Weekly Rewind: Ann Arbor’s Business News Recap

In-Person Networking

• It’s back: Ypsi 9th Hour Provides Entrepreneurs, Business Professionals with After Work Social Scene
  Ypsi 9th Hour is sponsored by Ann Arbor SPARK and The Back Office Studio.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

• How an Ann Arbor warming-blanket business scaled up during COVID by reconnecting with customers
  Grace Hsia, the founder of Warmilu, is a powerhouse of a person. This article tells how she went “back to business basics” during the pandemic and ended up increasing her revenue by 172 percent! As an Ann Arbor SPARK client, Warmilu benefited from SPARK’s business accelerator grants supported by the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA). In 2012, Warmilu won the “Best Pitch” award in SPARK’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp.

• Throdle wins Best of Boot Camp, and a $25,000 check. “Throdle is a dedicated social network connecting the automotive culture through cars, clubs, and experiences. Its app and web-based platform allow members to show off their cars, skills, favorite moments, and awards won.”

• SkySpecs is rehabbing a historic building in downtown Ann Arbor and moving offices. In 2018, SkySpecs received Ann Arbor SPARK’s Entrepreneurial Services Company of the Year award.

Regional Updates

• Michigan’s universities generate a lot for the state: University of Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State boosted the state’s economy by $19.3 billion in 2019

• NextCycle Michigan: EGLE Circular Economy Initiative Innovative Accelerator Program Building Michigan’s Recycling and Recovery Economy

• Former Dean of U-M’s Ross Business School, Scott DeRue, becomes CEO of Equinox.

• Racing maven Jack Roush (and EMU alum) donates $1 million to Eastern Michigan University.

• KLA Deserves More Credit as It Helps Chip Makers Through the Shortage.

• An ‘augmented reality’ mural festival kicks off in Detroit — here’s where you can find them all
  You can get a new look at six murals throughout Detroit as part of the Electrifly festival, which uses augmented reality technology via a smartphone app to bring the artwork to life with animations. The free festival, created by Ann Arbor-based BrandXR, kicked off Tuesday and runs through September 4. Ann Arbor SPARK is adopting this technology during a2Tech360 with window posters throughout town, with the hopes of expanding it to the murals around town in coming years.

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