people after hiring two others in the last year. It is also looking to hire another software developer. The other two Ann Arbor-based start-ups to receive Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund investments are: - IROA Technologies, which develops metabolic profiling tools used to create unique chemical signatures in molecules for accurate biochemical analysis and quantitation in multiple applications including general research, bioprocess, toxicology and diagnostics. - Patient Provider Communications, which is creating a multilingual interactive bedside care system to improve provider response to and fulfillment of patient requests. Source: Justin Adams, CEO of AlertWatch Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Tech entrepreneur launches ice cream truck biz, Hello! Ice Cream

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Entrepreneurship

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July 31, 2013

Margaret Schankler was a serial entrepreneur with a successful business. Then in 2011 she closed her e-commerce company in Ann Arbor and decided to start something new, an ice cream truck venture. Hello! Ice Cream specializes in delivering sweet, cold treats from a vintage ice cream truck. The 1-year-old business is enough to employ Schankler and that's just what the Ann Arborite wants. "One of my goals is to do something that makes people happy," Schankler says. "No one is sad to see your ice cream truck." She adds that Hello! Ice Cream will be the last business of her career. She spent a year creating a vintage-looking ice cream truck and finding the best recipes to make her own ice cream and other overlooked but important aspects of the business. She is building it one piece at a time, just like every other company she has started. "I look at a business as a business, it's just a different market," Schankler says. Hello! Ice Cream has seen an explosion of interest in its first year, according to Schankler. She thought she would be doing mostly farmers' markets and other similar events, but has been overwhelmed by the demand for her to cater private events across Metro Detroit. "It's something I thought would be a lot of fun, and it is," Schankler says. Source: Margaret Schankler, proprietor of Hello! Ice Cream Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Kontextual spins out of Leon Speakers, scores VC investment

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Economic Development

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July 31, 2013

Leon Speakers is known for its high-end, custom-built, home-entertainment technology. So why is the Ann Arbor-based company spinning out a tech start-up focused on creating software platforms that helps businesses communicate and run with more ease and efficiency? Kontextual is the result of a company innovating new ways to overcome operations problems and discovering a whole new business in the process. The 1-year-old start-up's software helps streamline the way companies internally communicate, find information and measure results. "We have something that seems interesting to people, but we need to see how it creates value and for whom," says Kurt Skifstad, CEO of Kontextual. That's start-up speak for, 'We think we have a winner but we're still figuring out how to make it profitable.' Kontextual's team of four employees and one intern aren't the only group who believes they have something special. RPM Ventures, an Ann Arbor-based venture capital firm, has invested $200,000 in the start-up. That's one of the early investments in a seed capital round that has reached $650,000 and is aiming to raise about $1 million before the end of the year. Kontextual describes its technology as a platform that "helps companies build transparent, metric-driven cultures. Our cloud- and mobile-based platform helps companies share important information locked in planning spreadsheets, walled off in expensive enterprise platforms, and lost in the black hole of the corporate inbox. The result is strategic alignment of resources, increased efficiency, and significant cost savings for the business, and greater job satisfaction for employees." "It's about decreasing the friction to get the information you need in a company," Skifstad says. Kontextual is in the late stages of its Beta development. It expects to begin shipping the first commercial versions of its software platform in September. It is also looking to hire two more software developers and expects to have a staff of eight people by the end of the year. Source: Kurt Skifstad, CEO of Kontextual Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Saagara launches community meditation software platform

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Economic Development

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July 31, 2013

Saagara, the meditation technology start-up based in Ann Arbor, is launching a new platform that will allow its users to meditate in unison. See & Do Together is a mobile app that allows users of Saagara's technology to meditate together, similar to the way people interact online in a chat room. The company is also launching an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the platform's launch. "We really wanted people to take part and experience parts of it," says Dr. Bobby Peddi, CEO of Saagara. "So we made it so people can do it together." The Kerrytown-based start-up provides a holistic approach to better health, centered around a breathing technique called Pranayama. Dr. Peddi started the company shortly after he left his surgical residency about four years ago. It currently employs a team of 11 employees and two interns after hiring four people in the last year, including a new CTO. Saagara is also looking to move its business to a full-on subscription model. The firm is also looking at launching a stress-reduction program for businesses to provide to their employees later this year. Source: Dr. Bobby Peddi, CEO of Saagara Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Accelerate Michigan competition aims to make access a prize

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Economic Development

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July 31, 2013

Seed capital is essential to any start-up, especially to new ones being developed by college students. What might be even more important for that segment of new entrepreneurs is establishing ties with the people who control the seed capital purse strings. The organizers behind this year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition are looking at making that sort of access a prize in this year's competition. For instance, the winner of Accelerate Michigan's student competition could take home a few thousand dollars in seed capital and a date for lunch with a prominent local investor. "It could be something for a company that is totally life changing," says Lauren Bigelow, executive director for the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. The business plan competition is held each fall in southeast Michigan. This year's event will be held in mid-November in downtown Detroit. Ann Arbor-based start-ups led by University of Michigan students have traditionally done quite well in the competition; Kymeira Advanced Materials took home first place last year. The company, now known as Covaron Advanced Materials, was developed by a University of Michigan chemistry student. It also launched the company on a seed capital raise that hit $300,000 earlier this year. Accelerate Michigan would like to see that success replicated again this year with more student-led start-ups. "The focus this year for the students is getting them more involved with the angel community," Bigelow says. The deadline to enter the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition student competition is Sept 26. For information, click here. Source: Lauren Bigelow, executive director for the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

HeatSpring pivots biz model to leverage growth

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Economic Development

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July 24, 2013

HeatSpring got its start by educating businesses about sustainable practices, such as installing alternative energy systems or promoting energy efficiency. Today the Ann Arbor-based company is growing thanks to a pivot in that business plan. The 7-year-old business is now helping other education firms make the transition to a digital landscape. It provides them with the right tools and knowledge to make that transition happen. "We're helping them convert it into an online class," says Brian Hayden, president of HeatSpring. "We provide software and expertise to make that happen." HeatSpring's move to becoming more of a software firm has allowed it make a new hire, a student advocate. The firm now employs four people. The bigger staff is helping the company handle its growing number of customers. The profit margins are lower with the new business model, but it provides other opportunities for the company. "We think it will allow us to grow quicker and better in the future," Hayden says. Source: Brian Hayden, president of HeatSpring Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

ArborMetrix moves to bigger offices in downtown Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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July 24, 2013

ArborMetrix is preparing to move to a new home in downtown Ann Arbor, taking space next to Google's office on Liberty Street. The move is expected to help accelerate the start-up's growth, which is on track to be exponential. The health-care software firm has hired 17 people over the last year, mostly new employees in business development, clinical project management and sales. The company now has a staff of 28 employees and two interns and has its sights set on employing 60 people by the end of the year. "We're fighting for space here," says Brett Furst, CEO of ArborMetrix. "We want to create a destination that will attract talent." Helping fuel growth is a newly closed Series B round of funding worth $7 million. ArborMetrix closed on a $1.5 million Series A round two years ago. The money will go toward expanding the company's staff and expanding its sales and marketing operations so the firm can go national. The seed capital will also help ArborMetrix improve its software platform. The start-up offers real-time clinical performance analytics tools for hospitals. The platform helps healthcare providers and payers to improve the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of surgical and other specialty care. "We provide the clinical evidence so hospitals and surgeons can make better decisions," Furst says. Source: Brett Furst, CEO of ArborMetrix Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Damian Farrell Design Group hires 2, moves to new home

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Arts and Culture

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July 24, 2013

Damian Farrell Design Group has expanded its team and moved to new offices as the architecture firm continues to grow. The 5-year-old firm got its start sharing space with Katherine Catering, which is owned by Damian Farrell's wife. Sharing space at Katherine Catering's offices in Scio Township again made a good argument for reducing overhead expenses. "She has some extra space in the building and it didn't make sense for both of us to be paying rents so I moved out there," says Farrell, owner of Damian Farrell Design Group. Damian Farrell specializes in high-end residential design work and energy efficiency projects for local government bodies. Some of its projects include Plymouth Green Crossings, and the new Evans Scholars house. The Ann Arbor-based business now employs five people and two interns. It recently hired two architecture graduates from the University of Michigan and Lawrence Technological University. They are working to complete their licensing requirements. "We should be adding another person in the next couple of months," Farrell says. "Maybe even two." Source: Damian Farrell, owner of Damian Farrell Design Group Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Flipsi Bottle aims to reinvent bottle washing

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Entrepreneurship

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July 24, 2013

Jeff and Chris Plott really dislike washing bottles. The brothers have a couple of different reasons for this: Jeff because he wishes he had a better way of washing racing bottles. Chris because he would much rather not wash baby bottles at the end of his day. "He just hates doing it," Jeff says. So the brothers did something about it and created Flipsi Bottle. The new product is a reusable bottle that is bendable enough to turn inside out, making cleaning easier. "Flipsi Bottle is the marriage of making the cleaning of the reusable bottle cases easier," Jeff says. "We thought, why can't we make the bottle flip inside out? The idea just went from there." The 4-month-old start-up and its two co-founders are now operating out of TechArb in downtown Ann Arbor. The company has a prototype made out of food-grade silicone. It is in the final stages of perfecting this prototype for the sport bottle version. The Plott brothers expect to launch a crowd-funding campaign early next year to help push forward the first sales. "We're certainly at least six months out," Jeff says. Source: Jeff Plott, chairman & CTO of Flipsi Bottle Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.