Grafaktri's W.A.P. John, one of Ann Arbor's most eccentric entrepreneurs, is cooking up a new online graphic art initiative, Purple Crayon.
Grafaktri is a graphic art and printing company based in downtown Ann Arbor, in a nondescript industrial building on North Main next to the Art Train. The interior of that space is a wonderland of art and invention that brings to mind a combination of graphic novel-style art and Doc Brown brilliance from
Back to the Future. More on that
here.
W.A.P. (pronounced Wop) John is working with a few local computer programmers, entrepreneurs and Ann Arbor SPARK on his new Purple Crayon initiative, which he declined to discuss in depth until it is launched next year. They are working on logistics and preparing to raise some local seed capital early next year.
"I want to fund the deal with Ann Arbor investors who are socially conscious and are willing to wait for something other than a quick flip," W.A.P. John says.
The initial goal is $250,000. W.A.P. John says he is looking primarily for local investors who are willing to make long-term investments. He has been building Grafaktri for decades and doesn't want to build up Purple Crayon for quick acquisition. Instead he envisions a local business venture with national scope with some staying power and healthy profits.
For information on Purple Crayon, contact W.A.P. John at Grafaktri at
wapjohn@grafaktri.com or (734) 665-0717.
Source: W.A.P. John, president & CEO of Grafaktri
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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