MuniRent, the startup that enables municipalities to share heavy equipment, has been gaining traction with some local governments in its first year, but it's finding a lot of easy target clients in Oregon. MuniRent has landed the cities of Chelsea and Milan as clients and is in the process of signing up Washtenaw County, Ypsilanti, and a handful of municipalities in Macomb and Oakland counties. However, it's starting to appear that the startup's easiest opportunities are in the northwestern section of the U.S. "There is a lot of action in Michigan but the biggest concentration (of municipalities open to MuniRent's idea of sharing heavy equipment) is in Oregon," says Alan Mond, co-founder of MuniRent. "Oregon has been doing this since 1995 but they were using Excel spreadsheets." MuniRent launched out of 1000 Tools last year, which is based in the sharing economy where people who own expensive or niche tools can put them up as rentable online. MuniRent is now 1000 Tools primary product, enabling local municipalities to put their heavy or niche equipment up for rent to other nearby municipalities. The three-person startup has spent its first year getting the company established in Metro Detroit, and it also got tipped off to Oregon's affinity for the idea recently. MuniRent also won a place in Code for America’s 2014 accelerator class. About 120 companies applied to take part in the four-month-long program, which takes place in San Francisco, and MuniRent was one of five (and the only one from the Midwest) to make the cut. "We were pretty flattered to be selected," Mond says. "It's a pretty big deal. They are a growing force in the government tech space." Source: Alan Mond, co-founder of MuniRent Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

It's hard to imagine anything better than a grilled cheese sandwich made with gourmet cheese and artisan bread, but Nick Costos has one idea: having that toasty, gooey sandwich delivered right to your door. Grilled cheese delivery, as well as dine-in eating, is coming to Packard St. in August with Grillcheezerie Sandwich Shoppe "We're so used to American cheese and Wonder Bread," says Costos, who previously owned Mr. Greek's Coney Island. "We're going to use artisan bread and different types of cheddars, munsters, goudas, provolones and other specialty cheeses, and then coming up with different signature sandwiches."  Those could include pizza-style grilled cheeses with pepperoni or wild mushroom with pesto, parsley and goat cheese. Costos came up with the idea after living in Montreal for the past eight years and being inspired by the small cheese shops and bakeries there. "I've always wanted to get back into the business," he says. "And I love this town. I don't think you can get this vibe in too many places."  The 1,500 square foot Packard St. space is now under renovation, which Costos hopes to complete by the end of the month. He plans to open Grillcheezerie the first or second week of August. The restaurant will initially employ a staff of about four, and will offer dine-in seating for 12 to 15 diners, as well as delivery. Source: Nick Costos, Grillcheezerie Sandwich Shoppe Writer: Natalie Burg

AdAdapted has locked down $725,000 in seed capital to help it scale up its mobile advertising platform. Among the investors were the University of Michigan’s Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, Belle Michigan, and Start Garden. The Ann Arbor-based startup plans to initially use part of the money to accelerate its hiring. The 2-year-old company currently employs six people after hiring three over the last year. It's currently looking to hire a software developer and sales professional. After that much of the money will be used to help get the word out about AdAdapted. "We'll mostly be using it on sales and marketing after that," says Molly McFarland, co-founder & chief marketing officer of AdAdapted. The startup's advertising platform connects advertisers with developers to create customized native ads in mobile apps. It strives to provide a simple interface so advertisers can find their best  audience. The idea is to do away with intrusive banner ads by replacing them with slicker native ads. "We have clients right now," McFarland says. "The technology is up and running." AdAdapted's technology is being used by some advertisers. The startup's staff is currently working to flesh out the platform and expand its client base. Source: Molly McFarland, co-founder & chief marketing officer of AdAdapted Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

A lot of startups struggle to raise money to build prototypes of their technology. Movellus Circuits is flipping the script: it already has its prototypes in hand before any money has been raised. "We have four working prototypes that prove the technology works," says Muhammad Faisal, CEO of Movellus Circuits. Faisal graduated from the University of Michigan in April with a PhD in electrical engineering. He is commercializing his research at the university. That technology is a patent-pending clock generator for the microprocessor market. The 1-year-old startup is working to make sure its generators are quicker to design, smaller than competitors, offer higher performance, use lower power, provide more flexible, and while only being for sale at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions. Movellus Circuits is currently working to line up its first customer to license the technology to. It is also looking at establishing a strategic partnership while gearing up to raise a seed capital round of $1 million later this fall. "That will give us 18 months of runway," Faisal says. Source: Muhammad Faisal, CEO of Movellus Circuits Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Usually it's ":U-M this. And U-M that." I'm sure St. Joe's in Ypsilanti is glad to get a piece of the limelight for a change. Excerpt: "St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor was named one of the top 15 hospitals in the country in Consumer Reports first-ever rating of hospitals in heart surgery. More than 400 hospitals were rated in 45 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico based on data for two heart surgeries: surgical aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, an operation done to treat blocked coronary arteries." Read the rest here.

Sushi.com closed its doors on June 4, but fans of the restaurant need not worry. It's soon to return as Miya, a Japanese and Korean food restaurant with a new look, new staff and new foods... as well as most of the old favorites.  "We did the renovation for the whole restaurant," says owner Don Kim. "Everything is changed to a modern, Japanese style. We're building a whole new restaurant." Kim says the menu will largely be the same but with the addition of some new appetizers and a wider selection of Korean foods than were offered previously. He decided on the name Miya, as that is how most Americans pronounce his wife's name, and it also translates in Japanese to "palace." One thing that will definitely stay the same, says Kim, is his commitment to quality, healthy food. "We are try to make everything fresh," he says. "It's clean and fresh and high quality food. Everyone knows Korean and Japanese food is healthy, and healthy is our main concern."  The total renovation of the space began a few months ago, and Kim expect work to be completed and the restaurant open within about a week. The 1,300 square foot space will seat about 55 diners. Kim is now hiring two to three additional employees to staff Miya. A new website for the restaurant is forthcoming.    Source: Don Kim, Miya Writer: Natalie Burg

Huron Valley Financial has spent much of its first 17 years establishing its mortgage services in Michigan. Today the Ann Arbor-based company has eight branches in Michigan, employing 75 people. That's after it opened two new branches in Clarkston and Kalamazoo over the last year, prompting it to hire a additional dozen people. Those new hires are mostly of loan officers and customer support professionals. Now Huron Valley Financial is eyeing a bigger expansion across the U.S. this year. Indiana, Texas and Florida have licensed Huron Valley Financial to originate mortgages, and a few more states are in the works. "We have Ohio and California in the works right now," says Casey Daniels, vice president of business development for Huron Valley Financial. "Our California application could be approved any day now." Huron Valley Financial is working to expand to southern statements to help smooth out its business model. Its revenue usually spikes in the warmer months in the Midwest to correspond with housing sales. Warmer climates in southern states means a steadier sales volume, which creates a smoother revenue stream for Huron Valley Financial. "We would like to be able to tap into the warmer states for when it gets cold up here," Daniels says. Huron Valley Financial has continued to grow as the mortgage industry has shrunken over the last year, primarily thanks to rising interest rates and falling refinancing sales. Despite this, Huron Valley Financial kept on growing while other lenders were laying people off. "We never grew too big too fast, even during the good times," Daniels says. He adds, "We haven't gone through any layoffs because we have a great business model." Source: Casey Daniels, vice president of business development for Huron Valley Financial Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Music, photos, and social media are three of the hottest trends in tech today. Lots of startups make their way specializing in one of those things. Selocial is making a name for itself by connecting all three. The Ann Arbor-based startup likens itself to when Instagram meets Spotify or Pandora. The 1-year-old company’s software allows users to make a "Selomix," which is a 15-minute visual playlist that combines the users preferred music with a photo. "When any song is played on Selocial instant news about that artist is activated," says David Baird, co-founder & CEO of Selocial. "It's a more social experience than Instagram or Pandora." Baird considers himself an artist with published work as a songwriter and author. His songs have appeared in the movie "White Chicks" and TV show "House of Lies" on Showtime. His career over the last 15 years led him to believe that there had to be a better way for independent artists to attract attention, which served as the inspiration for Selocial. "I thought artists weren’t being discovered the way they should be," Baird says. "How can I help artists like myself get discovered?" Selocial launched the public Beta version of its platform in May. The team of six behind the startup is working to grow its user base to 5,000 to 10,000 people by the end of the summer. In the mean time, the Selocial team is working to better link user accounts and introduce real-time chat. "We want to improve our sharing," Baird says. Source: David Baird, co-founder & CEO of Selocial Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.