Last week, AlertWatch received a shot in the arm from the Michigan business community, who have been supportive of the firm since its founding in 2012.
On Thursday, we received a $25,000 award for being the “Best Medical Device” firm at the Accelerate Michigan Investment Competition. The judges had their work cut out for them, as the entrants went all the way from drone software to a novel horse inflammation therapy.
We also won a case of beer from Atwater Brewers in Grosse Pointe. It was a great night, and I met a lot of new folks from the investment and start-up community.
The following night, I attended MLive’s Deals of the Year competition. We were invited to attend with our “deal” being the FDA clearance our AlertWatch:OR product received in February. I was truthfully shocked that we won. Although FDA clearance is a big and necessary step, it is early in AlertWatch’s journey.
Regardless, what both events underscored is how essential the support of the community has been for AlertWatch to accomplish its early milestones. Our firm has received investment from SPARK, BRCC (an investment group in Kalamazoo), several local angel investors, and now these two awards. Without these, we simply wouldn’t have the runway we’ve needed to get regulatory approval and our first customer.
Thanks!