University of Michigan's Zell Lurie Institute Awards $26,000 in Start Up Grants to Student Entrepreneurs

Fall 2013 Mayleben Venture Shaping and Dare to Dream Recipients Span Industries Including Healthcare, Clean Tech, Apparel, Web and Mobility

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business today announced the recipients of the Fall 2013 Mayleben Venture Shaping and Dare to Dream grant programs. Thirty student teams representing the Business School, College of Engineering, Medical School and others were awarded a total of $26,000. Each year, the program awards up to $100,000 to University of Michigan students to develop their businesses while earning their degrees, with programs in the fall and spring.

The Mayleben Venture Shaping and Dare to Dream programs are a cornerstone of the Zell Lurie Institute's action-based approach to entrepreneurial education and guides student teams from across the University through the business ideation and creation process. The Mayleben Venture Shaping grant program takes students through the process of constructing a viable business out of a business idea - a differentiated, sustainable venture that holds commercial promise and that can be launched. Once the business construct is completed, teams may apply for a Dare to Dream Assessment grant to evaluate the feasibility of their business.

"The Mayleben Venture Shaping and Dare to Dream grant programs contribute greatly to the culture of experimentation that sets the Institute apart from its peers at other universities and make us the top- ranked entrepreneurial program in the country," said Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. "Both programs provide students with not only the hands-on experience and coaching they need to truly advance their entrepreneurial skills, but also the resources they need to drive promising business concepts forward. It's the perfect marriage of academic learning and pragmatic experience."

This year's program was presented with support from the University's Erb Institute and of the Sustainable Mobility & Accessibility Research & Transformation (SMART) initiative. Six awards, totaling $4,000 in grants, were generously funded by these organizations.  The teams receiving grants this fall are:

Venture Shaping Grants - $500 each

• AuDaaSity – Service seeking to virtualize and replace the personal computer through true 'cloud computing'
• Built LLC – Lightweight, energy efficient composite panels that reduce the energy use of a structure and simultaneously allow for onsite construction and design flexibility, facilitating an expedited building timeline
• ChargeMyCarNow – Installing heavy duty power electronics and battery storage units in commercial buildings for fast-charging services to electric vehicle drivers and reduced building utility costs
• CtrlF Life – Real-time tracking mechanism that allows users to locate lost items on a virtual map of their home
• Day 14 Health Solutions – Ovulation detection ingestible that allows women to take the guesswork out of conception while providing vitamin and mineral supplements
• Disruptive Appnea – Facilitates the creation of high-impact, physician-driven ideas into software utilizing medically literate app developers
• Estia – Short term property management company that matches owners of unoccupied space with short term guests who are seeking a hotel-like experience
• eV Score – Smartphone app for potential electric vehicle purchasers to assess their travel patterns and evaluate how existing models meet these needs
• Flipsi – Reusable drinking bottle that flips completely inside out to facilitate easier cleaning
• In Control Wear – Shape wear that contours to a woman's body and is also aesthetically pleasing
• IndustryStar – Free global web platform for businesses to evaluate suppliers using key performance indicators
• LoopHope – Ethical apparel online retail site that assists ethical producers in optimizing their supply chains and educates consumers to encourage behavioral changes
• MicroLeap Technologies– Generates usable electricity utilizing energy harvesting technology MyDermPortal – Web-based app for dermatologists to provide follow-up treatment via the internet for the most common diagnoses in significantly less time than an in person visit
• My Safe Going Out – Taxi driver screening service with a mobile app that allows women in India to choose drivers that have undergone background checks and tracks their route
• Network Finance – Peer-to-peer lending platform focused on the graduate student market
• Pocket Gripper– Low-cost pocket gripping device that prevents the loss of necessary items
• Sheart- Heart monitoring smart shirt that picks up signals of an imminent cardiac arrest and immediately dials 911
• Tea Pack – Affordable, easy-to-use product that mitigates the messy after effects of using loose leaf teas or tea bags
• The Food Chain – Grocery delivery service that allows students in Ann Arbor to place orders online and have the products at their door within 24 hours
• Tools for the Elderly – Tableware that allows people with limited dexterity ease of use while maintaining visual appeal
• VeritaPharm – System of kiosks for pharmacists and consumers to check the authenticity of their prescription drugs via a molecular barcode in each drug
• Views180 –  Web application that encourages individuals to engage with those who have opposing political viewpoints in an effort to reach a common middle ground
• WhomBatz – Cylindrical bats made out of bouncy foam to encourage physical activity in tweens

Assessment Grants - $1500 each

• Bar2Bar Transportation – Mobile app that allows users to schedule and pay for rides on party buses
• Berry Logistics – Impact detection technology that communicates a product's shipping and handling details, specifically if they undergo unwarranted impact or damage
• Lab Compass – Web-hosted data management software for medical and public health researchers to more efficiently collect, aggregate and manipulate large amounts of data
• Maize Analytics – Privacy auditing tool that assesses access to patient records saving hospitals time by automatically producing rules and explanations
• Motorsport Microclimate Cooling Technologies – Line of protective motorcycle gear with built in thermoelectric cooling technology and that is effective at preventing heat-related illness
• SurgeryEdu – Personalized patient education solutions to medical professionals via an iPad platform in an effort to better explain common procedures

Integration Grant - $5,000

• Cribspot – Comprehensive rental site that helps students find tailored off campus housing options

The next application cycle for Venture Shaping and Dare to Dream grants will be in January 2013. For application materials, please see www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance bring together a potent mix of knowledge, experience and opportunities from the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investments. The student learning experience is further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial clubs and events that serve to provide viable networks and engage the business community.  The School's three student-led investment funds, with over $6.5M under management, immerse students in the business assessment and investment process. Founding Board Members include Samuel Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. For more information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

About the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. The Ross School of Business mission is to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society.

Ross is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the MBA, Part-time MBA (Evening and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Entrepreneurship, Master of Management, BBA, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute