Software Design

BEET Analytics Technology to commercialize manufacturing software

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July 12, 2012

Edward Kim and his team working on a new software program knew they had a commercial hit on their hands, but weren't quite as sure the corporation they worked for was the best place to develop it. So the group of seven pooled their money, bought the program and formed BEET Analytics Technology. "We felt this software technology had the potential to be a breakout technology," says Edward Kim, managing director of BEET Analytics Technology. "However, it being a part of an industrial company isn't really compatible with developing software technology." The Plymouth-based business provides diagnostic and analytic software for automation and manufacturing markets. Its software provides insight into manufacturing quality and maintenance performance, along with monitoring capabilities to component level activities. The one-year-old business recently won the Advanced Manufacturing category at the most recent Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest business plan competition. BEET Analytics Technology has completed the Beta testing for its software and its team of eight people has begun to commercialize it. "We have purchase orders for our product," Kim says. Source: Edward Kim, managing director of BEET Analytics Technology Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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CircleBuilder leverages Catholic clients for new growth

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Technology and Innovation

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July 12, 2012

CircleBuilder has recently landed some large accounts from the Catholic Church, allowing the Franklin-based start-up to leverage the new business for more growth. CircleBuilder offers Yahoo Groups-like services to churches and faith-based organizations. Many of these organizations lack any type of comprehensive online presence. Its technology allows a church's members to interact, share ideas, and even raise money in the 21st century. It launched an online presence for WorldPriest, a Catholic organization, last month and is getting ready to launch IsMySocialNetwork.com later this summer, along with other projects. "We are getting ready to launch more Catholic organizations," says Howard Brown, CEO of CircleBuilder. The five-year-old firm got its start providing similar services to people of the Jewish faith. It moved onto religious organizations of the Christian faith shortly after that and locked down $2 million in venture capital investment in 2010. The company has now expanded to taking on some non-religious work, providing online communities for other secular organizations. It also recently switched development teams, bringing on three new developers. "It took a little while but it's really starting to take off," Brown says. Source: Howard Brown, CEO of CircleBuilder Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Auburn Hills-based ePS brings on 5 new hires

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General

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June 28, 2012

Auburn Hills-based ePS has enjoyed some large spikes in revenue growth over its first few years, allowing the tech firm to add five people to its current staff of 36 employees and the occasional intern. "We're trying to grow our revenue by 100 percent again over the next year," says David Saroli, CEO of ePS, short for e-Procurement Services. "We have been fortunate enough to close some major accounts in the last year." Two-year-old ePS provides custom software for things like e-commerce and supply chain management. The technology creates a streamlined purchasing synergy between buyers and suppliers. It also offers a Tier One Diversity Program that helps businesses do more work with local minority-owned firms. The Tier One Diversity Program has led ePS's growth in the last year, expanding by 400 percent. Its retail growth went up by 80 percent in the last 12 months, helping boost the company's overall bottom line by 60 percent. That has allowed the company to hire more people in sales and business relationship management, among other sectors. The company has also landed some large clients recently, including the second largest retailer in Canada and one of the largest gas and oil corporations in the world. Source: David Saroli, CEO of ePS Writer: Jon Zemke

Dearborn’s Global E scales up software biz and staff

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Entrepreneurship

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June 21, 2012

Philipp Emma saw the writing on the wall in 2005 when it came to Metro Detroit's economy. At the time he was working for a company that relied on the automotive industry business as its main client. He decided to put his future in his own hands by starting Global E. "I basically decided based on the economy that it was time for me to be on my own," Emma says. "I needed to give it a try." The Dearborn-based tech firm has grown nicely since, selling software services and point of sale software packages for restaurants and hotels. The 7-year-old company now has 11 restaurants that use its software, which has allowed it to hire a new employee. It now employs two people, a handful of independent contractors and the occasional intern. "We're starting to build our client base so we can rely on ourselves and not a sub-contractor," Emma says. Global E has formed a number of relationships with major tech corporations, such as Cisco and Microsoft. it plans to launch a new Cisco software package for small businesses later this year. Source: Philipp Emma, president of Global E Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Pontiac entrepreneur teams with Menlo Innovations to create eBabEx

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General

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June 21, 2012

Moses Olaniran is a serial entrepreneur in transition. He spent six years growing his online home-improvement supply business MWP in Pontiac before selling it earlier this year. About the same time he started eBabEx, a foreign language start-up that is creating a cloud-based marketplace for foreign language services. Olaniran is utilizing the tech expertise of Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor to build out his online marketplace where clients can hire foreign-language services providers. He is also applying to the entrepreneurial accelerator Bizdom in downtown Detroit in the hopes of building and scaling his company quickly "We're starting with lean start-up principles," Olaniran says. "Within six months we hope to have a minimum viable product. By working with groups like Bizdom and Menlo, we hope it'll give us access to a good network of professional investors." Olaniran is currently raising seed capital for eBabEx and hopes to launch the start-up's first product within the year. Source: Moses Olaniran, CEO & founder of eBabEx Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Troy tech-firm Copper Range expands staff, client list

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Entrepreneurship

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June 21, 2012

Copper Range is the classic new economy business, a place where a computer scientist and a businessman team up to create a growing tech firm. The Troy-based company specializes in everything from secure data exchange solutions to providing safety and remote guarding access systems for things like construction sites or events. Its Rules Based Jobsite Access Control™software utilizes wireless devices and all-digital web-based solutions that are proving attractive to business owners. "All of these products are integrated," says Randall Ray, president & CEO of Copper Range. "We can sell you the whole enchilada or part of it to integrate into your system." The 10-year-old company's recent growth has allowed it to hire two people over the last year, rounding its staff out to half a dozen employees, a handful of independent contractors and the occasional intern. Ray expects Copper Range to continue to grow as the tech market trends more toward wireless communications, especially the migration to 4G systems. "You can do a lot of things wirelessly today that you couldn't do before," Ray says. "That is where the growth is. We're capitalizing on that." Source: Randall Ray, president & CEO of Copper Range Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

RazorThreat expands staff as it continues IT security solutions

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General

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June 14, 2012

RazorThreat hasn't been as focused on growing its sales numbers as it has been on expanding the size of its reseller clientele. The downtown Pontiac IT security firm has watched its number of resellers jump 50 percent over the last year. That has allowed the 5-year-old start-up to expand its staff, grow its bottom line and set the stage for more growth in 2012. "That will certainly translate to revenue," says Greg Guidice, president & CEO of RazorThreat. RazorThreat's products help companies fight network breaches from the likes of malware, bots and hackers of all kinds. Guidice says the market has really come to his firm as businesses become more wary of keeping their IT systems secure. That has allowed the company to hire a new COO last week, expanding its staff to five people. It has also brought on a new member to its board this year. "Both gentlemen are on the east coast," Guidice says. "It really speaks to the footprint of RazorThreat." Source: Greg Guidice, president & CEO RazorThreat Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

iDashboards hires 25 as it continues triple-digit growth streak

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General

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June 7, 2012

Condense iDashboards growth numbers and two things jump out, triple digit revenue increases and double-digit hiring sprees. "We're on an almost 100 percent growth pattern," says Tim Barr, director of cloud sales for iDashboards. "It's phenomenal. We're growing in all areas." The Troy-based business create real-time interactive computer dashboards for businesses. The personalized dashboards analyze, track and organize a wealth of data into critical informational tidbits for companies. It has experienced a large amount of its growth after opening a cloud-computing division about a year ago. That has allowed the 9-year-old firm to double its staff in the last 18 months, including 25 new hires in the last year. The new hires are being made in all sections of the company, including sales, software consultants, accounting and administration. "When you're growing it means everything has to grow with you," Barr says. "We're still hiring." Source: Tim Barr, director of cloud sales for iDashboards Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Birmingham’s Brogan and Royal Oak’s ILG bring home industry awards

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Arts & Culture

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May 24, 2012

Two words: Mobile learning. Could be the future. And Royal Oak-based Innovative Learning Group took home a Gold Hermes Creative Award for their multi-part learning series. Excerpt: "Royal Oak-based Innovative Learning Group has won a Gold Hermes Creative Award in the categroy of E-Communication Series for its email and video series, Mobile or Not…Here It Comes!, which is about applying mobile technology to learning." Read the rest here. BUT WAIT, there's more. Brogan beat out 11,000 other competing entries to win Telly Awards. Excerpt: "he Telly Awards, the premier award honoring local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, video and film production and online commercials, has named Brogan & Partners a multiple winner of its 33rd annual awards. Brogan & Partners is honored to have its projects selected among nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries. The announcement was made by Brogan Managing Partner, Ellyn Davidson. Two Brogan & Partners projects – “STEM Interview” on behalf of the National Defense Education Partnership and “Secondhand Rose, Secondhand Smoke” on behalf of the Michigan Department of Community Health – were honored, the latter in two separate categories. “STEM Interview” received a Silver Telly, the Awards highest honor, in the not-for-profit category. “Secondhand Rose, Secondhand Smoke” was awarded both a Silver Telly in the public service category and a Bronze Telly in the not-for-profit category. " Read the rest here.

Childcare software firm Cirrus Group hires 1, looks to add 2 more

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Education

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May 24, 2012

Schools are playing a big part in Cirrus Group's recent growth spurt, allowing the Rochester Hills-based company to hire one person and open up two more job openings for computer programmers. "We have seen phenomenal growth, especially in the last five years," Michael Garrett, COO of Cirrus Group. "We have grown organically with little marketing." Cirrus Group, which turns 10-years-old in October, provides operational, financial and customer management software for child care facilities, community centers and school districts. The software allows these facilities to manage their enrollment, participant payments and communications, scheduling and government compliancy requirements including state and local subsidy payments and food care programs. The bottom line is a more streamlined system that allows for back-end business savings. Cirrus Group has seen a lot of its growth from school districts, including landing some of the largest school districts in the country as customers. Garrett sees a lot of opportunity from schools as government budgets begin to loosen a little in the coming years. "The big opportunity for us is in the before- and after-school programs," Garrett says. Source: Michael Garrett, COO of Cirrus Group Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.