Flud buys into downtown Detroit reemergence, grows office staff

Another one of Detroit Venture Partners' portfolio companies is sinking roots in downtown Detroit. This time its San Diego-based Flud, which recently opened an office in the M@dison building overlooking Grand Circus Park.

"We want to be involved in the Detroit project," says Daniel Rivkin, vice president of partnerships for Flud. "It's a very exciting time to be in Detroit."

Flud is creating a new kind of social new reader for mobile devices. The 2-year-old start-ups technology allows iPhone, iPad and Android users to discover and consume a variety of news content. Flud recently locked down a round of seed capital, much of which came from downtown Detroit-based Detroit Venture Partners and Southfield-based Ludlow Ventures.

Flud employs 10 people and two interns, including two people in its downtown Detroit office it opened last fall. All of the engineering for the company takes place in San Diego while the marketing, sales and other aspects of the business will take place in Detroit. Rivkin expects the company to grow its Detroit office to five to seven people by the end of the year as it continues to tap the business opportunities in the Motor City.

"The network in Detroit is very real and helpful," Rivkin says.

Source: Daniel Rivkin, vice president of partnerships for Flud
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.