Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries around the world, and right here in Ann Arbor, it’s powering a surge of innovation that’s creating new jobs, companies, and opportunities across sectors. Through its SPARK Capital fund, Ann Arbor SPARK has committed $550,000 to four early-stage companies — Ready Signal, Swept.ai, Lutely, and ProbeTruth — each using AI to tackle complex real-world challenges.
These investments highlight both the promise of these ventures and the growing strength of the region’s AI ecosystem. Anchored by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor continues to attract and grow companies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data science, and industry application.
“The Ann Arbor region is fast becoming a national hub for artificial intelligence and AI-enabled enterprise innovation,” said Mike Flanagan, vice president of capital at Ann Arbor SPARK. “Our investments in these companies reflect not only the strength of their ideas but the strength of this region’s ecosystem—where world-class talent, investors, and industry partners are driving the next wave of intelligent technology.”
Four Companies Defining the Next Wave of AI
Ready Signal – Automating External Intelligence for Accurate Forecasting
Ann Arbor–based Ready Signal helps organizations dramatically improve forecasting accuracy by automating the most time-consuming step in analytics — identifying and integrating the external factors that truly drive business outcomes.
Its AI-powered platform continuously evaluates tens of thousands of economic, labor, trade, climate, and consumer indicators, selecting the most predictive signals and delivering them in a ready-to-use format for any data science or BI environment.
By enriching internal data with external intelligence, Ready Signal users typically reduce forecasting error by 50% or more while cutting data preparation time by weeks, enabling faster, explainable, and more confident decisions.
Founded by Jason Harper, who previously built and sold analytics firm RXA to OneMagnify, Ready Signal is expanding its Ann Arbor team to meet rising enterprise demand for AI-ready data and predictive insight.
Swept.ai – Supervision for autonomous systems
Founded by longtime technologists Shane Emmons and Amy Fox, Swept.ai is building the AI Supervision Platform that ensures autonomous systems operate safely and effectively. It enables oversight and coordination across fleets of intelligent machines—an essential capability as automation becomes more embedded in industries from logistics to manufacturing. The company’s oversubscribed seed round highlights investor confidence in both the technology and the leadership behind it.
Lutely – AI for the music industry
Lutely is redefining how music artists and record labels prepare songs for commercial release . Its AI-driven platform automates mastering, stem separation, metadata tagging, and clean-version creation — tasks that once required expensive studio time.
Founded by Kyle Jekielek (career expert in the music industry), Jonathan Rochelle (creator of Google Sheets and former LinkedIn Learning product head), and Jon Jekielek (a leading entertainment attorney), Lutely delivers professional-grade post-production in minutes for as little as $20 per month. The company’s “artist-first” model empowers creators to control their catalog and unlock new revenue through its integrated licensing marketplace.
ProbeTruth – Fighting deepfakes with explainable AI ($100,000)
As synthetic audio and video become common tools in fraud and misinformation, ProbeTruth is building the infrastructure for digital trust. The company’s neurosymbolic, multimodal AI platform detects and explains deepfake media across video, audio, and images—producing detailed, court-admissible forensic reports that identify precisely what elements are real, manipulated, or ambiguous.
Started by MJ Cartwright, who previously led and exited legal-tech company Court Innovations (a former SPARK portfolio company), and Dr. Khalid Malik, a University of Michigan AI researcher. With more than $1.5 million in non-dilutive funding and pilots already underway, ProbeTruth’s patented, explainable AI engine positions it as a leader in deepfake detection across regulated sectors.
Ann Arbor: A National AI “Star Hub”
Ann Arbor’s AI ecosystem is more than a local success story—it’s nationally recognized. According to a 2025 Brookings Institution report, “Mapping AI Readiness,” Ann Arbor is one of just 28 U.S. “Star Hubs” — regions described as the nation’s “second engine” of AI development. These hubs, which include cities like Austin, Raleigh-Durham, Boulder, and Princeton, combine top-tier talent, innovation, and adoption capacity to drive balanced, sustainable AI growth.
Brookings found that together, these Star Hubs account for over half of all U.S. AI job postings and nearly half of national AI patents and publications, fueled by strong research universities like the University of Michigan, which is a leading national contributor to AI scholarship. Ann Arbor’s position among these elite metros underscores its ability to bridge research excellence and commercial deployment—exactly the environment where SPARK’s investments thrive.
“AI isn’t a distant promise—it’s an economic engine already transforming how our companies operate,” added Flanagan. “These investments illustrate how Ann Arbor companies are turning research into real products and ideas into jobs, strengthening Michigan’s competitiveness on a global stage.”
Investing in Innovation and Regional Growth
The growth of companies like Ready Signal, Swept.ai, Lutely, and ProbeTruth demonstrates how SPARK Capital’s investments translate into real economic impact — new jobs, new technologies, and new opportunities that keep Ann Arbor at the forefront of innovation. For Ann Arbor SPARK, investing in early-stage AI companies isn’t just about capital — it’s about confidence in the people shaping Michigan’s future economy.
Through SPARK Capital, founders gain access not only to funding but also to the mentorship, networks, and collaborative energy that help startups grow. Together, these investments reinforce Ann Arbor’s reputation as one of the most dynamic and connected startup communities in the Midwest—and a cornerstone of Michigan’s innovation-driven economy.
