ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At the conclusion of Ann Arbor SPARK's 21^st Entrepreneur Boot Camp, Kalyspo, LLC was awarded Best of Boot Camp and Pharma Form Solutions won the new Most Committed to the Business Model Canvas Process Award.  As chosen by a panel of investors who rated Boot Camp participants' pitches, Best of Boot Camp winner Kalyspo received membership to the New Enterprise Forum (NEF) and a NEF coaching team for one year as well as an engagement with the Ann Arbor SPARK business accelerator.

Best of Boot Camp winner Kalyspo is developing a unified system for the prevention of retained foreign objects during surgery. It accomplishes this with a micro machined tag that improves the visibility of objects on x-rays and computer software that detects the tag, as well as untagged objects such as needles. 

"Ann Arbor SPARK's Boot Camp taught us to perform entrepreneurial discovery in a scientific way by establishing and testing hypotheses," said Kalyspo founder Theodore Cosmo Marentis.  "We were paired with an amazing mentor who guided us through the process. We realize now the ongoing, fluid nature of a business proposition and the need for perpetual refinement."

Pharma Form Solutions won the new Boot Camp "Most Committed to the Business Model Canvas Process Award" in recognition of the company's hard work and dedication throughout the Boot Camp experience.

Pharma Form Solutions provides solid-state contract research services to the pharmaceutical industry.  Its offers both small and large pharmaceutical companies high quality solid-state screening services, process development, and a generation of intellectual property associated with physical forms of research compounds.

"Ann Arbor SPARK's Boot Camp was an outstanding opportunity for Pharma Form Solutions to better understand our business model and the needs of our customers," said founder Barry Paxton.  "At Boot Camp, we not only were provided practical advice, we also had the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs facing similar start-up challenges."

Fourteen teams participated in Ann Arbor SPARK's Entrepreneurial Boot Camp.  A bi-annual program, Boot Camp has assisted more than 277 companies since 2002.   

About Ann Arbor SPARK
Ann Arbor SPARK, a non-profit organization, is advancing the region by encouraging and supporting business acceleration, attraction and retention. The organization identifies and meets the needs of business at every stage, from start-ups to large organizations. Ann Arbor SPARK collaborates with business, academic, government, and community investor partners including the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County, Livingston County, Washtenaw County etcs/Michigan Works!, the City of Ann Arbor, Bank of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. For more information, please call (734) 761-9317 or visit www.AnnArborUSA.org. 

SOURCE Ann Arbor SPARK