Adams Fellowship launches latest class of aspiring entrepreneurs

The Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program is welcoming its latest cohort of aspiring entrepreneurs, which means four talented young people are working with as many equally promising local start-ups.

The start-ups are located in a number of places throughout the region, including Warren, Troy and downtown Detroit.

"We would like to reach out to as many places as we can," says Terry Cross, managing director of the Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. "We are charged with reaching out to the entire seven-county region."

The Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program places young, up-and-coming entrepreneurs with local start-ups. The year-long program also provides the entrepreneurs with a $60,000 stipend. The idea is to help grow the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by giving local start-ups affordable talent and recent college grads a foot in the door with local start-ups. Each class of fellows numbers about four people.

Among the companies taking on Adams Fellows this year are:

- Stik.com brings word-of-mouth recommendations for local businesses online through Facebook. It is based in downtown Detroit.

- Coliant, a start-up in Warren that makes Powerlet, an electrical accessory that allows users of things like motorcycles and ATVs to plug their gadgets into the vehicle.

- ENT Biotech Solutions, a Detroit-based company that is commercializing a device to remove adenoids through a greatly improved process that will have significant positive outcomes for patients.

- TOGGLED, a subsidiary of Troy-based Altair, that is working on next-generation solidstate lighting technology.

Source: Terry Cross, managing director of Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program
Writer: Jon Zemke

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