No doubt you know Ann Arbor is home to companies doing amazingly innovative things. A2 Tech Trek is the chance to get a closer look at exactly what happens at more than 70 companies in our downtown tech corridor. Here’s a closer look at a few of the companies you’ll get to see on the trek!
AdAdapted
Are you one of the millions of people who uses their phone to make their grocery or shopping lists? AdAdapted’s technology lets you add products to your favorite lists from anywhere, on your mobile
AdAdapted has already had a busy year releasing a new product, hiring new team members, and signing new app partners.
Atomic Object
Atomic Object’s software designers work on every part of the design process from research and strategy to wireframing and visual design. Connect with them if this interests you – they’re looking for a new senior designer!
Atomic Object has a daily blog, Atomic Spin, where they write on anything and everything that fascinates them.
Come by their office during Tech Trek to check out live presentations of some of the coolest software projects they’ve created with clients.
Barracuda Networks
Barracuda’s solutions are built for today’s IT professionals and help keep networks, apps, and data safe, no matter the customer’s location. They are trusted by over 150,000 organizations across the world!
Barracuda is one of downtown Ann Arbor’s largest tech employers, and with plans to add over 100 new employees over the next four years, they are committed to staying and growing here.
Barracuda is invested in their communities worldwide – here in Ann Arbor, they donate and volunteer for Food Gatherers!
Caravan
Caravan is a tool to connect individuals with services to meet their specific mobility needs
It uses social profiles to match riders, providers, and destinations in three easy steps.
- The rider creates a profile and enters their trip request
- They get a list of providers who can fulfill that request
- They connect with their preferred service via the provider’s listed contact info
Desai Accelerator
Open to everyone, not just U of M alumni, the Desai Accelerator can help you secure space, mentorship, community, and up to $25,000 in funding for your tech startup!
The Accelerator is a program that wants to help entrepreneurs get their ventures to external funding readiness using U of M’s expansive network of people and resources.
http://desaiaccelerator.umich.edu/
Expedia
What began over 20 years ago as a small travel booking division within Microsoft is now the world’s leading travel company ✈️
Need help booking hotels? Choosing airplane seats? Discovering local things to do once you make it to your destination? Expedia can help cover all of that and help you prep for every sort of trip from camping to luxurious living.
Check them out during Tech Trek – they’ll be raffling off two $500 travel vouchers and many other other prizes!
FarmLogs
FarmLogs is used by farmers in all 50 states and helps manage 73 million acres of land. They’re forward-thinking and passionate people developing new technology for row crop farmers. The mission? To create a better future for farming.
FarmLogs is hiring! Check out their website for details on the open positions.
Stop by during Tech Trek to learn more and for Blue Tractor BBQ and Short’s Brewery beer. Plus, hand deliver your resume, check out a short presentation on the challenges they work to solve, and jump in their farm-themed photo booth for a chance to win $50 to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market!
Human Element
Human Element builds eCommerce sites that process tens of millions of dollars through online sales every year – and the company is growing rapidly right here in Michigan.
Everyone on the team lives and works in southeastern Michigan so nothing is outsourced!
Human Element’s founders, Ben Lorenz and Jason Magee, are rock stars — really. They once opened for the Counting Crows
https://www.human-element.com/
InfoReady
Did you know that InfoReady’s flagship product, InfoReady Review, is used by over 100 college campuses from coast to coast, including Michigan’s own U of M, EMU, and Oakland University?
The company has had several exciting announcements recently – including a relationship with ProQuest – and are preparing to launch a new and expanded version of their core technology.
InfoReady just won one of SPARK’s FastTrack Awards for the third year in a row because they’ve shown such high growth.
LLamasoft
LLamasoft is the fastest growing supply chain software company in North America and half of all Fortune 500 companies designed their supply chain with the company.
True to their name, LLamasoft has 25 portraits, paintings, and pictures of llamas all over the walls of their HQ office.
May was a big month for them: They announced their first intern class and partnered with TPG, a firm that helped companies like Uber and Airbnb expand globally.
They’re a friendly and close-knit company – their CEO has attended 79 LLamasoft employee weddings!
Check out the Summercon Supply Chain Design Conference they’re hosting right here in Detroit!
Menlo
Their mission is a bold one: To end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology.
Named for Menlo Park, Thomas Edison’s transformative laboratory, the company always has that innovative spirit in mind!
The team works on interpersonal skills that make them more than just coders and designers – part of why they’re so unique.
Menlo had over 3000 guests just last year from as far away as Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, and St. Petersburg .
In recent years, Menlo Innovation’s growth has caused it to move to office space triple the size of its first office!
https://www.menloinnovations.com/
NetWorks Group
NetWorks Group is celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year!
They’re launching end point managed detection & response this June as the latest development in their mission of IT security.
https://www.networksgroup.com/
Pillar
They host events every month on all things hot in technology. Open to everyone interested in learning what’s latest in the tech world, check out the events page on their website and bring your friends!
Pillar is in the running for 2017’s “Cool Places to Work” Award
They’ve won the Tech Trek “People’s Choice Award” – stop by their Forge this year to see what it’s all about!
PolySync
PolySync is building the tools and software at the center of autonomous vehicle development.
They won AutoMobility LA and Fortune magazine’s “2016 Start-up of the Year award”
Seven of their employees are hardworking canines
smallworld
smallworld works to strengthen communities by facilitating meaningful connections between members so they’re happier, more inclusive, more innovative, and more productive
For just $10 a month, smallworld can help facilitate over 1000 meetings a year in your community.
smallworld strives to value their humans equally, so they are dedicated to paying them equally too.
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters’ solutions help advance property rights for people in Nigeria and all across the globe
They’re spearheading the fight against modern day slavery and have provided over $70 million of pro bono legal help in 170 countries.
Their global editorial team covers the world’s under-reported stories at the heart of aid, development, women’s rights, human trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience – and they make their stories available free of charge to hundreds of smaller media outlets around the world.
Thomson Reuters just opened a brand new Ann Arbor location and they’re hiring! Check out their website for more details.
https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en.html
Torrent Consulting
The #164th fastest growing company and the fastest growing Salesforce Consultancy in America
They’ve had a 200% employee growth rate over the past year!
https://torrentconsulting.com/
Universal Robots
Universal Robots launched the first First and Power-Limited collaborative robot – four years before any competitor
They take pride in putting robots where robots have never been before, including food service companies, small manufacturers and tiny machine shops!
Stay posted for the opening of their US HQ, right here in Ann Arbor.
They’re looking for great team members, so check out their website to see who they’re hiring!
https://www.universal-robots.com/
Source: SPARK
