Ann Arbor's stkr.it adds 2 jobs after locking down Series A financing

Ann Arbor-based stkr.it may be about to turn three years old, but most of its growth took place over the last year.

The software startup helps people create and connect new messages to items like greeting cards and scrapbooks. The company has landed a number of partnerships with larger companies that will utilize its technology. Some of those partnerships include deals with Epson (a printer company) and Walsworth Publishing (a yearbook firm).

"It has been gratifying to see all of these partnerships come about," says Mike Newman, president of stkr.it. "As these products hit the market we expect to see a dramatic level of growth in the next six months."

The startup, which has dual offices in Ann Arbor and New York City, also locked down a Series A round of seed capital worth $600,000. That has allowed it make two of its part-time employees full-timers, rounding out its staff to five people. It is also looking at adding interns this year. Newman hopes to leverage a growing staff and revenues to flesh out its product in 2014.

"Now that we have built up a user base we want to give them the best product we can," Newman says.

Source: Mike Newman, president of stkr.it
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.