DETROIT ? $1 Million Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Friday announced that it has chosen its 50 company semi-finalists that will compete for cash prizes and in-kind awards of services, staffing and software.

The contest received nearly 600 entries, which were split evenly between the business and student portions of the competition. Entries were received from every region of the United States including Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Texas. Companies from British Columbia, Ontario, Switzerland and the West Cape of Africa also submitted entries.

?It is exciting to see that the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition generated worldwide interest, indicating that companies from all over see the unique opportunity that the state presents to grow a business,? said Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley. ?Michigan?s integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem of incubators, accelerators, business networks, and research institutions position the state as a destination for innovation.?

Nearly 25 percent of the company entries were from people age 55 and older, and the top three industries represented among the submissions were: products and services, information technology and life sciences. This representation of applicants correlates to the large number of displaced Michigan workers seeking other avenues and opportunities to branch out independently.

?Michigan?s public research universities, including Wayne State University, are eager to collaborate with these growing companies in order to continue to drive economic growth and development in the state,? said Allan Gilmour, interim president of Wayne State University. ?We hope that all the companies involved with the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition will tap the intellectual capital of all three public research universities.?

Semi-finalist companies include:

Accio Energy ? Alternative Energy

Advanced Battery Concepts, LLC ? Alternative Energy

Advanced Battery Control ? Alternative Energy

Angott Medical Products, LLC ? Medical Device

ApoLife, Inc. ? Life Science

Arbor Photonics, Inc. ? Next Generation Manufacturing

Armune Bioscience, Inc. ? Life Science

Compendia Bioscience, Inc. ? Medical Device

CSquared Innovations, LLC ? Next Generation Manufacturing

Current Motor Company ? Advanced Transportation

Discera ? Products and Services

Eco Products, LLC ? Advanced Materials

ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc. ? Advanced Materials

ENRG Power Systems ? Alternative Energy

ePack ? Next Generation Manufacturing

Epsilon Imaging, Inc. ? Medical Device

Evigia Systems, Inc. ? Defense and Homeland Security

Fanaroo ? Products and Services

Focus Power ? Defense and Homeland Security

FreeStride Theraputics, Inc. ? Life Science

GraviKor ? Defense and Homeland Security

Hygieia, Inc. ? Medical Device

ImBio ? Medical Device

Inmatech, Inc. ? Advanced Transportation

Innovative Surgical Solutions, Inc. ? Medical Device

Ix Innovations ? Products and Services

LED Optical Solutions ? Alternative Energy

Life Magnatics ? Life Science

MatchRX.com ? Information Technology

Mayaterials, Inc. ? Advanced Materials

Monarch Antenna, Inc. ? Products and Services

NextCAT, Inc. ? Alternative Energy

NextGen Metabolomics, Inc. ? Life Science

North Coast Industrial Imaging ? Next Generation Manufacturing

OcuSciences, Inc. ? Medical Device

Pixel Velocity, Inc. ? Defense and Homeland Security

Power Panel ? Alternative Energy

POWERleap ? Alternative Energy

ProNAI Theraputics, Inc. ? Life Science

RealBio Technology, Inc. ? Life Science

RetroSense Theraputics ? Life Science

Reveal Design Automation, Inc. ? Information Technology

Sensors, Inc. ? Alternative Energy

ShadePlex, LLC ? Alternative Energy

Spinal Ventures ? Medical Device

Sproxil, Inc. ? Information Technology

The Mackinac Technology Company ? Advanced Materials

TherapyCharts, LLC ? Information Technology

Vestaron Corporation ? Life Science

Vir(Sn) ? Medical Device

Semi-finalists will be narrowed down to 10 finalists just prior to the culmination of the competition on Saturday Dec. 11. The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition concludes with the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State University ?Big Chill? hockey game at Michigan Stadium.

The New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan granted Ann Arbor SPARK $750,000 to launch the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition on behalf of the Business Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan, which is composed of four of the region?s key business accelerators ? Ann Arbor SPARK, Automation Alley, Macomb-OU INCubator, and TechTown. Joining the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition as premier sponsors is Accelerate Michigan.

For more information about the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, click on AccelerateMichigan.Org

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