ANN ARBOR — An entrepreneur’s backstory plays a critical role in the success or failure of a fledgling venture, says Lianne Lefsrud, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan Ross School’s Erb Institute.
“Especially for entrepreneurs with limited financial resources, stories are a way to create resources if you can make sense of the world with your stories,” Lefsrud said. (more…)
Microsoft BizSpark startup uses Windows Azure to put keyword search control into the hands of humans rather than algorithms.
REDMOND, Wash. — April 3, 2013 — One of the biggest fears for website developers is that their visitors click an internal search button on the site, can’t find what they’re looking for and leave frustrated. Because every failed search can mean a lost opportunity for business owners, elicit was founded to help people find what they are looking for within a website.
The founders of elicit are all serial entrepreneurs who met when working together at various startups. Brothers Eric and Adam Heneghan are the co-founders of Giant Step, a digital marketing firm; Jeff Froom is an application and interaction developer; and Chip Aubry is a software architecture expert. While working at an interactive marketing agency, they formed the idea for elicit based on feedback from customers. (more…)
UD prof leads photonics revolution to help researchers access high-tech foundry services
Michael Hochberg joined the University of Delaware in the spring of 2012 as an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering.
An industry leader in silicon photonics and large-scale photonic-electronic integration, Hochberg is renowned for establishing Optoelectronic Systems Integration in Silicon (OpSIS), a high-tech foundry service for silicon photonics in which the community shares the cost of fabricating complex chip-scale systems across many projects. (more…)
*BizSpark One startup PEAK 15 Systems powers unique travel experiences.*
REDMOND, Wash. — PEAK 15 Systems, a BizSpark One startup, provides tour operators with the software they need to build you the trip of a lifetime.
Anyone can go online to quickly purchase airline tickets or find a cheap hotel room, but when it comes to planning a truly unique travel experience, most people need the help of a travel professional. That’s where specialty tour operators come into play: They design specific types of trips or specialize in certain destinations, from Napa Valley food and wine adventures to luxury biking trips across Europe. PEAK 15 Systems, which builds software for tour operators, is the computing brain that helps to pull all the details together. (more…)
