- As an ear, nose and throat surgeon, Dr. Jan Akervall grew tired of seeing his patients’ teeth damaged during operations, so he invented a mouth guard to protect them. But it wasn’t until he attended the national women’s roller derby conference in Las Vegas that he discovered the true potential of his product.
On Thursday, January 19, at Planet Ant Hall in Hamtramck, Michigan, five metro Detroit entrepreneurs performed stories about challenges they have overcome to grow their businesses at the first-ever Startup Story Night. The event was emceed by Glynn Washington, whose Snap Judgment program can be heard weekly on over 400 NPR stations and is downloaded over two million times every month.
Startup Story Night was presented by the New Economy Initiative and Southeast Michigan Startup, in partnership with WDET 101.9 FM, Entre-Slam, Final5, Planet Ant Hall, and Axle Brewing.