GRAND RAPIDS - Coming off its merger with eMerge West Michigan earlier this year, Grand Rapids-based Start Garden has spun off its venture capital arm into a new entity. Wakestream Ventures will now serve as the main investment vehicle for Start Garden, the organization founded by Amway scion Rick DeVos in 2012 as a $15
KALAMAZOO - Southwest Michigan First is now accepting applications for its third annual Makers’ Mart competition where the winners get $2,500 in cash plus $2,500 in legal, marketing and accounting services. Catalyst University is scheduled for January 26, 2017, at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. Makers’ Mart competition finalists will have the opportunity to present their products
PLYMOUTH – Comcast announced Monday that its X1 customers across Michigan can now download programs they have recorded on their digital video recorder to watch on IP-enabled devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, or stream them using an Internet connection, anytime and anywhere. The new service, called X1 DVR with Cloud Technology, also provides
DETROIT - Michigan should continue to see steady job growth into next year, although manufacturing and the auto industry will become less of a driver, Comerica predicts in its latest economic outlook. Comerica noted that auto sales peaked last fall at an annualized rate of 18.1 million units. Additionally, the resurgent auto industry in July
ANN ARBOR - Consumers were a bit less optimistic in August than one month or even one year ago, although consumer confidence remains at a reasonably high level, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. Less favorable personal financial prospects were largely offset by a slight improvement in the outlook for the overall
ANN ARBOR - Since 2005, about two dozen states have created "Stand Your Ground" laws authorizing deadly force in self-defense. And nearly all of those laws have similar language. So, how did that happen? They all shared an author: The American Legislative Exchange Council drafted "model" legislation and lobbied states to pass it. This tactic
SEATTLE - What is Jeff Bezos up to now? The Amazon Founder and CEO this week announced yet another new project called Amazon Vehicles where consumers can view vehicle-detail pages and reviews of thousands of new and classic cars, as well as uploading photos and videos of their own cars and trucks. While Amazon is
CUPERTINO - If you have an iPhone be afraid, be very afraid. A terrifying new spyware, dubbed Trident, can break through the security protection to read texts and email, record calls (including WhatsApp and Viber calls), track your location and turn on your phone's camera and microphone. Trident exploits three zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS 9 to form
COSTA MESA, Ca. - A report released Thursday says current credit conditions for small businesses are improving across most of the United States, and overall small-business delinquencies decreased slightly from last quarter, with levels dropping at every stage of delinquency. The total bankruptcy rate fell as well, though at a slower pace than the previous
DETROIT - The Mobile Technology Association of Michigan has stepped up to sponsor the Third Annual Ford Developer Conference & Hackathon during CTIA Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas September 7 – 9 at the Sands Expo Center. Hackathon participants compete for a share of a $20,000 prize package, including a two-year lease on a
