Ann Arbor

U-M studentpreneurs sweep Accelerate Michigan competition

By Newsroom

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December 15, 2010

Students from the University of Michigan swept the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, taking home $60,000 in prizes.ReGenerate took the top prize of $25,000 for its Compact Organic Waste System, which transforms unwanted and costly organic waste into a renewable source of electricity and nutrient-rich compost. Software startup Reveal Design Automation took second ($15,000), MiEND-Drug Screeners took third ($10,000) and June Energy (solar charging technology) won the $10,000 People's Choice Award."This is a very strong indicator of our state's future as a place of creativity and innovation," says Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan, during her speech at the Accelerate Michigan competition.Matthew Neagle is the vice president of sales and marketing with Reveal Design Automation, a startup that provides the electronic design market with the software tools to verify the accuracy of complex, digital chip designs. It was a finalist in the $1 million Rice Intercollegiate Business Plan Competition.Neagle calls the Accelerate Michigan competition "fantastic, especially for an inaugural event." Reveal Design Automation, an Ann Arbor SPARK Central Incubator tenant, will use the cash for product development. However, Neagle says the event was worth much more than the cash."Money wasn't a determining factor for us," says Neagle. "It was, 'Here is an opportunity for us to present to investors.' "Source: Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition and Matthew Neagle, vice president of sales and marketing with Reveal Design AutomationWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s Gravikor bets on space age welding tech

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 15, 2010

Gravikor's new welding technology is so next generation it doesn't look like welding. The Ann Arbor-based startup, which also has a presence in Madison Heights, is commercializing space-age welding technology that is so light and seamless that it looks like the two pieces of metal are glued together.Delphi developed the technology for use in space frames. It's not commonly used for the frames of NASCAR vehicles, but must be done by hand at a cost of $10,000 per vehicle. Gravikor's technology promises to be done automatically for far less."We make the same frame automatically for $5,000," says James Ritcher, principal of Gravikor.Gravikor is trying to translate this technology to military vehicles and is currently vying for a place in a $9 billion U.S. military program to rehab Humvees. Its welding promises to take 2,000 pounds off a Humvee and make it easier to attach armor plates and lengthen its lifetime by making it stronger and more fuel efficient. "In Army circles, weight is the enemy," Ritcher says.He expects to hear whether Gravikor has won a place in the Army's program by this spring. The company is also planning to launch a civilian automotive component to its technology at the same time. The idea is to create safer automobiles through stronger roll cages and increase their fuel economy.Gravikor recently made the finals of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition and is fundraising to commercialize its technology. If it wins the military contract, Ritcher expects the 1-year-old company to expand its staff from half a dozen people to 20-30. He pegs Gravikor's revenue potential at $1.5 billion within five years.Source: James Ritcher, principal of Gravikor.Writer: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor firms score big wins at Accelerate Michigan competition

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 15, 2010

It has been hard to separate the words Ann Arbor from last weekend's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. The winners really added an exclamation point to the event.If the top prize winners weren't from Ann Arbor, they at least had strong ties to it. Arbor Photonics took second place ($150,000) and University of Michigan studentpreneurs swept the top four places in the student competition with its $60,000 in prizes. The winner of the big prize ($500,000), Kalamazoo-based Armune BioScience, is developing technology that originated from U-M.Ann Arbor SPARK took the lead on organizing the event held at U-M's new North Campus Research Complex, formerly the old Pfizer campus. The other business accelerator agencies in southeast Michigan (TechTown, Automation Alley and Macomb-OU INCubator) made the event happen with funding from of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan."Innovation is alive and well in Michigan," Dave Egner, executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, said during his remarks at the event. "We have definitely seen that in the last three days."Among the other winners that happened to be based in Ann Arbor are Life Magnetics of the AARP Encore Award, Accio Energy for the Alternative Energy Award, Evigia Systems for the Defense and Homeland Security Award, Hygieia for the Medical Devices Award and Ix Innovations for the Products and Services Award. Each received $25,000 from a prize pool worth $1 million.Organizers hope to hold the event again next year. However, they are also looking to expand the prize pool to help attract more entrants and provide more seed capital to Michigan-based companies."Now if we can only get our sponsors to give us 10 grand prizes ($500,000 each)," Michael Finney, formerly the president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK and the newly minted head of the Michigan Economic Development Corp, said during his remarks at the event. "They're going to give these companies what they need to take it to the next level."Source: Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition; Dave Egner executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan; and Michael Finney, formerly the president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK and the newly minted head of the Michigan Economic Development CorpWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

A Mighty Wind: Q&A with Jen Baird

By Jon Zemke

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Entrepreneurship

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December 8, 2010

While the U.S. is just starting to accept that wind power can help us move toward a more sustainable future, Ann Arbor-based Accio Energy is already reinventing the technology that harnesses it. Concentrate chats with Jen Baird, the company's CEO, about Wind Power 2.0, entrepreneurship, and what's next for Michigan's new economy.

Advanced Battery Control developing prototype for longer lasting energy source

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 8, 2010

Does it come with batteries? It's a required question for most electronics purchases, however, buyers of the new electric-hybrid vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt have a different version of that question. How long will the batteries last?A number of startups are working to improve the answer to the question, including Advanced Battery Control. The University of Michigan spinout is developing a battery management technology that extends the life of the newer and bigger lithium-ion batteries in these vehicles. "Battery management is the key to making the whole battery pack operate long enough, say 15 years," says Hahnsang Kim, co-founder of Advanced Battery Control. "Current technology barely lasts for a 10-15 year warranty."Advanced Battery Control, started in May in Ann Arbor, is in the early stages of developing this technology and creating a prototype. It recently placed in the Clean Energy Prize contest and is a semifinalist with the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. The five-person team is now fundraising so it can finish building its prototype within six months. Source: Hahnsang Kim, co-founder of Advanced Battery ControlWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s EJustice Solutions expands into Texas

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 8, 2010

Ann Arbor-based EJustice Solutions is finding considerable success south of Michigan's border, specifically in Texas.The Lone Star State has proved to be a fertile growth area for the recently reformed company. EJustice Solutions has hired about half a dozen people in 2010, thanks to 30-plus new customers, many of which are from Texas."That's a big growth area for us," says Dennis Blanchette, CEO of EJustice Solutions.EJustice Solutions creates and manages electronic record systems for law enforcement agencies and incarceration facilities. It is one of three companies working with the equivalent of the Texas State Troopers to provide a record management system. Blanchette has high hopes for the new partnership and expects "more aggressive and significant growth" in 2011.That growth should allow EJustice Solutions to add a few more jobs next year. It currently has a staff of 25 people and 5-10 independent contractors. Those jobs are located at the company's Ann Arbor headquarters, and in Colorado and Texas.Source: Dennis Blanchette, CEO of EJustice SolutionsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Monarch Antenna to launch ‘smart’ antenna tech

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 8, 2010

There isn't much technology they can't make smart these days. The latest example is Monarch Antenna, a company that is marketing a 'smarter' antenna.The Ann Arbor-based company is commercializing technology spun out of the University of Michigan for military, industrial and consumer electronics markets. The technology alters the electronic properties of an antenna so it can maximize signal quality.Monarch Antenna is three years old and has received a variety of seed capital infusions to develop the prototypes of its technology, including one from Automation Alley. The company is in the process of hiring a CEO and expects to commercialize its technology by next summer. Its current prototype is being installed on sensors that monitor wear and tear on a bridge on I-94.In the mean time, Monarch Antenna's team of five people is gearing up for the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, where it is a semifinalist. Its founders like their odds of scoring the $500,000 top prize, considering the wide reach of their technology."We have a good chance," says Tayfun Ozdemir, CTO for Monarch Antenna. "It's a unique product that cuts across many industries. As far as market potential is concerned, it's big. That prize money would allow us to penetrate those markets."Source: Tayfun Ozdemir, CTO for Monarch AntennaWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti start-ups score $145K in microloans

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Community Development

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December 8, 2010

Three promising startups from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area have received microloans from the Michigan Microloan Fund.FamilyMint, Fusion Coolant Systems and Shepherd Intelligent Systems will split $145,000 in loans. The division of that money was not released, but average microloans from the fund come to about $50,000. The money will help the startups continue to develop their technology and move their businesses forward.Ypsilanti-based Fusion Coolant Systems is developing a new lubrication system that will streamline the manufacturing process and make it more environmentally friendly. The CHiP Lube system is used during the cutting process and is not toxic like most other cutting lubricants.The two Ann Arbor-based companies are FamilyMint and Shepherd Intelligent Systems. The people behind FamilyMint created an online budgeting tool that helps kids learn how to manage and save money with parents acting as the bank. Shepherd Intelligent Systems is commercializing software developed at the University of Michigan that helps better manage mass transit, particularly bus systems. The software, which the Ann Arbor Transit Authority tested last year, provides real-time information on bus location, arrival predictions and other information directly to riders' smartphones. The Michigan Microloan Fund is managed by Ann Arbor SPARK. It has $1.8 million under management and has made loans to 45 businesses across the state. The fund, created to help fill seed capital gaps created by the financial crisis, makes anywhere between 24-48 loans annually.Source: Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Whole Brain Group reinvents biz model, doubles team size

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 8, 2010

Marisa Smith's company changed its name three years ago and its business model last year. Today what is now The Whole Brain Group is bigger and more lucrative after a year of growing in Ann Arbor."We really transformed ourselves 100 percent," says Smith, president of The Whole Brain Group. "We went from a bad 2009 to triple what we had in 2010. Switching gears has been really a go for us."The Whole Brain Group focused primarily on software development when the recession hit. It lost a lot of that work, forcing it to take on a broader range of projects. Today it handles Internet marketing, social media management and mobile application development. It's also looking into expanding its product offerings to include software as a service. Pair that with its new partnership with Adaptive Materials and SRT Solutions to develop alternative energy technology for military vehicles, and the question starts to become, is there anything The Whole Brain Group doesn't do?"That has been a really good project for us," Smith says. "We added another person for that project."All of that new work has allowed the 8-year-old company to double its team to 12 people, including interns and independent contractors. It plans to add two more jobs in 2011 as it focuses on becoming more efficient so it can cross the $1 million company threshold.Source: Marisa Smith, president of The Whole Brain GroupWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Reuters on Ann Arbor: Small city with big brainpower

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Education

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December 8, 2010

New grads might like the big cities, but it appears the nerds like small cities. Or so says a survey by Portfolio.com which put Ann Arbor at the top of the small city big brains list, behind Boulder and ahead of Durham, D.C., and Fort Collins, Colo.Excerpt:Forget New York, Chicago and even Los Angeles, brain power in the United States is concentrated in smaller cities with Boulder, Colorado and Ann Arbor, Michigan at the top of the list.Boulder, home to the University of Colorado, has the smartest population in the country with 26 percent of its residents holding a master's or graduate degree and 82.5 percent having attended college.Ann Arbor came in second in the survey compiled by the national business news website Portfolio.com followed by Durham in North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Fort Collins in Colorado.Read the rest of the story here.