Accio Energy is working to reinvent the way we generate wind energy, and now the start-up has the patents to prove it. The Ann Arbor-based firm, which derives its name from a spell in the Harry Potter books, recently secured two patents for its aerovoltaic technology, which harnesses the electrokinetic energy of the wind without any moving turbine blades. Think of it as harvesting static electricity from the atmosphere. "We are definitely world leaders in this technology," says Jen Baird, CEO of Accio Energy. She adds that her company has quadrupled its technology's energy output in the last year. "We are approaching striking distance of our first economically viable product," Baird adds. To hit that milestone, Accio Energy has made four hires of technical personnel over the last year. The 5-year-old start-up now employs nine people, including a fellow from Venture for America. Accio Energy is now looking at striking a strategic partnership with a larger firm as it works to perfect its technology. "The cost-effectiveness of this technology has become more attractive," Baird says. "We are excited about the potential as well." Source: Jen Baird, CEO of Accio Energy Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Jim Geary set out to change a neighborhood in Detroit. He began with homes in the Woodbridge neighborhood, but things really started to swell when he finished rehabbing a commercial building and opened the Woodbridge Pub, the new center for community in the neighborhood.

Source: Megan Blackshear, Bookbound Writer: Natalie Burg

Source: Ray Laurent, Cultivation Station Writer: Natalie Burg

Grand Rapids-based OST, which is short for Open Systems Technologies, has hired 30 people over the last year and its newly formed Ann Arbor office is the beneficiary of many of those hires. The IT firm's Ann Arbor office, which was opened a year ago, now stands at 10 people and is growing. The company employs 120 people and is looking at opening a Detroit office, too. The company's leadership expects all of its locations to continue to grow, especially its Ann Arbor office. "We are very bullish in that respect," says Rob Kellner, application development principal for OST. "The next step is talent acquisition. We need to hire more people." OST provides tech services, such as IT and database security. Its client list includes Thomson Reuters, Sterling Commercial Credit and ProQuest. OST's Ann Arbor office focuses on providing services for IT, data security and other sectors of the tech industry. "It (the Ann Arbor office) has grown a little faster than we expected," Kellner says. Source: Rob Kellner, application development principal for OST Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.