Cyber attacks are becoming more and more ubiquitous, and one new startup in Ann Arbor is capitalizing on it, Virta Labs. The 7-month-old startup helps defend medical devices from malware attacks. It recently won the Best of Boot Camp award at Ann Arbor SPARK’s most recent Entrepreneur Boot Camp. "Malware is everywhere today," says Denis Foo Kune, co-founder of Virta Labs. "Medical devices are more susceptible to malware than most devices because there may not be much protection out there for them." Virta Labs got its start with the research from a University of Massachusetts PhD student on the subject, and his advisor who is now a professor at the University of Michigan. The six-person team behind the startup is working on a detection technology for malware and other software anomalies on medical devices and process control systems. It accomplishes this by measuring the power consumption patterns of the machines it is protecting. Because most medical devices rely on commodity operating systems, leaving them vulnerable to a garden variety of malware. Virta Labs' technology helps keep these at bay through early detection. "We're going to be starting our Beta test very soon," says Michael Holt, business strategist of Virta Labs. Source: Denis Foo Kune, co-founder of Virta Labs and Michael Holt, business strategist of Virta Labs Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Writer Jennifer Heigl came home to Ann Arbor too attend to family medical issues. It was a tough time. Taking a break she and her mom dropped into The Ravens Club. It was such a fabulous experience she just had to write about it. Excerpt: "In between hospital visits, I booked a table at The Ravens Club, a local restaurant I had kept an eye on for the last year or so. Their offerings, it seemed, rivaled those you would find in Portland or San Francisco, including a robust cocktail selection and whiskey pairing dinners. Amid the anguish, I wanted to be comforted in the ways that have become so familiar over the last few years – with food and drink and celebration of life and laughter. It was good to be home, to wander the streets of Ann Arbor as I had for so many years during my teen years. My Mom and I made our way to The Ravens Club on South Main for dinner, settling into a back booth offering a full view of the restaurant – ‘the Godfather booth’, as nicknamed by managing partner Jeff Paquin. I ordered a variety of things off the menu, to get a full taste of the plates presented." Read the rest here.

Lauren Kingsley has enjoyed fly fishing for 25 years, during which time she's become an expert in the industry. While she anticipates outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds will enjoy her new Dexter shop, Bailiwicks Outdoors, she especially hopes it will make sportswomen like herself feel welcome.  "Women are the fastest growing segment in the sport, and yet when women go into the shops, they're often less than woman-friendly," Kingsley says. "We want to be known as a welcoming shop where people don't just buy stuff, but they come for help and knowledge and community — and for that to be particularly true for women." Bailiwicks Outdoors is a joint venture between Kingsley and co-owner Dirk Fischbach. The shop features high-end fly-fishing gear, adventure wear and gifts with a Michigan outdoors theme. Dexter's proximity to the Huron River and growing downtown business community made it the perfect place for such a shop.  "It's a goof fit for us because it's a half a block away from the main downtown," says Kingsley. "You can walk to it, but there's ample parking. It's also a house, so it's really cozy, warm and there's great natural light." The 1,300 square foot location opened April 1. Kingsley plans to add seminars and workshops to the Bailiwicks Outdoors offerings in the near future. The shop is operated by the owners, who will soon share the workload with two part time trainees.  Source: Lauren Kingsley, Bailiwicks Outdoors Writer: Natalie Burg

As someone who doesn't have the skills of a makeup artist herself, Christina Carter decided she was the perfect person to open a mobile beauty concierge service. After all, she would also be the service's ideal customer.  "I'm a person that doesn't wear makeup on a regular basis, but I like having it done for a special occasion," says the University of Michigan graduate. "I noticed that when I went to a larger city, there were places to just get your makeup done. I thought, why isn't there a service like that in Ann Arbor?"  What Carter lacks in cosmetic skills, she makes up for in entrepreneurial know-how. Her Red Beauty Bar business is set to launch in June with three makeup artists who will travel to customers' doors to get their faces in shape for any occasion, from a wedding to a night out with friends.  "Convenience is key these days," Carter says. "People will go to the website, pick their time slot and their artist of choice to come out to their location."  Red Beauty Bar will focus on making a basic makeup application affordable as well as convenient. Unlike other companies in the business, the service won't require or pressure customers into purchasing any cosmetics.  It's also important, Carter says, to remind her customers that women shouldn't feel pressured to wear makeup in order to feel beautiful. The mobile cosmetics concierge is intended simply to be a fun way for customers to access makeup for occasions. Carter hopes to eventually grow her team of makeup artists, expand into other cities, and create a brick and mortar location in the future. Prior to the launch of the website, Red Beauty Bar can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Source: Christina Carter, Red Beauty Bar  Writer: Natalie Burg

Greenview Data's services have evolved over its 24 years, enabling it to keep growing. The Ann Arbor-based business has generally focused on digital security, which has meant developing spam prevention software such as SpamStopsHere. Today, it means moving into email encryption and archiving services. "That is what has been driving our business," says Ted Green, CEO of Greenview Data. This new focus has allowed Greenview Data to spike it revenue 15 percent in the last year. It has also hired two more people in sales and support over the last year, expanding its staff to about 20 people. Green is also looking to hire two more software developers this spring/summer to help it build out more software products. Greenview Data plans to add more software products to its portfolio, but it's still focused on providing digital security services, primarily through email encryption, to its base of core customers. While Greenview Data was able to grow some of the work with its existing customer base it was able to leverage its reputation in the workplace to attract new clients to sustain its growth. "Most of our new business comes from new customers," Green says. Source: Ted Green, CEO of Greenview Data Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Locavorious is moving up in the world. By "up" I mean north, and by "moving" I mean to the Washtenaw Food Hub, a hub for triple-bottom-line local farm and food producers, on 4175 Whitmore Lake Road, just north of the Ann Arbor city limits. "We needed more space," says Rena Basch, owner of Locavorious. "It was a perfect fit for us." The 7-year-old business freezes produce harvested at local farms to preserve it. That food is then sold on a subscription basis so customers can capture local food at its peak freshness. More money stays in the local economy and less food is trucked in from the other side of the continent. Locavorious has stayed steady at just under 300 subscriptions (up slightly from last year) and selling 14,000 pounds of food. Basch and her team of six hope to cross the 300 subscription and 15,000 pounds of food barriers this year. Locavorious has refined its products over the last year. Now customers can buy a vegetable-only subscription or a fruit-only subscription of a couple of other similar custom subscriptions. It has also upped its sales at Whole Foods, now providing food for both of Ann Arbor's stores. It also added some lightly prepared foods, such as soups and jam, to its offerings. "We're going to look at adding some more this year," Basch says. Locavorious primarily serves the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area. It started to expand into Plymouth last year. Basch hopes to further expand into Plymouth this summer and continue to strengthen its market share in Ypsilanti. "We have always had a loyal following in Ypsilanti," Basch says. "I would like to grow that." Source: Rena Basch, owner of Locavorious Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

DesignHub grew a little bit over the last year but where the Saline-based firm saw its biggest gains was in its bottom line. The website design firm watched its revenue jump 7 percent, which was in line with its growth from the year before. What made this past year different is that jump in revenue led the firm to becoming about three times more profitable. "The increase in sales was mostly profit," says Chris Kochmanski, partner at DesignHub. He adds that the 15-year-old firm kept the same size of staff (five people) but found ways to make their work more efficient. "We do as much as we possibly can with our core team," Kochmanski says. DesignHub focuses on serving as a one-stop shop for digital marketing for its clients, handling more work in mobile and designing several different versions of websites for its customers. It clients include some big names, such as MASCO Cabinetry. Over the last year, DesignHub produced a wide range of sales channel support materials for KraftMaid Cabinetry, a division of Masco Cabinetry, in Ann Arbor. The materials have included everything from brochures and newsletters to interactive e-books, presentations and hand-outs, social media content, and messaging platforms. DesignHub also launched new websites for Adashi Systems, Dexter Health & Wellness Center, Electrocon International, Hartman Insurance, Quality Hardware Corporation, Russell Video Services, Saline Area Social Services, SkyManager Flight Scheduling System, Student Advocacy Center of Michigan, Sullivan Healthcare Consulting, and Valley Baptist Health & Fitness Center. Kochmanski hopes 2014 will prove to be as fruitful as last year, and he is growing increasingly optimistic that will happen. "We'd like to continue growing," Kochmanski says. Source: Chris Kochmanski, partner at DesignHub Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.