Meet Savvy Languages, the latest startup born in Ann Arbor that has moved to Detroit.
The online language company is the latest in a growing handful of tech firms to make the leap east over I-275 and land in Detroit's greater downtown area. Other recent transplants include,
Are You A Human (a
Detroit Venture Partners portfolio firm in the M@dison Building) and
Fusion Coolant Systems (
Focus:HOPE).
Savvy Languages is one of the first startups to take part in
TechTown's Venture Accelerator Program. It is in its first month of the three-month program and its leadership is looking at making the move to TechTown permanent this summer.
"They set us up with funding, coaching, office space," says Michael Frye, co-founder & CEO of
Savvy Languages. "We have been meeting with local CEOs and entrepreneurs. The networking is great."
Frye and his co-founders started the company one year ago after becoming frustrated with the difficulty in learning a second language and lack of effective educational options for overcoming that hardship. Savvy Languages is creating online and mobile platforms that offer language-learning tools that are both entertaining and motivational.
Savvy Language is running some private user tests right now. Its team of four people expects to launch a Beta version of its software this summer.
Source: Michael Frye, co-founder & CEO of Savvy Languages
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.