Building Together in Ann Arbor: A2 New Tech, July 2025 Recap

On the third Tuesday of each month, an auditorium fills with entrepreneurs, developers, students, and community members — not to pitch to VCs or flex on social media, but to share early work, ask for help, and learn out loud.

That’s the heart of A2 New Tech, a long-running Ann Arbor meetup that has brought hundreds of founders and builders together since 2009. It’s not just a pitch event — it’s an uplifting, collaborative forum where ideas are met with curiosity, not critique.

Each speaker gets 5 minutes to present and 5 minutes of Q&A from the room. No “Shark Tank” energy. Just real feedback from people who want you to succeed.

Here’s what happened at this month’s event, hosted at Bamboo Ann Arbor and supported by Ann Arbor SPARK and Maximize Media.

🌟 Four Startups, Four Fresh Takes

🏭 Machine AI Solutions

Presented by Ebbin Daniel
Modern analytics for small manufacturers

Ebbin kicked off the night by addressing a challenge few tech meetups discuss: how outdated and fragmented factory systems really are. Machine AI Solutions is building a plug-and-play platform to give small manufacturers the kind of operational visibility that big enterprises take for granted — at a fraction of the complexity or cost.

Key features:

• Unified platform to track downtime, quality, and performance

• Smart diagnostics and decision support for shop floors

• Simple deployment for legacy machines

• Affordable pricing for small and mid-size operations

“These companies don’t have in-house engineering teams. We’re making powerful tools that are simple enough for them to actually use.”

Ebbin’s ask: feedback on the MVP, intros to factories, and potential co-founders.

🧠 Obtego

Presented by Josh Quintal
AI-powered clinical test decision support

Josh introduced Obtego, a multi-agent AI system designed to help clinicians order the right lab tests and interpret results more accurately — a space where mistakes can lead to misdiagnosis or even fatal outcomes.

With thousands of new lab tests added each year and an aging population straining the healthcare system, doctors are under more pressure than ever. Obtego tackles this by:

• Mapping complex relationships across lab tests, symptoms, and outcomes

• Providing explainable reasoning (not just answers)

• Surfacing peer-reviewed citations and evidence

• Supporting a chatbot interface for doctors or med students

“It’s not just a wrapper around ChatGPT. This is structured, explainable reasoning with real citations.”

Josh is starting with medical schools and research institutions, offering Obtego as a learning tool before entering clinical settings.

🍕 Data Later

Presented by Scott Goci
Capture API calls now. Use them later.

Scott delivered a developer-favorite pitch centered on what he called the “Pizza Problem.”

“Imagine you want bread, but the only way to get it is ordering a pepperoni pizza — and then throwing away everything but the crust. That’s how devs handle API responses today.”

Data Later quietly captures every API request and response, allowing teams to:

• Track changes in APIs over time

• Train AI models using real interaction data

• Catch downtime or breaking changes

• Reuse past data without re-querying or rebuilding

Already in private beta, Data Later supports Ruby on Rails apps now, with Python and Java coming soon.

Scott is looking for early adopters who know the pain of throwing away good data.

📺 AdOnAir

Presented by Satish Ramade
Monetize unused TVs in public spaces

Satish wrapped up the night with AdOnAir, a mobile app that lets any business turn idle TVs into mini ad networks — letting local businesses or individuals promote themselves while generating passive income for screen owners.

AdOnAir lets users:

• Easily upload content to TVs (menus, promos, etc.)

• Accept or reject ads through a two-step moderation system

• Set revenue-sharing models between advertisers and screen hosts

Already live with six customers and a v2.1 release underway, the platform is positioned to serve cafes, coworking spaces, gyms, schools, and more.

“Our goal is to give underutilized screens a second life — and help local voices get seen.”

Satish is seeking feedback on app usability and intros to venues that want to try the platform.

💬 More Than Pitches: Why A2 New Tech Matters

A2 New Tech isn’t about polishing investor decks — it’s about progress, not perfection.

Each session is:

• Constructive – Feedback is focused on helping founders improve

• Community-driven – Built by and for people in the local tech ecosystem

• Open – Students, solo founders, seasoned engineers, and curious first-timers are all welcome

“You don’t need a product. You don’t need a budget. You just need an idea worth sharing — and the courage to show up.”

We’re grateful to Bamboo, SPARK, Maximize Media, and the Ann Arbor startup community for making spaces like this thrive.

🚀 Want to join the next one?

📅 August 19, 2025 – 6:30 PM
📝 Want to demo? Email organizers@a2newtech.org
💡 Have a job, event, or opportunity? Join the A2 New Tech meetup group
📍 Hosted monthly at Bamboo Ann Arbor