Augmented reality startup Spellbound AR, known for its augmented reality games to distract pediatric patients from hospital procedures, has created a new scavenger hunt game called ARISE, to make hospital stays less intimidating for children.
Advanced Manufacturing, Mobility Tech, Software
Project Synergy Automates Data Tracking and Collab for Automotive Prototype Builds
Ever wonder how automakers and suppliers keep track of everything from parts standards compliance to testing data and design when creating a prototype for a new vehicle? For years, this process was handled manually. That’s one of the reasons you sometimes see recalls, explains Project Synergy co-founder Osman Korkmaz. Sometimes this manual process fails and a part that wasn’t tested to its final specs gets into a production vehicle and then fails in real-world driving.
Mobility Tech, Networking, Software
Throdle Creates First Global Automotive Social Network
There’s no global database of auto clubs, certainly not one that’s multilingual. Creating this is one of the ongoing projects of new startup Throdle, an Ann Arbor SPARK Best of Bootcamp winner and new player in the automotive social media scene. Founder Nadine Lee says that when people connect with a car through a test drive or a track day, they often connect with a brand for life. Connecting potential buyers or new drivers with other people who already own a special vehicle, whether that’s a BMW or an EV, helps people discover a love of car culture.
Announcements, Software
Guilde Launches An App To Simplify Contracting Bids
Detroit’s Donavan Wright was a residential real estate investor in several locations he had lived across the U.S., which he used “to help my community,” he says. He wanted to democratize access to real estate to compensate for a legacy in many areas of the U.S. that pushed minorities out of home ownership and made home ownership challenging on many fronts, from loan access to learning how to get a fair bid to renovate a property. “I realized how difficult that is,” he says. “There aren’t a lot of tools.” He had an idea. There is a gap in access to information about how to get fair bids on home renovation projects, especially for people who have been traditionally shut out of home ownership. How could an app solve that?
Software, Tech Events
New Michigan Startups Pitch Tech for Social Justice, Trade, and Legal Relief
A2NewTech is a tradition around Ann Arbor and Michigan startup culture. New startups come to pitch ideas for feedback, to attract funding, and to polish their pitch. This month’s A2NewTech included the following new Michigan startups:
Marketing, Software
Ann Arbor Tech Company Nutshell Launches Unique CRM Product for Marketers
Nutshell is a newer staple in the Ann Arbor tech scene the last 10 years, founded by several people — Andy Fowler, Guy Suter, Ian Berry, and Lindsay Snider — who had worked together in a regional dialup ISP and subsequently started a bitleap data backup startup that updated companies’ data to the cloud in the early aughts. This company was acquired by Ann Arbor’s Barracuda Networks, and the band got back together in Ann Arbor a few years later to create something new: a CRM software solution. The idea? Create a CRM sales process and make it repeatable. Now the company that became Nutshell has grown, and released its second major product, that takes CRMs to a new level.
Agile Methods, Leadership, Software
E-Commerce Adoption Explodes, Eoxs Offers 1-Day Online Marketplace Solutions
We’ve seen it repeatedly in recent months: companies are racing to adopt or update e-commerce platforms to keep up with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing buying online. Everything from groceries to steel buying to marketing and networking is now online, and that means demand for online user interfaces, conferencing, e-commerce platforms, and online marketing are at an all-time high. One startup we recently spoke with, Eoxs E-Commerce, was busy disrupting the steel buying industry with online buying platforms, but has since pivoted and expanded their offerings in response to this trend.
Leadership, Software
Ann Arbor Fintech Startup Pocketnest Continue Rapid Growth
Despite a challenging year, a number of Ann Arbor tech startups are still experiencing rapid growth. First up? Pocketnest, the fintech startup that created a personal financial wellness app to integrate into bank and credit union software to help advise end users on savings and investment decisions while they monitor their finances.
Advanced Manufacturing, Agile Methods, Mobility Tech, Software
Behind The Scenes Look at Massive Consolidation in the Auto Industry’s Suppliers with 123Go’s Dominic Rea
123Go enterprise software development startup co-founder Dominic Rea has years of experience working to design software for the auto industry, which gives him an edge to understand software design in a logistically complex industry. Rea works with Detroit’s Automation Alley, various Tier 1 automotive suppliers, and companies in the HVAC industry on applications such as time tracking, trying to bring a collaborative “low-code” process to custom software development, and more. According to Rea, the auto industry is currently undergoing a massive consolidation in terms of suppliers, which affects how automotive software designers, mobility startups, and Tier 1 suppliers plug in to a diverse industry of many technologies. We were curious to learn more both about how 123Go designs its efficient software development process for business professionals who aren’t in IT, and if Rea could tell us more about what’s going on behind the scenes for the sake of Cronicle readers who are working to hook into the mobility tech scene.
News, Software
Collaboration Tool Shuffleboard Launches To Make Remote Teamwork More Accessible
Ann Arbor-based Shuffleboard officially launches today, with a 40% discount for anyone looking for a remote team collaboration tool. The idea, from founder Sam Pierce Lolla? Make remote team collaboration more like in-person brainstorming. Shuffleboard alleges to cut down on Zoom fatigue, and also creates a process by which professional teams can glean feedback from clients or colleagues in a simple streamlined process. Lolla has years of professional experience working with professional teams to help them collaborate. The Shuffleboard tool is a natural extension of a lot of expertise and deep knowledge of team brainstorming process best practices.
