ArborMetrix is preparing to move to a new home in downtown Ann Arbor, taking space next to Google's office on Liberty Street. The move is expected to help accelerate the start-up's growth, which is on track to be exponential. The health-care software firm has hired 17 people over the last year, mostly new employees in business development, clinical project management and sales. The company now has a staff of 28 employees and two interns and has its sights set on employing 60 people by the end of the year. "We're fighting for space here," says Brett Furst, CEO of ArborMetrix. "We want to create a destination that will attract talent." Helping fuel growth is a newly closed Series B round of funding worth $7 million. ArborMetrix closed on a $1.5 million Series A round two years ago. The money will go toward expanding the company's staff and expanding its sales and marketing operations so the firm can go national. The seed capital will also help ArborMetrix improve its software platform. The start-up offers real-time clinical performance analytics tools for hospitals. The platform helps healthcare providers and payers to improve the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of surgical and other specialty care. "We provide the clinical evidence so hospitals and surgeons can make better decisions," Furst says. Source: Brett Furst, CEO of ArborMetrix Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

HeatSpring got its start by educating businesses about sustainable practices, such as installing alternative energy systems or promoting energy efficiency. Today the Ann Arbor-based company is growing thanks to a pivot in that business plan. The 7-year-old business is now helping other education firms make the transition to a digital landscape. It provides them with the right tools and knowledge to make that transition happen. "We're helping them convert it into an online class," says Brian Hayden, president of HeatSpring. "We provide software and expertise to make that happen." HeatSpring's move to becoming more of a software firm has allowed it make a new hire, a student advocate. The firm now employs four people. The bigger staff is helping the company handle its growing number of customers. The profit margins are lower with the new business model, but it provides other opportunities for the company. "We think it will allow us to grow quicker and better in the future," Hayden says. Source: Brian Hayden, president of HeatSpring Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Jeff and Chris Plott really dislike washing bottles. The brothers have a couple of different reasons for this: Jeff because he wishes he had a better way of washing racing bottles. Chris because he would much rather not wash baby bottles at the end of his day. "He just hates doing it," Jeff says. So the brothers did something about it and created Flipsi Bottle. The new product is a reusable bottle that is bendable enough to turn inside out, making cleaning easier. "Flipsi Bottle is the marriage of making the cleaning of the reusable bottle cases easier," Jeff says. "We thought, why can't we make the bottle flip inside out? The idea just went from there." The 4-month-old start-up and its two co-founders are now operating out of TechArb in downtown Ann Arbor. The company has a prototype made out of food-grade silicone. It is in the final stages of perfecting this prototype for the sport bottle version. The Plott brothers expect to launch a crowd-funding campaign early next year to help push forward the first sales. "We're certainly at least six months out," Jeff says. Source: Jeff Plott, chairman & CTO of Flipsi Bottle Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor's Arbor Brewing Co. is one of 20 brewers in the country pledging to reduce the amount of water used in their brewing process, and who are also urging President Obama to reinstate the Clean Water Act. Excerpt: "Beer is ninety percent water...Once you account for the brewing process, it takes around five gallons of water to produce just one gallon of beer.... Since Obama is himself a home brewer (though it seems unlikely he has any time to ferment these days), the NRDC has corralled a group of 20 craft breweries—from big hitters such as Sierra Nevada and New Belgium to small guys like Michigan's Arcadia and Brooklyn's Kelso—who have made a pledge to make their operations more water-efficient and have signed a letter to the Obama Administration, urging it to pass guidance from the EPA that would put muscle back into the Clean Water Act." More here. 

Instead of chasing parking spots at this week's art fairs in Ann Arbor, drivers can book their real estate ahead of time through a newish Ann Arbor company's website, parknParty.com Excerpt: "[ParknParty manager Taylor Bond] said they worked with the DDA and Republic Parking to provide parking spaces in the downtown Ann Arbor area, right in the middle of the action, so people won’t have to worry about where they are going to park. The cost for a full day of parking is 18 dollars. And Bond says the best thing is, you are guaranteed a spot will be waiting for you." More here.

There's no doubt that downtown Ann Arbor feels uniquely like downtown Ann Arbor. On the other hand, points out Amber Miller, a planning & research specialist for the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, standing on a sidewalk on Huron St. near Main feels very different than walking down State St. near campus. In order to create a unified experience throughout downtown that is appropriate to each diverse area, the Ann Arbor DDA is launching a study to create a comprehensive plan.   "The city of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor DDA work to ensure that public and private investments help foster a great sidewalk experience that is reflective of the personality of our downtown," says Miller. "A Streetscape Framework Plan is a technical document to help us in pursuit of this goal."   "Streetscape" elements include all of the things that add to the look and feel of public spaces in downtown (sort of like landscaping, but with less focus on plants – get it?). This includes lighting, signage, street furniture, sidewalk cafes, storm water management and more. Because private developers, business owners, and public entities are constantly developing and redeveloping downtown spaces, the plan will act as a guideline for all to follow.   The Streetscape Framework Plan development is intended to be as collaborative as its eventual use.   "A collaborative approach will allow us to come together to create guidelines that help us prioritize the quality-of-place needs of the sidewalk, while also meeting commercial, technical and environmental needs," Miller says.  "In a nutshell, we can foster a wonderful pedestrian experience, even as we are meeting city technical needs, improving community sustainability efforts, and helping downtown to thrive."   DDA staff and interns will begin documenting existing street conditions and types in the next few weeks. Miller anticipates a project consultant will be hired in late fall or early next year. The collaborative process will begin in March of 2014, with completion of the study expected by early 2015. Source: Amber Miller, Ann Arbor DDA Writer: Natalie Burg

The Pairasight Project isn't interested in enabling people to walk in each others' shoes. It wants them to experience life by looking through their eyes. The Ann Arbor-based start-up which calls the Tech Brewery home is developing eye glasses equipped with a mini computer that can stream the user's perspective in real time to anyone with Internet access. "It enables users to share their world from a first-person point of view in real time with hands-free technology," says Anthony Blanco, general manager of The Pairasight Project. The 3-year-old company is presently developing the foundation for the technology and building out the back end of its software. Blanco expects to bring the first public version to market early next year with a focus on business-to-business commercialization. "This will allow businesses to enhance existing revenue streams and create new ones," Blanco says. The Pairasight Project currently employs six people and a couple of independent contractors. It has hired three people over the last six months, mostly to fill out its executive team. The firm has made it this far thanks to seed funding from its parent company, Pleasant Lake-based Peak Manufacturing. Source: Anthony Blanco, general manager of The Pairasight Project Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.