Two local companies are leaping out of the box after taking best in show at Ann Arbor SPARK's Spring Boot Camp. Well, sort of.

NanoMAG and Tangent Medical Technologies each took home $5,000 and a wealth of information from the intense training for entrepreneurs. NanoMAG is creating a new type of Magnesium compound that weighs one quarter as much as steel. Its possible uses range from military armor to biocompatible stents and implants.

Tangent Medical Technologies, A University of Michigan spin-off, creates a new class of intravenous fluid delivery catheters. The idea is these new catheters will meet unmet clinical needs and improve patient care.

"Our boot camp experience was intense and invaluable," says Merrell Sami, co-founder of Tangent Medical Technologies. "The information was concise, the deliverables were practical and very important at our stage and our drill instructor, David Olson, has been instrumental in seeing our project survive."

The entrepreneurial boot camp is a unique combination of hands-on learning and one-on-one mentoring facilitated by SPARK. It is an intensive two-day business planning and preparation event designed to help early stage technology businesses refine their business concept and to attract additional funding and resources. The next boot camp is set for November.

Source: Merrell Sami, co-founder of Tangent Medical Technologies and Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Jon Zemke