Two U.P. companies earn cash at statewide business competition

HOUGHTON, Michigan (December 2, 2013) – With support and entrepreneurial coaching from MTEC SmartZone, two local companies that competed in North America’s largest business plan competition mid-November in Detroit returned home winners.

REL, Inc. in Calumet earned $50,000, placing third overall in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. LiteBrake Tech, LLC in Hancock won $25,000 in the Masco Advanced Materials category. Houghton-based Upland Nanotech, an early stage start-up that developed a fast-acting food pathogen detector, also impressed panel investors with its technology.