36 high-tech startups offering groundbreaking ideas in consumer products, healthcare, IT, mobility and more, to compete for $1 million in cash and prizes
DETROIT – The stage is set for the 8th Annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, the state’s largest convening of high-growth, high-tech companies and venture investors. Today, 36 innovative startups from a variety of high-growth sectors including advanced materials, manufacturing, alternative energy, business services, consumer products, information technology, life sciences/healthcare, media, mobility and more, learned they are this year’s semifinalists.
“We are extremely impressed with the diverse and creative entries that came to us from across the state and we’re excited to unveil an outstanding new crop of competitors,” said Martin Dober, Vice President of Invest Detroit and Managing Director of Invest Detroit Ventures. “This competition has the potential to be life changing for these businesses. It is truly rewarding to help put promising young startups on a trajectory toward success.”
Each year, the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition showcases the start-up innovation happening throughout Michigan and provides startups with the exposure, funding, and mentorship they need. This year’s event, which will take place Nov. 16 at the historic Masonic Temple in downtown Detroit is fueled by significant support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. The metro Detroit-based philanthropic organization provided a $250,000 grant and will serve as the program’s Title Sponsor. Since the competition’s inception, participating companies have generated more than 1,000 jobs in Michigan and raised more than $550 million in capital.
The 2017 Semifinalists represent Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, metro Detroit and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Company names and brief description are listed below.
2017 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Semifinalists:
- Airspace Experience Technologies, Detroit
Developing on-demand air logistics and air mobility solutions with MOBi, and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft - Alchemie, Troy
Building a new path to student understanding and assessment using interactive digital tools, machine learning, and data analytics - Alerje, Detroit
Building an IoMT phone case that holds a slim epinephrine auto-injector that notifies 911 of location information when used in emergencies - Ash & Erie, Detroit
Makes everyday clothes for shorter guys - Bloomscape, Detroit
A vertically integrated e-commerce plant brand founded in Detroit - Me, Detroit
Enables secure and private enterprise communication and collaboration with customers - Carma Car, Inc., Detroit
All-inclusive, month-to-month subscriptions to a car you keep - Change Dynamix, Inc., Royal Oak
Delivers a risk analytics platform powering cyber threat detection and security analysis of user and entity behaviors - Circadian Risk Inc., Ann Arbor
Our mission is to make the world a safer place, one building at a time, by reducing risk to people and critical assets - Foodstand, Ann Arbor
Makes healthy eating an everyday habit through its mobile-first behavioral change program for workplaces, schools, and individuals - Genus, Inc., Detroit
A platform empowering caregivers and providers with the latest resources and technology to connect, communicate and care better, together - Goldstrike Data, Houghton
An EdTech company providing predictive analytics solutions for enhanced university management and decision-making - GreenMark Biomedical Inc., East Lansing
Technology that will change dentistry, revolutionize diagnostics and pain free treatment using targeted delivery - IC-SURGICAL, Grand Rapids
A medical device company transforming surgical outcomes with a new class of medical devices - Kulisha, Ann Arbor
Harnesses the power of insects to capture the nutrients in food waste and reintroduce them into the agricultural system sustainably - Lawrence Hunt, Royal Oak
A direct to consumer clothing brand, reinventing professional apparel with sweat-proof technology
- Mi Padrino, Ann Arbor
A crowdfunding platform serving as a simple alternative to age-old methods of organizing, planning and funding traditional Latino events - MTBIsense LLC, Okemos
A company dedicated to putting objective head impact information in the hands of people who need it most, when they need it - MySwimPro, Detroit
Fitness technology platform that helps swimmers around the world achieve their fitness goals through personalized coaching and analytics - Novolux Biosciences, Inc., Houghton
Makes dyes brighter than anyone, tunable in any color - Orbion Space Technology, Houghton
Develops revolutionary plasma propulsion systems that allow small satellite operators to maximize their data value - Parabricks, Ann Arbor
High performance genomic analysis - Plinqit, Ann Arbor
Helping community banks build lasting and profitable relationships with their digital customers - Pretch, Novi
A portable, stackable, sharable, whiteboard panel system - Ripple Science, Ann Arbor
A web-based software that facilitates the recruitment and management of participants for clinical and translational studies - Slideless, Ann Arbor
Digital pathology made simple - SmileBOND, Lansing
Offers patented processes FBO patients and dentists, including 3-D printing technologies - Soft Lesion Analytics, Ann Arbor
Automating cancer biopsy assessment by using machine learning to reduce the time and labor needed for diagnostics - SpellBound, Ann Arbor
Improves cooperation with medical treatment, reducing trauma and improving outcomes for patients using augmented reality - SpinTech, Inc., Detroit
Develops rapid, quantitative brain imaging software, enabling enhanced diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, dementia, and stroke - Sterilogy LLC, Bloomfield Hills
A unique body worn hand hygiene compliance system to reduce the 90,000 patient deaths & $30B in unnecessary costs - SU2 Systems, Lansing
Offering a suite of innovative multi-asset, broker-neutral investor platforms - Switched Source, East Lansing
The next generation of power-electronics solutions, enabling utility companies to deliver the smart grid of tomorrow - TechStak, Ann Arbor
An online platform helping small businesses find vetted technology solution providers for all their outsourced tech and IT needs - TheraB Medical Products, East Lansing
A startup launching SnugLit – a wearable, portable solution to infant jaundice that promotes bonding and breast-feeding - Urū, Ann Arbor
An online global platform that connects athletes with open playing positions and teams with fitting talent
About the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition
The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is the state’s largest convening of high-growth, high-tech companies and venture investors, and awards $1,000,000 in prize offerings. Since its inception, participating companies have generated 1,000+ Michigan jobs and raised more than $550 million in capital. Now entering its eighth year, the competition has featured notable grand prize award winners including: SPLT (2016), Banza (2015), SkySpecs (2014), Varsity News Network (2013), Algal Scientific (2012), DeNovo Sciences (2011) and Armune Biosciences (2010). Through the strong support of partners, collaborative investors and a burgeoning tech sector, Accelerate Michigan is recognized as a pillar of the local startup community. The annual event is made possible by grants and sponsorships from the New Economy Initiative and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s 21st Century Jobs Fund, as well as significant corporate and community support. Accelerate Michigan is a program of Invest Detroit Ventures, an early stage investment platform powered by Invest Detroit.
To learn more about Accelerate Michigan, visit acceleratemichigan.org. Tickets for the November 16 competition can be purchased HERE.