TechTown Detroit
2013 Press Releases
UPDATED JANUARY 22, 2014
440 BURROUGHS STREET • DETROIT, MI 48202 • 313.879.5250 • techtowndetroit.org
TechTown Detroit News Release
C O N T A C T : Michelle Welsh | (313) 450-3883, michelle@techtowndetroit.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TechTown Detroit opens Junction440 co-working space
Detroit’s newest co-working option is key feature in TechTown’s $1.5 million
first-floor renovation
(DETROIT – Jan. 7, 2014) Today TechTown Detroit announced the official opening of
Junction440, its new co-working space for entrepreneurs, located in the recently renovated
first floor of its historic 440 Burroughs Street building in Midtown Detroit. Entrepreneurs
seeking work space in the city are invited to attend an open house for Junction440 on
Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m., as part of Co-Lab Detroit, a one-week event to introduce
entrepreneurs to seven Detroit co-working spaces.
Co-working is a central element of TechTown’s $1.5 million, 20,000 square-foot first-floor
renovation, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The rest of
the space features TechTown’s public event facilities, and acceleration, incubation and
administrative suites, while floors two through five now strictly house the building’s
commercial tenants.
The official opening of Junction440 comes after a one-month beta test, where potential coworking members helped break in the space. Entrepreneurs seeking an affordable, flexible and
collaborative work environment can now select from a range of membership options, including
day passes for $20, 10-pass punch cards for $150, and monthly memberships for $250 or $375
with a dedicated desk. Amenities include access to like-minded peers, educational resources,
meeting and event spaces, bike racks, kitchen with refrigerator space, locally roasted and
freshly brewed coffee, lockers for day storage, and free parking, Wi-Fi and printing.
TechTown’s building was designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn in 1927. It first
served as a service department for Pontiac, then later became the Chevrolet Creative Services
building before sitting vacant for many years prior to TechTown’s initial five-floor renovation,
which was completed in 2004.
Detroit-based architecture firm Centric Design Studio and interior design studio Patrick
Thompson Design created an open and inviting first-floor space – a blank slate for creativity
and idea sharing, and a nod to the building’s innovative roots. Other features include rentable,
sophisticated event spaces ranging from approximately 150 to 1,800 square feet; innovative
enclaves such as small phone-booth style rooms and study lounges; and an open kitchen
serving as a pop-up location for local food entrepreneurs to test their products before hard
launching in a Detroit retail storefront. By this summer, the first floor will flow into the Living
Room, Midtown’s community gathering space to be located in the current parking lot just east
of the building.
“This space will become a hotbed of innovation, a dwelling for serendipitous encounters and a
catalyst for the redevelopment of Midtown’s broader innovation district,” said Leslie Smith,
president and CEO of TechTown. “With an open, flexible and vibrant first floor, anchored by
the Junction440 co-working space, TechTown will be uniquely positioned to foster an even
TECHTOWN DETROIT OPENS JUNCTION440 CO-WORKING SPACE
JAN. 7, 2014
larger community of engaged, connected and better-served entrepreneurs who will accelerate
our local economy.”
For more information on Junction440, please visit junction440.com or email
junction440@techtowndetroit.org.
About TechTown Detroit
TechTown Detroit is the most established business incubator and accelerator in the city –
founded specifically to develop and grow sustainable, technology businesses. Today its work
supports industry verticals that are specific to the region’s inherent assets and address the
city’s identified needs, supporting not only tech businesses but also retail and wholesale
enterprises for a more holistic approach to economic development. TechTown is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit and is located within the Woodward Technology Corridor SmartZone. To learn more,
visit techtowndetroit.org.
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TECHTOWN DETROIT OPENS JUNCTION440 CO-WORKING SPACE
JAN. 7, 2014
TechTown News Release
C O N T A C T : Marielle Temkin | (248) 339-6199, marielle@techtowndetroit.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TechTown receives $800,000 from U.S. Dept. of Health
and Human Services to support SWOT City Detroit
(DETROIT – Oct. 2, 2013) On Monday, TechTown Detroit was awarded an $800,000 grant
from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Community Economic
Development to support SWOT City Detroit over the next three years. This project will expand
TechTown’s SWOT City program into three new neighborhoods – the East Jefferson Corridor,
Grandmont Rosedale and Osborn.
The commitment of a three-year grant shows the federal government’s commitment to Detroit
and gives the SWOT City team the resources necessary to execute full scale SWOT
engagements in each of the three neighborhoods beginning with the development of an
integrated stabilization and growth strategy designed in partnership with neighborhood
partners and community members followed by execution against the plan over the following
three years.
This grant was announced following the visit of White House officials to Detroit the previous
Friday, when administration officials discussed how the federal government will remain an
active partner in Detroit’s revitalization in pursuit of “one Detroit” catalyzed by a commitment
to blight removal, transportation infrastructure and improved public safety and further
advanced by the stabilization and expansion of Detroit neighborhoods.
SWOT City Detroit is an essential element of a movement toward “one Detroit,” as it
represents a critical effort to stabilize and enhance the Detroit neighborhoods that are often
disconnected from redevelopment efforts in the Midtown and downtown districts of the city.
Because the SWOT City program delivers TechTown acceleration services to underserved
neighborhoods through partnerships with community and economic development
organizations, the team becomes ingrained in the community in which it works.
“We have a deep legacy with place-based programs, and our SWOT City program was
developed by answering the question, ‘What about everybody else?’” said TechTown
President and CEO Leslie Smith. “There’s a lot of economic development activity happening in
Midtown and downtown, and we want to bring that energy, expertise and resource set to the
neighborhoods in order to see a fully revitalized Detroit. This grant allows us to expand our
program into three new full-scale engagements, and we are delighted.”
SWOT City Detroit will provide business assistance, entrepreneurial services and training to
businesses, residents and other stakeholders in these Detroit neighborhoods through a threepronged expansion – it will begin by assessing the community and its businesses, move to
assistance and end with sustainable practices. The program goals are to create at least 40 new
positions each of which will match the skills and geographic location of low-income residents
of the neighborhoods and, additionally, to retain at least 530 jobs and create a minimum of 10
new businesses.
TECHTOWN RECEIVES $800,000 FROM U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES TO SUPPORT SWOT CITY DETROIT
OCT. 2, 2013
Over the duration of the grant, the SWOT team will encourage entrepreneurship in lowincome neighborhoods, ensure the positive changes made by SWOT City Detroit are sustained
beyond the time period and raise awareness of the opportunities present in targeted areas for
the creation and expansion of businesses. These objectives will unlock economic potential and
entrepreneurial ingenuity in areas of the city that have, until now, been underserved.
About TechTown
TechTown is the most established business incubator and accelerator in Detroit – founded
specifically to develop and grow sustainable, technology-based businesses. Today its work
supports industry verticals that are specific to the region’s inherent assets and address the
city’s identified needs, supporting not only tech-based businesses but also retail and
neighborhood enterprises for a more holistic approach to economic development. TechTown
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is located within the Woodward Technology Corridor SmartZone.
To learn more about TechTown, visit techtowndetroit.org.
###
TECHTOWN RECEIVES $800,000 FROM U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES TO SUPPORT SWOT CITY DETROIT
OCT. 2, 2013
TechTown News Release
C O N T A C T : Michelle Welsh | (313) 450-3883, michelle@techtowndetroit.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TechTown Detroit’s fall Retail Boot Camp to offer $10,000
in awards and rent-free pop-up space
(DETROIT – Aug. 21, 2013) Today TechTown Detroit opened applications for the second
session of its Blocks Retail Boot Camp with the announcement of $10,000 in cash awards, plus
one month of rent-free pop-up space in Detroit.
The eight-week program, which runs from Sept. 23 to Nov. 11, prepares serious entrepreneurs
with strong retail concepts for the successful launch of their Detroit businesses within six
months to one year of program completion. Weekly sessions facilitated by business
development and retail experts are designed to be Detroit specific, with topics ranging from
choosing the right location, to government regulations and processes, to taxes and insurance
and sound fiscal management.
TechTown will dedicate $2,000 to the achievement of business milestones as participants
progress through the program. At the end of the eight weeks, participants will pitch their
businesses to a panel of judges at a showcase. The first place winner will receive rent-free
pop-up space during the prime retail month of the December, which will include a softwarebased point-of-sale system courtesy of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.’s (DEGC)
REVOLVE program, and $5,000 from TechTown to support the development and execution
of the popup. The second place and third place winners will receive start-up funds of $2,000
and $1,000, respectively.
“Despite the recent boom in Detroit’s downtown and Midtown neighborhoods, the city still has
a severe lack of independent retail establishments. Our Retail Boot Camp works to fill this void
by helping its aspiring entrepreneurs capitalize on one of the city’s greatest opportunities,”
said Leslie Smith, president and CEO of TechTown. “The financial support – not only at the end
but throughout the program – plus the DEGC-sponsored pop-up space, move our clients to
market much faster than classroom instruction alone. This pop-up opportunity allows them to
test the waters by validating their concept, customers and location before investing in a
permanent storefront.”
For this fall session, TechTown will accept 15 companies, eight of which will come from D:hive,
Hatch Detroit, ProsperUS Detroit and the DEGC’s REVOLVE program. These eight spots will
be given to entrepreneurs who successfully engaged with the partner organizations through
their respective entrepreneurial programs. The remaining seven seats will be filled through
TechTown’s application process.
Outcomes were strong for the first session of the Retail Boot Camp, which ended in July. Of
the 10 entrepreneurs that graduated from the program, half are working on key next steps to
opening their businesses – two participants are working together to prepare to popup in an
existing business, one is working with a Midtown stakeholder to open a storefront in Sugar Hill,
and two others are working to receive funding. TechTown continues to meet with all of the
graduates each month to give them advice as they continue to move their businesses forward.
TECHTOWN DETROIT’S FALL RETAIL BOOT CAMP TO OFFER
$10,000 IN AWARDS AND RENT-FREE POP-UP SPACE
AUG. 21, 2013
Applications for the fall session of the Retail Boot Camp, which can be found on TechTown’s
website, will close on Sept. 11. Classes are held on Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m., with an
orientation on Sept. 20. The fee upon acceptance is $499.
TechTown’s Retail Boot Camp is subsidized through the generous support of the New
Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.
About TechTown
TechTown is the most established business incubator and accelerator in Detroit – founded
specifically to develop and grow sustainable, technology-based businesses. Today its work
supports industry verticals that are specific to the region’s inherent assets and address the
city’s identified needs, supporting not only tech-based businesses but also retail and
neighborhood enterprises for a more holistic approach to economic development. TechTown
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is located within the Woodward Technology Corridor SmartZone.
To learn more about TechTown, visit techtowndetroit.org.
###
AUG. 21, 2013
TechTown News Release
C O N T A C T : Michelle Welsh | (313) 450-3883, michelle@techtownwsu.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TechTown and partners receive $1 million grant from Michigan
Strategic Fund to launch Detroit Technology Exchange
Incubator also announces details surrounding new Venture Accelerator for
technology-based businesses
(DETROIT – Feb. 11, 2013) TechTown, in partnership with Bizdom and Invest Detroit, today
announced it was awarded a grant for $1 million over two years from the Michigan Economic
Development Corp.’s (MEDC) Michigan Strategic Fund to form the Detroit Technology
Exchange (DTX).
The initiative consists of four programs geared toward creating, attracting and retaining talent;
exploiting disruptive technologies; creating robust deal flow in the city; and supporting the
efforts of early stage, competitive-edge companies, all while eliminating duplicative efforts. In
addition to the grant, the partners will leverage investments made in their organizations by the
New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan and others, through in-kind support and
access to best-in-class programs, facilities and events. Conservative estimates for the grant
term show the programs creating 15 new companies and 25 new jobs, as well as retaining 35
jobs and generating $881,000 in new investment.
DTX Programming:
Integrated Ecosystem Services: Activities designed to address gaps in the city’s
entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as monthly portfolio reviews to identify opportunities
for collaboration among DTX partners; critical marketing and design assistance for
companies involved in DTX programs; and various efforts to enhance each DTX
company’s ability to attract investment at key stages of business creation.
Launch Detroit: Highly competitive, 10-week summer boot camp for Michigan’s
undergraduate and graduate students aspiring to launch technology-based businesses.
The program, which will run from May 28 to Aug. 2, will create new tech-based
companies, and encourage talented young people to remain in Detroit by connecting
them to the city's entrepreneurial network. Each student team will receive a stipend.
D-Venture: Executive-in-residence (EIR) program to bring selected entrepreneurialminded professionals to Detroit to mine underutilized or underdeveloped intellectual
property (IP), and create companies based on that IP. Each EIR will develop a business
plan; act as CEO; and raise venture investments for the enterprise. The program will
support each EIR with an annualized salary for six months to one year.
DTX Fellows: Program to insert individuals into Detroit’s entrepreneurial service
organizations and startups, to enhance the capacity and talent that exists within these
TechTown and partners receive $1 million grant from Michigan
Strategic Fund to launch Detroit Technology Exchange
Feb. 11, 2013
organizations, while also connecting high-quality, mid-level talent to the Detroit
entrepreneurial ecosystem. The program will support six fellows with an annualized
salary over two-years (one-year contracts).
Services in support of entrepreneurship have expanded aggressively in recent years to meet
growing demand among the city’s entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, organizations have moved to
fill needs and build upon assets without collaborating to avoid duplication, nor effectively
leveraging existing resources and potential partners.
“DTX seeks to fundamentally shift this paradigm to one of strategic partnership –
exponentially augmenting the ecosystem by bundling the collective power of its partners’ core
competencies to address existing gaps,” said Leslie Smith, president and CEO of TechTown.
“We are exceedingly grateful to the MEDC for its support; it is truly exciting to have validation
behind the criticality of this initiative.”
“We’re extremely confident in the DTX, not just because the programs are innovative, but
because each partner is dedicated to true collaboration,” said Ross Sanders, CEO of Bizdom.
“Each of us brings something to the table – a unique set of tools, expertise and connections –
to form the backbone of this partnership.”
“We look forward to working with TechTown and Bizdom to deliver collaborative programs
focused on high-potential, cutting edge technology company creation, talent expansion and
pipeline development,” said Adrian Fortino, vice president of Invest Detroit. “This rare
combination of assets leads me to see nothing but great potential in our partnership.”
In addition to the DTX, TechTown also just announced the details surrounding its new Venture
Accelerator for technology-based startups, launching April 8. The highly competitive program
is designed to show entrepreneurs how to turn an early stage, technology-based startup into a
sustainable, market ready business in just 12 weeks. Those accepted into the program receive a
$10,000 loan, plus access to upwards of $15,000 in additional funding and available services.
The curriculum is based on The Startup Owner’s Manual, a step-by-step business development
guide written by famed serial entrepreneurs Steve Blank and Bob Dorf. Areas of focus include
testing concepts, exploring markets, developing business models, building prototypes,
acquiring resources, finding potential customers and aligning with partners.
Entrepreneurs selected for the full-time program will operate out of TechTown, meeting
regularly for facilitated workshops, mentor meetings, presentations by CEOs working in
technology-based industry segments, and networking with peers. Time spent outside of formal
classes will be spent pursuing customer validation and acceptance. In week 12, the startups will
pitch to potential investors for early stage funding opportunities.
Applications for the Venture Accelerator are accepted twice a year, opening Friday, Feb. 15 for
the April session. Applications for the September session will open in July. Those interested in
learning more about the program, should register to attend an information session at 8 a.m. or
6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at techtowndetroit.eventbrite.com. To learn more, visit
techtowndetroit.org.
TechTown and partners receive $1 million grant from Michigan
Strategic Fund to launch Detroit Technology Exchange
Technology Exchange
Feb. 11, 2013
About TechTown
TechTown works to reignite Detroit’s entrepreneurial culture by fueling business growth, job
creation and the revitalization of Midtown and beyond. Through its partners and programs, the
nonprofit business incubator and accelerator connects small businesses to the customers,
talent, capital and location necessary to build a thriving enterprise in Southeast Michigan. Its
entrepreneurs also gain unique access to research, academic and technology assets through
TechTown’s partnership with Wayne State University. TechTown is a 501(c) (3) non-profit
organization and is in the Woodward Technology Corridor SmartZone. To learn more about
TechTown, visit techtowndetroit.org.
About Bizdom
Bizdom is an entrepreneurship accelerator that helps entrepreneurs launch, fund and grow
innovative, tech-based startups in the urban cores of Detroit and Cleveland. The nonprofit was
founded in 2007 by Dan Gilbert, Founder of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans, and Majority
Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. For more information, visit bizdom.com.
About Invest Detroit
Invest Detroit is a leading source of private sector gap financing that utilizes a variety of
funding tools through managed for-profit and non-profit targeted funds to support economic
development in underserved communities primarily in the City of Detroit. Invest Detroit serves
as an umbrella organization for the loan programs of Invest Detroit Foundation, a 501(c)(3)
and CDFI, the Detroit Investment Fund and Invest Detroit CDE. The efforts of Invest Detroit
are intended to promote job creation, expansion of the tax base and an improved quality of
life for the communities it serves. As a leader in the development and implementation of
collaborative place-based strategies, Invest Detroit is uniquely positioned to effect
transformative economic development through its managed funds and strong community
partnerships. For more information on Invest Detroit, visit investdetroit.com.
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TechTown and partners receive $1 million grant from Michigan
Strategic Fund to launch Detroit Technology Exchange
Technology Exchange
Feb. 11, 2013