Government

Concentrate Speaker Series Event: Urban Strategist Christopher Leinberger

●

October 3, 2011

Are we dense enough? Walkable enough? Brookings Institution Fellow Christopher Leinberger says the new American Dream involves building communities where people can live, work and play within easy walking distance. Concentrate's Speaker Series is proud to host Mr. Leinberger as he talks about the issues and policies that promote walkable communities and how Ann Arbor squares with those ideas. Sign up now for THURSDAY's event!

Latest in Government

Smart Parking In Ann Arbor

By Natalie Burg

●

General

●

September 28, 2011

Though traditional coin-operated parking meters may evoke feelings of nostalgia (followed by memories of ticket-fueled anger), Ann Arbor has been adopting innovative approaches to downtown parking management. And while we may be ahead of the curve for a city our size, there are even more cutting edge technologies out there. Concentrate's Natalie Burg takes a look.

Ann Arbor start-ups dominate Accelerate Michigan semi-finals, again

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

September 27, 2011

The second annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition will take place later this fall, and Ann Arbor-based start-ups are setting the stage yet again, dominating the ranks of the semi-finals for the second straight year. This year there are at least 23 start-ups that call Tree Town home, along with two from Ypsilanti, one from Saline and a handful more with ties to the University of Michigan. More than half of the 53 companies in the semi-finals are in Washtenaw County. A broad range of firms like past winner Accio Energy and up-and-comers like Denovo Sciences are represented. Ann Arbor start-ups also took half of the semifinal spots last year. Is anyone really surprised? Jacob Cohen isn't. "I would expect it because of how robust the business plan circuit is in Ann Arbor," says Cohen, a Detroit-based venture capitalist. "It just goes to show you how important it is to provide structure and a path." Cohen is a vice president of Detroit Venture Partners, an aggressive early stage venture capital firm that is trying to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in downtown Detroit robust enough to compare to Ann Arbor's. It's a task Cohen believes can be accomplished within a few years. Cohen is a U-M graduate who is six credit hours short of a dual graduate degree in business and law from U-M. He stopped short to take the job with Detroit Venture Partners. He also grew and exited his own start-up in Ann Arbor called Ugrub.com. Cohen sings the praises of Ann Arbor's entrepreneurial support system and its depth. Services from Ann Arbor SPARK, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce and other local entrepreneurs are the backbone of building a successful start-up culture ripe with talent, investment and acquisitions. Paramount to all of that is U-M, he says, adding it goes a long way in putting Ann Arbor "years ahead of everybody else." "Michigan has $1.3 billion in paid research," Cohen says. "U-M has a real research and venture capital community. You can't replace that." Source: Jake Cohen, vice president of Detroit Venture Partners Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Michigan Microloan Fund receives payback on successful start-up loans

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

September 21, 2011

The Michigan Microloan Fund Program got its start two years ago loaning seed capital to start-ups, and the first of those loans are starting to come due. One has even been paid back early. "We have $400,000 in loans that are due between now and the end of the year," says Skip Simms, a senior vice president of Ann Arbor SPARK and manager of the Michigan Microloan Fund Program. The $1.5 million fund got its start in the wake of the financial crisis and the frozen commercial credit lines that followed. The fund makes five-figure loans to local start-ups in dire need of capital to accelerate growth. These loans run two years before a balloon payment is due for the full amount plus 12 percent interest. That money is reinvested into the fund to make more loans in the future. Ann Arbor SPARK has made 34 loans worth $1.2 million. Akervall Technologies, makers of the Protech Dent mouth guard, is the first start-up to repay the loan. The Ann Arbor-based firm repaid its $15,000 microloan in 15 months, nine months before it was due. On the other end of that spectrum, the Michigan Microloan Fund Program has had to write off two loans and might have to work out payment plans with a penalty for a few more. "They're high-risk," Simms says. "We anticipate that some of these entrepreneurs won't make it." He adds that a majority of the loans will be repaid in full and that the repayment number will "exceed expectations." Source: Skip Simms, a senior vice president of Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor SPARK brokers Liebherr-Aerospace expansion in Saline

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

September 14, 2011

Ann Arbor SPARK has made its work practically synonymous with growing start-ups, but the business accelerator is doing more to grow other new economy segments of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The latest example of that is the expansion of Liebherr-Aerospace's operations in Saline. The aerospace supplier is expanding its 100,000-square-foot facility by another 33,000 square feet for landing gear manufacturing. It's an expansion that will mean the hiring of 15-20 new people by next spring. "We think there are more opportunities to work with companies in the area," says Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. "We want to build an aerospace cluster in this area." The Ann Arbor area has a number of aerospace companies, mainly clustered around the Ann Arbor airport. This existing base, paired with the area's manufacturing capability, creates a viable opportunity for further growth in the industry. Source: Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Reveal Design Automation raises pre-seed capital, adds first clients

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

August 17, 2011

Reveal Design Automation is at the tail end of developing its software products and has been ramping up staffing as it has built its product line.The Ann Arbor-based start-up provides the electronic design market with the software tools to verify the accuracy of complex digital chip designs. It has been building up its engineering team in its first year and a half of existence, adding a new person each quarter. Today it has a team of about half a dozen, and, eventually, will grow to 10-15 people over the next year."We should have 1-2 paying customers and about 3-5 trials with additional customers within the next year," says Zaher Adraus, CEO of Reveal Design Automation. Reveal Design Automation has raised six-figures worth of capital from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund and the First Step Fund. That money and other seed capital has gone toward product development with the its first customer. That process is nearly finished, and the firm hopes to begin marketing its technology in the not-too-distant future."Now we're coming close to a family of products for the customer," Andraus says.Source: Zaher Adraus, CEO of Reveal Design AutomationWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor SPARK scores $250K grant for biz accelerator model

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

August 17, 2011

Ann Arbor SPARK has received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration to expand its coverage area into eastern Washtenaw and western Wayne counties. The feds hope its business accelerator model can serve as the blueprint for similar business accelerators across the U.S."We want to see if it will work as well in areas where the aren't as many entrepreneurs," says Skip Simms, senior vice president of Ann Arbor SPARK.Ann Arbor SPARK has traditionally serviced primarily the city of Ann Arbor, but has branched out into downtown Ypsilanti and the Michigan Life Sciences & Innovation Center in Plymouth. Now it will cover all of these areas, providing business development services primarily for tech start-ups. Local business-building experts will also be enlisted to help assist and mentor those start-ups.The focus will be on helping established but emerging companies. Services will include marketing and business development strategies, collaborative partnerships, business development and investor plans, and IP and commercialization strategies.Source: Skip Simms, senior vice president of Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Washtenaw County government ranks 4th in digital innovation

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

August 10, 2011

Who says government can't keep up? When it comes to municipal innovation in the digital realm, Washtenaw County landed in the top ten among the U.S.'s second-largest counties.Excerpt:"The Digital Counties Survey identifies the very best examples of how counties are aligning technology to support strategic priorities and create crucial operational and administrative efficiencies," said NACo Executive Director Larry E. Naake. "Especially important during these tough economic times, counties across the country are using innovative technologies to reduce county operations costs and enhance service delivery." Read more here.

New Washtenaw Avenue path makes sidewalk ends meet

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Community Development

●

August 10, 2011

With the closing of the gap in the non-motorized path down Washtenaw Avenue, walkers and cyclists will soon have a straight shot down this busy artery. The city of Ann Arbor is planning to open the newly constructed 1.1-mile section of path between Glenwood Road and Toumy Roads to traffic on August 15.This safety path is another component of the city's alternative transportation plan, says Anne Warrow, project manager for the city of Ann Arbor. "There are numerous bus stops in the area that we need to provide access to."The $1.5 million project was funded with $748,000 in combined federal transportation enhancement and surface transportation funds, with the city covering the balance.Landscaping is the final component. Sixteen varieties of trees and shrubs, a total of 60 in all, will be planted in October, Warrow says.The sidewalk is still officially closed, but it's getting some hoof traffic nonetheless. She adds, "I've already noticed that people are using it even though we have barricades at both ends."Source: Anne Warrow, project manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

LectureTools adds 7 jobs in prep for product launch this fall

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

August 3, 2011

If the mother of invention is necessity, then it might also be the surrogate parent of start-ups. LectureTools, a University of Michigan spin-out that is reinventing educational materials, makes a good argument for it.The 1-year-old start-up got its start late in 2009 when a small group of graduate students approached U-M Prof. Perry Samson, co-founder of Weather Underground, about reinventing the software program for educational materials, such as course packs, handouts and quizzes. That grass roots movement turned into $650,000 in National Science Foundation grants that allowed U-M students and Samson to redesign the software from the ground up."It's more efficient," says Jason Aubrey, sales and marketing director and co-founder of LectureTools. "The design is much better and the usability is a lot nicer."The Ann Arbor-based firm plans to debut its product this fall at U-M, thanks to the work of a team of 10 employees and several interns, up from the company's three original founders. LectureTools is working with the university's Office of Tech Transfer and another company to fully integrate the program with U-M's infrastructure and begin marketing it beyond Ann Arbor."For the first time students will be able to have their notes, textbook and other materials on one platform and it will be searchable," Aubrey says.Source: Jason Aubrey, sales and marketing director and co-founder of LectureToolsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.