California startup millionaire moves biotech company to Ann Arbor area

The Ann Arbor area has been the launching pad for a number of biomedical companies and now it's attracting West Coast entrepreneurs looking to break into the industry.

According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, Steve Everist moved his company, Everist Genomics, from California to Michigan to capitalize on the talent and technology available in the area.

According to the company’s website, Everist Genomics is developing a number of diagnostic devices that can help with early-stage disease detection and drug selection for specific patients. The company’s most recent development was a device known as the AngioDefender that tests the strength and resiliency of a patient’s blood vessels.

Before turning his attention to medical devices, Everist made his first big splash in the entrepreneurial world when MongoMusic, a music-sharing site that he founded with college friends, sold to Microsoft for $65 million. According to the Free Press story, Everist said he moved to the offices in Pittsfield Township just south of Ann Arbor because he would have access to former Pfizer workers and technology developed at the University of Michgian.

• Read the full story from the Detroit Free Press.

Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2