Endowment helps entrepreneurial U-M students to go from idea to biz
There's little doubt that the university is an incubator for big ideas. But how many of those ideas can be translated into business? And what is the process for doing that? Tim Mayleben, CEO of biotech firm Aastrom Biosciences and former COO of Esperion Therapeutics, decided to help that process along. Excerpt: "“There’s this gap between ‘I have this cool idea,’ which is not a business, but it’s a cool idea,... [Read More...]
Why Zingerman’s stays in Ann Arbor
Much has been written of Zingerman's – both locally and nationally. But few have bothered to ask why co-founder Ari Weinzweig chose and continues to choose Ann Arbor as the business's home. Until now. Excerpt: "Despite all this fame, you’ve had tussles with the city about expanding the deli. [Laughs] The town is very engaged, with highly educated and opinionated people. They’re good to sell specialty foods to, and... [Read More...]
U-M launches Venture Shaping Program to turn ideas into startups
Business ideas don't always make profitable businesses. A new program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business hopes to make that transition more commonplace in Ann Arbor. U-M is launching the Mayleben Family Venture Shaping Program through the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. The new program is being funded by a gift from Aastrom Biosciences president & CEO Tim Mayleben (a U-M graduate) and his wife,... [Read More...]
Student demand grows SE Michigan’s rental landscape
Three of the five top real estate deals in 2011 were in Ann Arbor… and fueled by the student rental market. SE Michigan has long lagged behind other metro areas when it comes to rental options – particularly in downtown setting. But it look like the market is slowly changing. Excerpt: "The vacancy rate for apartments in Ann Arbor was 3.6 percent at the end of the third quarter, according to information from Washington, D.C.-based... [Read More...]
Buses, bikes catch up to cars as a way to get to work in Ann Arbor
Buses, bikes, and plain old-fashioned feet are upending the solo-passenger car as the only route to work in Ann Arbor, as shown by a recent survey of about 250 employers and 275 employees released by getDowntown. The study was funded by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The most significant finding, says Nancy Shore, executive director of getDowntown, was "Seventy percent, the overwhelming... [Read More...]
Insider Guide: Jayme Bicknell
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U-M’s sustainability scoreboard released
The University of Michigan is balancing growth in its campus population and facilities with an overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as per its recently released Annual Sustainability Report. Total greenhouse gas emissions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 climbed by 7.5% as compared to the 2010 fiscal year, an increase significantly attributed to the ramping up of the new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander... [Read More...]
Biotechnology Business Consultants eyes big biz impact over next 3 years
Had you asked Lisa Kurek her opinion about the potential of growing biotech start-ups in Michigan late last year, she would have told you to ask her again in a month or two. Ask her today, and the managing partner of Biotechnology Business Consultants won't put off the question. She will exude confidence. Kurek points out that the recent reauthorization of the federal Small Business Innovation Research grants brought stability back to the bio-tech... [Read More...]
Former brewery gets remake as office for tech firm HookLogic
At the southern reaches of Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, a brewery-turned-tech-firm transformation will be emerging this spring when e-commerce and digital marketing software provider HookLogic takes over the former Leopold Brothers Brewery building at 523 S. Main St. The New York-headquartered firm will be consolidating from two other downtown Ann Arbor offices totaling 5,000 square feet. A $9.5 million venture capital infusion from Massachusetts-based... [Read More...]
Got Talent? A Conversation with Kurt Riegger
When it comes to building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, Kurt Riegger, COO of OcuSciences, argues that there's no lack of ideas or innovations in Ann Arbor. Talent with enough experience to execute on those ideas may be another question. Riegger has launched, funded, and advised 26 companies, and chats with Concentrate about what our community needs to succeed. News from Concentrate Read More →
