Entrepreneurship

SRT Solutions developer spins out mobile-call logging app

By Newsroom

●

November 2, 2011

Just because someone has a day job doesn't mean he or she can't be an entrepreneur, too. Take Kerry Colligan as an example. During the day, he works as the vice president of operations and marketing for software firm SRT Solutions in downtown Ann Arbor. In his spare time he has developed his own call logging mobile app called Carmel. Carmel logs calls made on a smartphone. After each call it asks the user if he or she wants to log the call, and if so for a few data points. That information is then stored for later use so sales and marketing staff or other interested parties can draw upon that valuable contact information later without sorting through a phone book of nameless numbers. "You know you need to keep a call log but no one wants to do it," Colligan says. "This makes it easier to do it." The $5 app is currently available for Android phones and will be available for iPhones in December. Colligan doesn't believe this app will make him rich or even produce enough work to become his full-time job. However, he does believe this little entrepreneurial experience will help him perform his day job much more effectively from a few different angles. "It gives me a chance to dig into what it's like to build a mobile app from a perspective," Colligan says. Source: Kerry Colligan, developer of Carmel mobile app Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Latest in Entrepreneurship

Accio Energy makes 2nd go at top Accelerate Michigan prize

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

November 2, 2011

Of all the semi-finalists at this year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, Accio Energy might be the start-up that causes casual observers to do the biggest double take. The Ann Arbor based alternative energy firm that is reinventing wind energy production took top prize in the Alternative Energy category of last year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. It also closed on a $1.9 million seed capital round earlier this year. So why is an established, growing, well-funded start-up back for more at this year's competition? The $500,000 first prize is awful enticing. "As a young company, capital is always important," says Jen Baird, CEO of Accio Energy. "We want a chance at the top prize." And then there is the chance for even more funding outside the prize money. One of the main goals of the competition is to introduce Michigan-based start-ups with investors, ranging from local angels to out-of-state venture capitalists. Those connections could turn into valuable investments for a company like Accio Energy. "It's certainly a good opportunity for us to connect with investors from across the country," Baird says. "Our first seed round was an angel round. Our next round will be a venture capital round." Source: Jen Baird, CEO of Accio Energy Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Video Start-up 101: Mentoring new U-M businesses

By Keith Jefferies

●

Economic Development

●

October 19, 2011

Sometimes a little guidance goes a long way. U-M's Tech Transfer office along with its new Michigan Venture Center have started a mentorship program that turns technologists into entrepreneurs. As a result they expect to see a 20% bump in start-up launches.

U-M start-ups score $34K in Dare to Dream grants

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

October 19, 2011

The University of Michigan's Dare to Dream grants aren't so much about growing student-led start-ups as they are about growing the student entrepreneurs themselves. The Dare to Dream program, organized by U-M's Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, distributes up to $100,000 each academic year to U-M students. The grants range in size from $500 to $10,000 and help students fund things like feasibility studies, business plan development and elevator pitch practice. "We think that the student start-up ideas are great vehicles to those entrepreneurial skills," says Paul Kirsch, associate director of the Zell-Lurie Institute and leader of the Dare to Dream program. This fall, 22 U-M student-led start-ups split $34,500 in seed capital. One of the big winners includes $10,000 to SecureHealing, which specializes in privacy monitoring and reporting across healthcare software systems. Another grant winner is Smart Peru, an all-inclusive Peruvian website, that won a $500 Venture Shaping Grant. Some winners also received invitations to Ann Arbor SPARK's Entrepreneur Boot Camp and $5,000 worth of business consulting. The Zell-Lurie Institute has offered the Dare to Dream grants since 2002. Many of the start-ups never took off, but some have turned into the darlings of Michigan's entrepreneurial class lately, such as Are You a Human and Own Point of Sale, both of which recently closed more than $1 million in venture backing each. Source: Paul Kirsch, associate director of the University of Michigan's Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

A Conversation with Vaughan Taylor

By Jon Zemke

●

Arts & Culture

●

October 12, 2011

Vaughn Taylor wants to establish Motown 2.0, an interface of music and social media that changes the business landscape for musicians. And he wants to do it in Ann Arbor. Jon Zemke talks promotion, hip-hop, and Michigan's start-up culture with the rapper/entrepreneur.

From Scratch: tinyBig Picture Shows

By Jeff Meyers

●

General

●

October 5, 2011

Sometimes great things come in small packages. Or so the saying goes. For Beth Tanenhaus Winsten it's more than just a saying, however, it's the foundation of her business. Her Ann Arbor-based tinyBigPictureshow sees the web as an exciting medium for visual storytelling, and she's starting to win over clients with her less-is-more approach.

Ann Arbor-made speakers could redefine rock

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

October 5, 2011

Think of them as the ultimate in sustainable audio equipment -- stone speakers. Audiomasons Design Works has developed the new must-buy for audiophiles: Indiana limestone speakers that produce undistorted sound. Excerpt: "There was some trial and error along the way. The first prototype weighed nearly 400 pounds (it now serves as Alessi's home laundry basket). Eventually, with the help of an Ann Arbor speaker shop, the company's stone speakers were ready for prime time. One key moment when the company knew it had something? During a sound test for their highest-end design, a piano piece by Bach was played through the speaker. Alessi and his colleagues heard a strange faint sound they couldn't pin down. They finally realized it was the musician on the recording faintly mumbling to himself in Dutch." Read the rest of the story here.

Zell Lurie ranked as Top 5 entrepreneurship program

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

September 28, 2011

U-M's Zell-Lurie graduate school program landed in the Top 5 for teaching entrepreneurship to its students, according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. The Fall 2011 list highlighted those schools that fostered the kind of entrepreneurial skill necessary to contribute to and compete in today's global economy. Check out all the rankings here.

ParknParty turns U-M football Saturdays into Internet biz

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

September 28, 2011

Taylor Bond and Jason Kapica enjoy their football Saturdays in Ann Arbor, but they never look forward to the scramble of finding a parking space and meeting up to tailgate. That's not an issue anymore with their new Internet start-up, ParknParty. The downtown Ann Arbor-based website allows those attending a Michigan Football game to reserve a parking space online beforehand for the price of the spot and a $5-$7 convenience fee. It eliminates the game-day search for a space and allows groups of friends to converge and tailgate on the same spot. "We thought, why isn't there a website people could reserve a spot at?" says Kapica. "I thought that was a great idea." Kapica and Bond and their wives built the website earlier this year and launched it at the beginning of the 2011 U-M football season. It now has access to almost 3,000 parking spaces, ranging from house lawns to the 1,800 spaces at Ann Arbor Golf & Outing. The service has been hot and cold, with extremely light turnout for the Eastern Michigan University game (lots of locals) to selling out every spot for the Notre Dame game to lots of out-of-towners. The start-up plans to expand this service to other sports venues in the Midwest, specifically other Big 10 teams, other professional markets, such as Detroit, and even for big, non-sporting events like Art Fair. "This isn't something that will stay in football," Kapica says. "Art Fair has a huge need for parking and parking reservations." Source: Jason Kapica, co-founder of ParknParty Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

To become Chief Doctor, go to med school and get an MBA

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

September 14, 2011

Dual MBA / masters degree programs are very of the moment these days. (U-M's joint degree from the Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources is a popular one.) Now the latest tagline you want after your name is an M.D. / M.B.A., according to the New York Times. They're still quite rare, but Dr. James Kuo, chief executive of Ann Arbor's Adeona Pharmaceuticals, has one. Get the full story here.