Innovation News

Enlighten spins out new software products, adds 9 jobs

Centri Cycle goes from engineering project to start-up

What started as a freshman-level engineering project meant to help make the world a better place has become a socially entrepreneurial start-up that aims to do just that. Centri Cycle is creating a cost-effective and easy-to-use centrifuge that can be used to perform simple medical tests in the Third World. The idea is to make this self-powered technology available in places like India to help combat preventable suffering and death from disease. "We took the idea and ran with it," says Carolyn Yarina, CEO of Centri Cycle. Yarina and her co-founder (both University of Michigan students) have gotten the technology to the prototype phase where it is being tested at the University of Michigan Hospital. The TechArb-based start-up hopes to bring its technology to market in the U.S. next year and to India by fall of 2014. "It should be ready for market in March or April," Yarina says. Source: Carolyn Yarina, CEO of Centri Cycle Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

PWB Marketing expands client base, geographic area

PWB Marketing Communications has not only seen its client base in Michigan grow over the last year, it's also expanding its geographic reach. The Ann Arbor-based marketing agency has recently added to its customer list a software firm based in Montreal called MAYA. The two share a business relationship with a third company and started to do some work together over the last year. PWB Marketing Communications, which recently turned 30, has also seen some of its long-term clients, particularly those in the manufacturing, technology, outdoor enthusiast, and financial service sectors, come back for more and steadier engagements with the rise of the economy. "We have definitely seen some good things in the marketplace," says Sean Hickey, COO of PWB Marketing Communications. "There is good work out there to chase." The firm now has a staff of six people after adding new social media and SEO specialists. Hickey says the recent economic downturn has made firms like his a little gun shy about pulling the trigger on new hires, but he doesn't expect that to last too much longer. "We are on the cusp of adding staff," Hickey says. "We want to be careful about adding staff at the right time." Source: Sean Hickey, COO of PWB Marketing Communications Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Larky launches new mobile app, expands employee base

Mobile-app start-up Larky has publicly launched its newest app and is growing its small staff to make it a success. The downtown Ann Arbor-based company is creating an app that helps consumers maximize their membership perks and loyalty programs. The app alerts them when they are eligible for savings or discounts through things like alumni association memberships. Many of these reward programs are highly underutilized because of consumer ignorance or forgetfulness of their existence. Larky's technology looks to remind consumers of these perks at the point of purchase. So far, 10 major organizations with access to 50 million consumers have signed on and Larky is looking to lock down a few thousand more in the next few months. "We built this to be used on a very large scale," says Gregg Hammerman, co-founder of Larky. "We are proud to be based in Michigan and to have Michigan partners, but we want to scale to millions of members." Larky landed $650,000 in seed capital earlier this year. It has a staff of three full-time employees and another three part-timers. The full-time employees include the company's two co-founders and one Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship Program fellow. "He has been enormously helpful," Hammerman says. "He has helped us grow a lot." Source: Gregg Hammerman, co-founder of Larky Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

DeepField stakes claim in downtown Ann Arbor tech corridor

DeepField is planting its flag on West Liberty in downtown Ann Arbor, claiming new office space where it can call the likes of Menlo Innovations, Barracuda Networks, and Google as neighbors. "It's an incredible pool of talent and energy," says Craig Labovitz, CEO & co-founder of DeepField. "It's incredibly close to the university and the growing pool of tech talent." The 1-year-old start-up got its start in the Tech Brewery on Ann Arbor's north side. That is where the company has done much of the work to develop software that enables large corporations to adapt to the ever changing world of the Internet's back-end IT infrastructure. It raised $1.6 million in venture capital last year to develop its technology. DeepField's technology is now deployed in some large companies (Labovitz declined to name which ones) in North America, Europe and South America. "We're seeing a large part of the consumer Internet traffic in the United States," Labovitz says. Naim Falandino, chief data scientist for DeepField, adds, "We are in all segments of the market now." DeepField recently hired two people, bringing its staff to nearly 15. The growing staff meant it had to sign a two-year lease for a new office space downtown to make room for the new hires. DeepField currently has five job openings and expects to make another 10 hires later this year. Source: Craig Labovitz, CEO & co-founder of DeepField and Naim Falandino, chief data scientist for DeepField Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems hires 150 in last two years

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems continues to expand as a rapid pace, growing its Ann Arbor-based workforce to 600 people after making 150 new hires in the last two years. The company currently has 30 open positions in a variety of white-collar work areas. "These are all-across-the-board jobs," says Barbara Schmid, director of corporate communications at Terumo Cardiovascular Systems. "They are in professional, medical and administrative fields. A majority of them are in engineering." Terumo Cardiovascular Systems is a subsidiary of Japan-based Terumo Corp but has called the Ann Arbor area home for nearly 50 years. It is a maker and global exporter of heart and lung machines and other devices used in cardiac surgery. Among its technologies are perfusion products, which are used to temporarily replace the functions of the heart and lungs during cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures, and intraoperative monitoring systems that provide continuous information on important blood parameters during cardiac surgery. Terumo Cardiovascular Systems recently finished a nearly $5 million investment in upgrading its Ann Arbor facilities. It recently secured a 12-year tax abatement for the project. Source: Barbara Schmid, director of corporate communications at Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Artisan Coffee Imports focuses on decaf coffee growth

Ruth Ann Church launched Artisan Coffee Imports to help more than herself. The Ann Arbor-based decaffeinated coffee importer also helps create economic opportunity in third world countries around the world. "There has been a long-time interest in developing countries and coffee has a unique ability to bring economic development to developing countries," says Church, president of Artisan Coffee Imports. "I was drawn to coffee to do some good in the world." Church worked in sales and marketing in the higher education and automotive industries. She has turned Artisan Coffee Imports into her full-time job. Church decided to focus on decaffeinated coffee because it's what she likes to drink and she sees it as being underserved in the artisan coffee market. The company has expanded its service offerings to include consulting and expects to triple its overall sales this year. "We are really finding out what products resonate with our customers," Church says. "I would love to see this become a three-to-four-person operation." Source: Ruth Ann Church, president of Artisan Coffee Imports Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

AlertWatch raises $1M as it preps for Series A round

AlertWatch has set some high hopes for its first round of venture capital. The Ann Arbor-based start-up has raised $1 million in seed capital and plans to formally close on its Series A round in 2014. The 1-year-old star-up is a University of Michigan spinout and calls the Venture Accelerator at the university's North Campus Research Complex home. Its first year has focused on pushing forward the development of its patient-monitoring technology and turning its team of three people's work into full-time jobs. "A lot of it was just the blocking and tackling of getting a company off the ground," says Justin Adams, CEO of AlertWatch. AlertWatch's technology is a secondary patient monitor for hospital operating rooms. It aggregates data from multiple networks and hospital IT systems and displays them at a central location. It is currently being used in three pilot projects. Adams hopes to have its intensive care unit product ready for commercialization and to be piloting an emergency room product by early 2014. "We'd like to be in five hospitals and have a term sheet for a Series A round," Adams says. Source: Justin Adams, CEO of AlertWatch Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ingenex Digital Marketing leverages long-term biz to grow staff

Ingenex Digital Marketing's recent growth curve might rest on the new economy of website design and Internet marketing, but it's building its company on some age-old business ideas, like word-of-mouth referrals. It has tackled website redesigns in the last year for some major players in Michigan, including Cranbrook.edu and Aiag.org. The downtown Ann Arbor-based company wants to continue taking on some more major institutions in the Great Lakes State as clients, but it's going to be choosy. "We don't want too many clients," says Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing. "We want clients that are progressive and want to do smart things online." He adds the idea behind this line of thinking is to take on more clients who are interested in long-term work in building their online brands. Ingenex Digital Marketing has also grown its staff to seven employees and four interns. The 7-year-old company has hired four people in the last year, including a new client-experience manager, account manager, social media director and Google search specialist. The firm is also looking to hire a web developer right now. "We just do a lot of websites," Mehraban says. "We need more people." Source: Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.