Technology Firm Moving to Lakewood

A new, innovative technology firm is moving its headquarters to Lakewood.

CitizenGroove, a company that provides a network to allow music schools and universities to manage video applications, is bringing its business to the Detroit-Warren building.

And the company is bringing at least four jobs along with it.

But that’s just the beginning, said CitizenGroove co-founder and CEO John Knific.

Right now, more than 40 schools across the country — including Julliard, the University of Michigan and Oberlin — are using the system.

But the company is adding one to two new clients per week. By this time next year, Knific said he hopes to have 100 clients and double the number of employees.

“A lot of exciting growth is happening,” he said. “This is definitely our year to grow. It’s still a roller coaster ride. But we’re making it happen.”

When the company launched in 2010, two of the three co-founders were music majors at Case Western Reserve University.

“One of the challenges we found, as an art school you receive tens of thousands of applications,” he said. “There’s no better way to evaluate the talent than video media.”

Here’s how it works:

A student uploads a video of his/her video audition to a school. The school then submits the videos to all the faculty through the CitizenGroove platform. Using the technology, the faculty can post a review in the system.

 “We were fiddling around with a couple of different things,” he said, adding that the entrepreneurial trio also tried a social network site for musicians. “This opportunity sort of fell into our laps.”

Knific said Lakewood — with its walkability, restaurants and nightlife — is a perfect fit.

 “It’s going to be fun,” he said. “The energy is a lot higher than a lot of the other towns.”

City officials have taken notice of the company.

Mayor Michael Summers said the startup is on an “upward trajectory.”

Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development called CitizenGroove a “great little company.”

Even though the business won’t be too visible, with its offices in the upper floors of the Detroit-Warren building, Siley said the new tenants will have an impact on the community.

“Sometimes we never see the best things we’ve got in town,” he said. “We’re glad they’re here.”

Editor's note: This version corrects the name of CitizenGroove.