When it comes to 1s and 0s, Washtenaw County can code with the best of them. We are both a virtual and literal hub for software design. Whether it's the logistics simulations of Llamasoft , the game-inspired creations of Reactor Zero, the consumer index algorithms of CFI Group, new kids on the block Procuit and Boomdash, or the customer-catered innovations of Menlo Innovations, the virtual world is our oyster.
Jon Zemke
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Richard Sheridan has seen it all. The burst of the tech bubble, downsizing, basement start-up anxieties, and, finally, success. Today his Menlo Innovations is a company that wins accolades for its work philosophy and clients for its bottom line. Jon Zemke talks to Ann Arbor's go-to guy on entrepreneurship about what it takes to build a successful company. Hint: coffee may play a role.
Jon Zemke
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The founders of Ann Arbor logistics firm LLamasoft don't mince words when it comes to attracting professional talent, developing their business, or expressing their disdain for VC culture. Hire smart, be fiercely competitive, create a good product, don't be a jerk (only they didn't say jerk). Concentrate's Jon Zemke puts the partners through the paces and even gets them to talk football.
Jeff Meyers
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The computer gaming industry rakes in nearly $9 billion each year. Michigan has only a very small sliver of that pie, and part of that sliver is Quantum Signal in Saline. Concentrate chats with Matt Toschlog, who heads up the company's simulation and gaming division. He weighs in on the state of the industry in Michigan, our film and video game incentive program, and the strategic advantage of having dreadlocks.
Dennis Archambault
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
It's not quite artificial intelligence but it sure comes close. Named one of the ten "World Changing Ideas" of 2010 by Scientific American, swarm intelligence is a biology-inspired computer algorithm that's starting to see commercial application. And most of that development occurred here, in Ann Arbor area research labs.
Jon Zemke
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Ben Kazez defines the new economy lifestyle. He's the founder of a successful mobile app start-up, lives near Kerrytown, and walks to his downtown office. With promises that success won't lure him away (Mobiata was acquired by Expedia last fall), Concentrate chatted with Kazez about good food, apps, and launching a start-up.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Start ups, skate parks, hacker culture... these represent the future of Ann Arbor if Dug Song has anything to say about it. The VP of engineering at virtual cable provider
Zattoo, Dug will be writing about where we need to go and what we need to do to keep the best and brightest here in Tree Town.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Elizabeth Ziph is the co-founder of The Linux Box Corporation in downtown Ann Arbor, has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry and sits on the Detroit Chamber of Commerce Technology Advisory Panel. She will be writing about open source software, the freedom it gives its users and its potential impact on the future of computing.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thomas Meloche has been an entrepreneur for as long as he can remember. A native Detroiter and U-M grad, he co-founded, managed, and sold nine different start-ups in Michigan over 20 years, including the professional service firm, Menlo Innovations LLC. He is currently President of Procuit (pronounced Pro-Q-It) Inc. Thomas will be writing about untapped Michigan potential, and more importantly, how to tap it!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Mike is president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. A passionate advocate for the transformation of Michigan's high-tech economy he also managed the MEDC’s $1 billion Michigan Life Sciences Corridor initiative between 2000 and 2002. Mike will be wriing about who's making a difference in the Michigan and why.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Dr. Ron Suarez is our guest blogger this week. Ron is a serial entrepreneur and Arbor City Councilmember who recently founded Promovuz, offering digital music promotion, statistics and sales. He is also a Media Futurist at and the president of Object Insight, Inc., a software engineering firm. Ron uses his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science for his work with User Experience and Object Oriented Design.
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