Press

I met Cheryl and Wayne Baker in 2005 when I was President of the Ann Arbor IT Zone. We set up a Reciprocity Ring to spur collaboration among our tech ventures. I was amazed at how well it worked.
 
The Reciprocity Ring is a great exercise that teaches everyone why it’s important to ask for help and how to do it effectively. The exercise then gives everyone the chance to practice. After everyone makes a request, people in the same group meet those requests for help. I saw first-hand how powerful it was for founders and leaders to connect in this way.

Then the Bakers met Adam Grant, author of the bestseller Give and Take when Adam was getting his PhD at Michigan. Adam was one of the first facilitators of the Reciprocity Ring and talks about it in his book.
 
In Give and Take, Adam shares powerful research: those who give help at work, are stronger for it and, ultimately, more satisfied and successful.

In his book, All You Have to Do is Ask, Wayne shares his research on asking for help. It turns out that many of the same benefits exist. Askers are happier, healthier and more successful.
 
Asking and giving are two sides of the same coin, after all.
 
Based on their work, Givitas is a purpose built, knowledge-sharing platform that offers a simple path to give and get help.
 
 Here’s why it works:

1. Giv

This is an article about portfolio company, Fifth Eye Inc.

A medical device that works to detect if a patient will become unstable earlier than traditional vital signs received the green light to be marketed to U.S. hospitals.

Fifth Eye Inc., a Michigan Medicine spinoff medical device software company founded in 2017, was recently granted FDA De Novo classification for its Analytic for Hemodynamic Instability (AHI). The noninvasive device continuously monitors electrocardiogram (ECG) signals to identify signs of hemodynamic decline.

View source version on uofmhealth.org: https://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/202103/innovative-patient-stability-technology-developed-m

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union is excited to announce a partnership with HT Mobile Apps (HTMA) to offer a new digital solution, Plinqit. Plinqit is the only savings tool that pays users for learning about personal finances.

The addition of Plinqit supports the credit union’s strategy of providing safe, secure, and useful technology to meet the needs of their members. With Plinqit’s patented Build Skills™, the only platform that pays users for engaging with content, users can grow their knowledge of finances. By simply watching a video or reading an article from the Plinqit library and taking a short quiz, users are rewarded for learning more about financial wellness.

“With Plinqit, we found a solution to offer our members that makes saving money more possible, through defined savings goals, establishing a savings plan, financial rewards, financial education, and mobile functionality,” said Michael Barr, chief executive officer of Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union. “When members take advantage of financial education, we can see the topics being chosen by our members. Using their sel

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/

Shoptelligence announces rapid growth across the last two quarters – with five top 100 home furnishings companies, as well as leading regional independent furniture retailers, selecting the Shoptelligence solutions to improve shopper experience with digital cross-category merchandising that can lift order size by up to 49 percent.

“We want to provide all of our customers with an excellent furniture shopping experience whether they connect with us online or in-store,” explained Scott Perry, EVP of Digital Marketing at Jerome’s Furniture. “Shoptelligence’s platform adds value to that experience above and beyond our first-class furniture assortment and provides our consumers and sales associates a rich merchandising experience to help customers more easily furnish their whole room from us.”

While consumers have long turned to furnishing websites to explore options and compare prices, the pandemic dramatically increased the role of eCommerce and placed a spotlight on the need to provide shoppers with a seamless online and in-store experience. American Furniture Warehouse, Bob’s Furniture, Jerome’s Furniture, Missouri Furniture, and Slumberland Furniture, are among the leading retailers who recently partnered with Shoptelligence to improve consumer experience across the shopping continuum.

“When a shopper visits our site to research sofas, we want them to see and dream about more than that, and show them that we have the rugs and tables and accessories to make a whol

This is an article about portfolio company, Tetra Therapeutics.

After years of raising millions in capital and federal grant funding for Tetra Therapeutics Inc. — which was developing a new drug that could potentially treat Alzheimer’s disease and a form of autism — Mark Gurney in 2020 finally found the big money he needed to get to the end.

The Grand Rapids-based Tetra Therapeutics last spring sold to Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co. Ltd. in a deal that could reach $500 million. Under the agreement, Shionogi & Co. acquired Tetra and its portfolio of drug compounds for treating Alzheimer’s disease, Fragile X syndrome, and other brain disorders associated with cognitive or memory conditions

View source version on mibiz.com: https://mibiz.com/sections/health-care/tetra-therapeutics-shionogi-deal-builds-resources-of-large-pharmaceutical-company

This is an article about portfolio company, Genomenon

NEW YORK – Genomenon said on Tuesday that it has raised $5.3 million in a financing round.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm will use the funding to expand its global commercial operations, which serves genetic testing labs, hospitals, pharmaceutical, and biopharma companies. 

New investors include BroadOak Capital Partners, Green Park & Golf Ventures, Red Cedar Ventures, and Michigan Rise. Current investors, including Invest Detroit Ventures, IrishAngels, Michigan Angel Fund, Invest Michigan, and Atain Specialty Insurance, also participated in the round. 

View source version on genomeweb.com: https://www.genomeweb.com/informatics/genomenon-raises-53m-financing-round#.YHTpLBNKhTZ

Autobooks, the small business payment and accounting services platform, today announced that they have raised $25 million in Series B financing, led by MissionOG.  The round also includes participation from other investors including Renaissance Venture Capital, Detroit Venture Partners and Draper Triangle, along with TD Bank Group [NYSE: TD]. 

The Detroit-based fintech enables small businesses to send digital invoices and accept online payments directly from their financial institution’s existing online and mobile banking channels. The Detroit-based fintech works directly with banks and credit unions to unlock potential within small and micro-businesses, which has been historically difficult to do profitably, at scale. The company has developed partnerships with the industry’s leading core & internet banking providers to ensure turn-key deployments, often in less than 90 days - with a clear and measurable ROI.  

This announcement follows the recent news of a record 2020 for Autobooks, highlighted by 232% revenue growth and the addition of 46 financial institutions to Autobook’s rapidly growing customer base of banks and credit unions with assets ranging from $50 million to $350 billion. The proceeds from this round of funding will allow Autobooks to continue to expand operations domestically, as well as enter international markets; acc

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Fifth EyeTM, a provider of intuitive real-time clinical analytics, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted De Novo classification for its Analytic for Hemodynamic Instability (AHI). AHI can continuously monitor any patient with an electrocardiogram (ECG) for hemodynamic instability — a leading cause of death for critically ill or injured patients. This clinically validated technology enables hemodynamic assessments every two minutes as opposed to every two hours or more, increasing the likelihood of timely patient rescue.

Fifth Eye’s machine learning-based software device, developed in collaboration with clinicians at Michigan Medicine, gives nurses and doctors a real-time view into patients’ hemodynamic status. AHI automatically provides intuitive, time-trended updates without requiring vital sign assessment, manual data input in electronic health records, or score calculation.

AHI gives a reliable heads-up about emerging signs of hemodynamic instability, enabling proactive patient rescue.

This is an article about portfolio company, Bloomscape.

Bloomscape Founder and CEO Justin Mast joined Yahoo Finance Live to break down how Bloomscape is upending traditional garden centers.

Video Transcript

- Demand for home plants, they certainly have exploded since the start of the pandemic. Now Bloomscape, it’s one company that’s benefited from this. They’re expanding as a result of what we’ve seen over the past year. We want to bring in Justin Mast. He’s Bloomscape’s founder and CEO. Justin, it’s great to have you on the program.

View source version on yahoo.com: https://finance.yahoo.com/video/bloomscape-upending-traditional-garden-centers-220219350.html

This is an article about portfolio company, Bloomscape.

Bloom Kits: If you’re an avid gardener getting ready for spring, Bloomscape has just the thing. The brand has created outdoor bloom kits, complete with everything you need to grow a beautiful array of flowers outdoors. Best of all, they won’t ship to you until the last frost passes in your area. Choose between Yellow Begonias, Red Geraniums, and plenty more.

View source version on yahoo.com: https://news.yahoo.com/best-launches-bloomscape-everlane-more-170000881.html

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Movellus, Inc. today announced that Syntiant Corp. has adopted Movellus’ Maestro platform for its Syntiant® NDP120™ Neural Decision Processor™ (NDP), the edge AI chip company’s latest generation of special purpose semiconductors for always-on audio and sensor processing in battery-powered devices.

Movellus’ Maestro clock distribution network platform delivers chip-level architectural innovations to improve SoC performance while dramatically reducing power consumption.”Movellus’ Maestro platform has enabled us to dramatically shorten our development time so we could deliver the NDP120 to customers at record pace.” Kurt Busch, CEO of Syntiant

System architects developing SOCs for edge AI, data center, cryptocurrencies, space applications, or near-threshold and power-sensitive semiconductor designs face daunting clocking challenges. Maestro’s Intelligent Clock Network uses the company’s third-generation TrueDigital™ technology to achieve unrivaled power saving. Movellus’ all-digital implementations solve SoC-level clock distribution challenges for high-performance and ultra low power chips—including on-chip variation, jitter, clock skews, setup and hold violations, peak current, switching noise—all of which have been increasing with process node scaling. TrueDigital solutions are application-optimized and can provide impressive chip-wide benefits including up to 30% dynamic power reduction, 25x peak power savings, 30% performance gains, and 4-5x faster ti

This is an article about portfolio company, Michigan Capital Network.

A restructuring for Grand Angels in 2021 aims to create understanding about angel investing and greater diversity among investors and their deals.

The Grand Rapids-based angel investing network umbrella organization Michigan Capital Network has transitioned into a nonprofit trade association. Under Michigan Capital Network, led by Interim Executive Director Janet Wylie, Grand Angels and its affiliates in Kalamazoo, Detroit and Flint now work to “educate, grow, and diversify early-stage investors in communities across Michigan.”

A new subsidiary, MCN Ventures, manages Grand Angels’ three venture capital funds and plans to launch a fourth later this year. The venture capital funds maintain a focus on investing primarily in the Great Lakes region. 

View source version on mibiz.com: https://mibiz.com/sections/finance/grand-angels-and-affiliates-reorganize-to-accommodate-growth-promote-diversity

Experiencing unprecedented year-over-year product and solutions growth, company aims to lead O&M digital asset management in the year ahead

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, Jan. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — SkySpecs, leading provider of digital asset management solutions for the wind energy industry, releases its 2020 “year-in-review” business overview. With a global team nearing 100 full-time employees and over 50 field professionals, the company rapidly progresses toward their founding mission to automate renewable energy operations & maintenance using robotics, software, and internal solutions expertise.  Lowering costs and using data to drive profitability in the long-term is one of the company’s key drivers.

SkySpecs is playing a pivotal role in an industry that seeks to adopt a more data-driven approach to maintaining their assets, which now require closer attention and more predictive maintenance as they age.

“While we were initially cautious about how the pandemic would affect our business and our customers’ operations, we feel incredibly grateful that we safely and systematically provided the same level of service this year as customers have been used to receiving from us in the past. We worked together to find new ways of accomplishing our goals, while continuing to focus on our team’s expansion as well as the growth of our products and services,” reflects Danny Ellis, CEO of SkySpecs. “And our customers were doing the same, so we were able to achieve some pretty incredible things in 2020 despite the remote nature of our