Becton, Dickinson and Co. adds Accuri Cytometers to its stable of Ann Arbor acquisitions

Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | Source: Concentrate

Becton, Dickinson and Co. has acquired Ann Arbor-based Accuri Cytometers, making it the second University of Michigan spin-off exit in two consecutive business days.

Although terms of the deal have not been disclosed, one of the start-up's shareholders, former CEO Jen Baird, described herself as "one happy camper" with the exit. Both she and a spokesperson from Becton, Dickinson and Co., commonly known as BD, declined to say how much the deal went for. However, Baird had a hard time containing her glee. "All of the investors are pretty happy right now."

Accuri Cytometers develops and manufactures personal flow cytometers for researchers, specifically ones that measure T-cell counts while tracking and treating diseases like AIDS and cancer. It was spun out of U-M in 2005 and had grown to 87 people as of last July. Becton, Dickinson and Co., commonly known as BD, is the same medical device company that bought HandyLab last year and moved its operations out of Ann Arbor shortly after. It does not look like that will happen this time with Accuri Cytometers.

"Our current plan is to continue operations in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future," says Colleen White, director of corporate communications for BD. Such statements from corporate spokespeople can often be taken with a grain of salt, but Baird, who no longer has an active role with the company, remains optimistic. "I am hopeful they will continue to invest in their Ann Arbor operations," she says.

Accuri Cytometers is led by Jeff Williams, who was the CEO at HandyLab when it was acquired. He took the reigns from Baird a year ago in search of another profitable exit. Baird is now the CEO of Accio Energy, one of Michigan's most innovative renewable energy start-ups that promises to reinvent the wind turbine. She has no plans on taking her exit money and cashing out. In fact, the news couldn't have come at a better time for her when she is raising seed money for Accio Energy this week.

"I love building companies," Baird says. "I am looking forward to building Accio Energy up into an even bigger success."

Source: Jen Baird, former CEO of Accuri Cytometers and Colleen White, director of corporate communications for Becton, Dickinson and Co.
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Related Company

Accuri Cytometers
173 Parkland Plaza
Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Website

You may not know what a cytometer does, but here's what it means for Ann Arbor-based Accuri: jobs, growth, and expansion. And what's good for the goose is good for the gander (A2).