Grosse Pointe’s Pointe Angels is backing M3D, an Ann Arbor medical device startup that uses radiation sensors developed at the University of Michigan. // Photo courtesy of M3D
Grosse Pointe’s Pointe Angels meet monthly at the Detroit Country Club to present promising startups and are active supporters of Ann Arbor medical device startup M3D.
M3D’s “secret sauce” is a University of Michigan-patented radiation sensor that is currently being used in homeland security applications, and CEO Michael Hopkins explained M3D’s plans to apply the technology to the medical field.
“One of the biggest risks for an early-stage company is technology,” Hopkins says, “M3D has eliminated that risk. Our radiation sensor technology has been in the market for 10 years, with customers like the Department of Defense and the FBI.”
Investor Jim Agley of Pointe Angels agreed. He saw potential in M3D’s approach and an opportunity to leverage his capital, experience and network.
“M3D has done an incredible job of reducing risk by using established nuclear technology in new ways to improve healthcare. Their cameras will make hospitals safer and cancer surgeries more successful. It’s exciting to be part of something that has the potential to have significant financial benefits while improving people’s lives,” explains Agree.
Agre and other Point Angels investors closed M3D’s seed round in February 2024 and helped the company secure key manufacturing partnerships. “Since investing, Jim has been a great resource for me,” Hopkins says, “both in the companies he runs and in the companies he invests in.”
In addition to Pointe Angels, M3D has received investments from IDVentures, Michigan RISE, Biomedical Research Commercialization Center (BRCC), Spark, Accelerate Blue, Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund and Northern Michigan Angels.
“One of the great things about Michigan is that the economy and investment environment are so tightly connected,” Hopkins says. “Early-stage investors all know each other, so it’s easy to make introductions and follow-on investments.”
Fast forward to July 2024. M3D previewed its radiation-safe camera, RAVIN Cam, at the Health Physics Society annual meeting. The audience went wild, and M3D exceeded pre-order projections within weeks of the meeting.
“We expect to have M3D’s RAVIN cameras in the hands of customers within the next two months,” Hopkins says. “We are also planning intraoperative camera studies at the University of Michigan and MD Anderson.” For more information, visit m3dimaging.com/.
Agley and the Pointe Angels team will continue to support the M3D team.
“I really enjoy being part of the Point Angeles Investment Club,” Aglee says, “I’m always amazed at the quality of the investment opportunities I find there and excited about the potential success of the investments I make.”
Pointe Angels welcomes all accredited investors with personal investments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. The group focuses on helping people create a diversified portfolio of multiple assets and meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Detroit Country Club.
For more information about Pointe Angels, visit pointeangels.com/
