For Royal Oak-based Razor Threat, a developer of cyber security solutions, 2007 was a fruitful year. A presenter at last year’s Michigan Growth Capital Symposium, the startup used 2007 to launch its product commercially and generate early revenue. Razor Threat was also identified by SC Magazine as one of the leading technology innovators for 2007, and was recognized as “Emerging Technology Company of the Year” by Automation Alley. By any measure, the company is off to a good start. “Those were really our big initiatives – to get the product some exposure in the marketplace, to capture some early customers and start to drive some early revenue, and then to really build ourselves a nice pipeline for 2008 of opportunities,” said founder and CEO Gregory Guidace. The company is seeking a $2 million round of Series A funding in 2008.

Guidace says Michigan has numerous strengths to offer startups, including its strong and uniquely-skilled workforce. “It has a very solid labor pool, and it’s a very economic labor pool. If you were to build a development team on one of the coasts, you’d pay significantly more,” Guidace said. Additionally, he considers organizations like Automation Alley and Ann Arbor SPARK to be true assets to Michigan-based entrepreneurs. “Both of those organizations are truly in it to help entrepreneurial companies and invest in early-stage companies, and really give them the pre-seed capital money that they need to get started.”

Guidace also touts the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium as a key networking tool. “We can reach a pretty broad audience very easily,” he said. “It’s very well-attended by a lot of the folks associated with money in the region, and it’s a great forum to present our product and be able to not only meet new people, but also to follow up on relationships that we’ve been nurturing over the years.”