Alex VanDerKolk is a graduate of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business but also a fan of medical research. The recent recipient of a BBA is leveraging both passions to launch his own startup, Mountain Labs. "I have always been interested in the medical field," VanDerKolk says. The Ann Arbor-based company is developing data collection software, called Symport, for medical research. The idea is to create a platform that is simple to use, HIPAA complaint, and smart enough to streamline what can often be the archaic world of the healthcare research. VanDerKolk has firsthand experience of how archaic that healthcare research can become. The 20-something worked as a data analyst for the University of Michigan Health System for a few years before he graduated late last year. He was appalled at the 20 Century-style tools university researchers were using to conduct 21st Century research on multi-million-dollar projects for a multi-billion dollar research institution. "It was just a very inefficient process," VanDerKolk says. "We saw a lot of very smart people spending a lot of their time doing very mundane managerial tasks." That inspired him to launch Mountain Labs last April. He raised $200,000 in seed capital and put together a seven-person team to build the software platform (with the help of Atomic Object’s Ann Arbor office) this summer. The technology is now in private Beta being tested with a few different research teams at U-M. "Now we're starting to add software developers and bring our developers back in house," VanDerKolk says. Mountain Labs is aiming to conduct a true pilot phase with a University of Michigan research department this fall. It is also looking to raise a $750,000 Series A by January so it can start looking at doing pilots outside of U-M. Source: Alex VanDerKolk, president of Mountain Labs Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Now you can apply to Pinkerton man in Ann Arbor. That's right, the security company that once protected Abraham Lincoln (but not on that fateful night) and chased Jesse James has come to town. Excerpt: "Pinkerton men tracked down Butch Cassidy and the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang and pursued Jesse James. Pinkerton agents were also a part of the historic Battle of the Overpass at the Ford River Rouge Plant in 1937. Now, the 164-year-old security and risk management company is moving its global headquarters from New Jersey to Ann Arbor, Michigan." Read / Listen the rest here. Pinkerton announcement here.

At the corner of Washtenaw and Hill someone or ones make their mark - every day, for nearly the last 65 years. Excerpt: "While the multitude of writing it has accumulated over the years hasn’t lent it a lot of physical depth — in reality, the paint covering the Rock is only a few inches thick, as found by a Daily reporter who drilled through the paint in 2010 — its significance as a campus tradition both for students and alumni, as well as local residents, is uncontested." Read the rest here.

Anya Noveskey had long wanted to make a career out of dance, then a hip injury derailed her plans. But even after putting down her dream to study counseling and receiving a masters degree, it only took a few years of returning to dance as an instructor to resurrect her original plan. Now fully certified to teach dance, Noveskey is opening her own studio, Dance with Heart Studios, in Manchester this week.  "I want to be a different type of studio," Noveskey says. "I really want to teach the passion of dance and the feeling it can give you. I want to kids to learn how to act appropriately and kind, and still get to their goals without having the negative feelings that can come with competitiveness." Noveskey began dancing and also taught dance in Adrian. When looking for a place to open her own studio, she found Manchester had fewer dance offerings than other communities in the area. In addition to offering classes in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern dance, musical theater, yoga and Zumba, she plans to give the community different ways to experience dance.  "I have ideas about movie nights, to play a full-length ballet to educate the community," she says. "A lot of people don't realize what you can do with dance. You can make it a career if you want to." Dance with Heart will open this week on Main St. in Manchester. Noveskey and her sister will teach the dance classes, and will be joined by two Zumba and one yoga instructor. She hopes to grow the business enough to expand into a second studio in the basement of her current location.  Souce: Anya Noveskey, Dance with Heart Writer: Natalie Burg

Just five years old, Real Ryder Revolution indoor cycling studio has already grown to four locations in Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Chicago and Ann Arbor. After first operating on N. Main for three years, the Ann Arbor location will soon be even closer to its core clientele with a new studio on E. University.  "We wanted to be as close to campus as possible," says Leslee Blatnikoff, owner of Real Ryder Revolution. "We just want to feature it more toward the students."  The approximately 1,500 square foot E. University location will open next week. The new location will offer an expanded number of classes for the 18-bike studio. The business is now running a pre-grand opening special on classes. The goals of Real Ryder Revolution, says Blatnikoff, will remain the same in their new space. "We just want to make sure it's busy and we can give the students the workouts they want, and continue to be good, healthy influence in the fitness arena," she says.  Real Ryder Revolution operates with eight to ten instructors. Updates on the business and new studio can be found on the business's Ann Arbor Facebook page. Source: Leslee Blatnikoff, Real Ryder Revolution Writer: Natalie Burg

Walk into the Ann Arbor office of HookLogic and chances are you'll see a lot of people. Walk in there a short time later and chances are you will see even more people. The tech firm has been steadily hiring since it moved into the old Leopold Brothers Brewery on South Main Street two years ago. The company currently has 55 of its 125 employees in Ann Arbor. It also hosted another 10 summer interns earlier this year. Those numbers are expected to grow over the next year. "We're in the middle of hiring," says Jonathan Opdyke, CEO of HookLogic. "We're adding about 35 people worldwide." Most of those new hires are destined for Ann Arbor. The company has hired 10 people (mostly software professionals) over the last year and it looking to hire another 25 in Ann Arbor right now. When those positions are full the company will have filled out a majority of its space in the Ann Arbor office, but still have a significant amount of room to grow into. "Ann Arbor continues to be our primary technology product office," Opdyke says. "It has just grown since we opened it."   "Bigger," Opdyke says. "We're doing a lot to grow our relationships. We work with a lot of auto manufacturers like Chrysler. We want to grow those relationships." Source: Jonathan Opdyke, CEO of HookLogic Writer Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

EXO Dynamics is in the process of finishing the first commercially viable prototypes of its mechatronic back brace and begin testing on its first subjects this fall. The Ann Arbor-based startup, it calls the Venture Accelerator in the University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex, received a $50,000 state grant to create four commercially viably prototypes. EXO Dynamics is at the end of that process. "We will have that finished by next month," says Mushir Khwaja, chief commercial officers of EXO Dynamics. "We will do the final assembly here to put some finishing touches on it." EXO Dynamics and its team of four employees and one summer intern is developing an electro-mechanical back brace for medical professionals. The brace will be able to be worn by physicians under their lead vests in operating rooms. "We will field test them with physicians in the fall," Khwaja says. EXO Dynamics has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, which means the startup expects to receive its patent for the back brace later this fall. The company also recently took second in the New Business Idea category of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest business plan competition. Khwaja plans to begin fundraising a seed capital round for EXO Dynamics later this year while field testing is going on. The company hopes to raise about $1 million in seed capital to commercialize its technology. Source: Mushir Khwaja, chief commercial officers of EXO Dynamics Writer Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.