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Home / Growth & Expansion / Success Stories / SensiGen
SensiGenAnn Arbor-based SensiGen Creates Award-winning Plan for Bright Future in Medical Sciences“Everything that everybody needs to start a business from square one is located in Ann Arbor,” said Kristine Kurnit, senior vice president of SensiGen, a leading development stage company in the molecular diagnostics field. SensiGen is dedicated to developing advanced technologies that enable the early detection of diseases. The company’s proprietary technology, invented by Kurnit’s husband, Dr. David Kurnit, MD, PhD, has been used to develop early-stage kidney disease diagnostic and cervical cancer diagnostic. The products have potential to be a dramatic improvement over current diagnostic methods and of great value to patients, care givers, insurers and investors. Over the past five years, Kurnit has helped build the company that she and her husband co-founded. The two launched SensiGen in 2002, with Kurnit in charge of development but lacking formal business expertise. “My first stop in getting an education was the Ann Arbor IT Zone,” she said. “I entered the organization’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp program and it was an absolutely fabulous experience for me. Among other things, I learned everything I needed to know about the all important investor presentation and had the opportunity to give the pitch to a group of investors. I was also introduced to the business community of Ann Arbor”. The boot camp, now offered by Ann Arbor SPARK, provides a comprehensive two-day education in entrepreneurial business skills, including the crucial steps to building a successful business plan. From coaching, to advice, to financing, Kurnit found resources in Ann Arbor that helped sustain her company’s momentum. In 2004, SensiGen’s business plan won the grand prize in The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest, a statewide business plan competition. The award-winning business plan also became the basis for SensiGen’s application to 21st Century Jobs Fund in 2004, from which the company received the state’s largest funds award that year. With the additional support from the state, SensiGen was able to finish developing its technology and hire strategic leadership: current President and CEO Shawn Marcell and Vice President of Corporate Development George Smith. SensiGen is currently interviewing candidates for vice president of research and development. When this person is hired, the company will open its commercial lab in Ann Arbor and begin looking for qualified scientists to optimize its assays for commercialization. “We’re committed to hiring people from the Ann Arbor area,” said Kurnit. “Being that I had no prior business experience, I found Ann Arbor to be of tremendous value. I got my education here, and all the support I needed was accessible and available. All of it.”
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