TechTown's Mental Note to hire 4 for product launch

MentalNote is wrapping up its fundraising round and preparing to begin nailing down some customers in 2011, a move that is expected to lead to four new hires.

The 4-year-old software startup has been working on its electronic medical records technology for mental health professionals for its first three years. It has spent the last few years perfecting the technology, reshaping its staff and revamping its business plan and fundraising.

The TechTown-based firm, which is now looking for new space, has raised and boot strapped the startup costs and lined up a potential customer to run the official pilot program. The company plans to turn that pilot program into a couple of customers by mid years. That should allow the two-person company, composed of co-founder Thanh Tran and Dr. James Hughes, to hire a business manager and marketing/sales expert by this summer. Two more sales reps are expected to be brought on by the end of the year. It has also lined up a local software development firm to help with MentalNote's software.

"We want to make sure the jobs stay in this area," says Tran, MentalNote's CEO and the founder of Detroit New Tech Meetup, which is also holding its third meeting showcasing local startups at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans' offices in the Compuware Building in downtown Detroit.

Dr. Hughes, a psychiatrist, originally developed MentalNote's software that specifically helps psychiatrists and other mental health professionals digitize and manage medical records. The idea is help streamline the patient information system so doctors and their staffs can provide better care.

Source: Thanh Tran, CEO of MentalNote
Writer: Jon Zemke
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