ANN ARBOR – The Desai Family Accelerator, a joint venture
between the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and the College of
Engineering, on Thursday announced the six most-promising companies selected to
participate in its inaugural cohort.
More than 72
technology-based startups submitted applications. The six winners will move into
the Accelerator and take advantage of its services. Of the applications, 42
percent were from Michigan-based companies, 19 percent were led by female
founders and 31 percent had a connection to the University of Michigan.
The Desai
Family Accelerator, managed by the Ross School’s Samuel Zell &
Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studiesand the College
of Engineering’s Center
for Entrepreneurship, is dedicated to helping Michigan startups
succeed. It was specifically founded to help ventures as they reach the
critical phase between early-stage development and the point at which they seek
external investors.
The
Accelerator program will run from June 8-September 4, culminating on September
11with a demo day, and includes a $25,000 investment for each
selected company, office space in downtown Ann Arbor, access to student
interns, more than $500,000 in resources and mentorship from one of
the most expansive alumni networks in the country. Funding and support for the
Accelerator was provided by the Desai Sethi Family Foundation, the
Davidson Foundation, the Wadhams family and the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation.
The selected
companies include:
Baseline – a
cognitive screening device that monitors for concussions, founded by two University
of Michigan alumni
Companion – a
person-to-person safety application and winner of the2015 Michigan Business Challenge, founded by two University
of Michigan recent grads
Diverse Note – a
career management network for professionals within diverse communities
RunThatApp – a
platform that allows users to demo mobile apps within a web browser
Scape – a network
that allows users to discover and hire gardeners to grow vegetables in their
own spaces, founded by Mary Lemmer, serial entrepreneur and former
associate at RPM Ventures
Telemetrio – a broadcasting and statistics platform designed for recreational athletes
“As the
entrepreneurial and venture capital ecosystem continues to thrive in Michigan and
throughout the Midwest, we identified a need to help push startups to the next
level through an organized accelerator program located in a community that
celebrates innovation,” said Kelly LaPierre, managing director, Desai
Family Accelerator. “The selected companies represent a diverse group of
technology startups that are passionate about what they do and are committed to
creating successful companies that will impact their respective
industries.”
The selected
startups will be working out of The Forge by Pillar Technology – a
collaborative software studio designed to develop the most innovative software products
and to provide a “no constraints” high-energy environment. Pillar
Technology is a multi-faceted technology company solving complex business
problems with innovative software and engineering methods.
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