TechTown Detroit

We were thrilled to host 10 interns this year! 🌟 TechTown works exclusively with Wayne State University to prepare Warriors to graduate career-ready through our 15-week paid internship program. 🎓 Our interns gained hands-on experience with our teams, connected with ecosystem partners and built professional networks — all while supporting Detroit’s tech founders, entrepreneurs and innovators. 🤝 Aligned with Wayne State’s College to Career initiative, our internship program empowers Warriors with real-world skills and meaningful opportunities to drive community impact. ✅ Support the next generation of change-makers and Detroit’s entrepreneurial community. Make your gift today at techtowndet.org/48x5v1a.

We’re proud to say that in in 2024 alone, we served 901 people on their entrepreneurial journey! 🙌 As Wayne State University's hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, TechTown is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs launch, scale and grow their businesses. 📈 Through accessible programs and workshops, resources and funding opportunities, we’re building a meaningful and equitable economy for all Detroiters to thrive. 🤝 💙 Join us in uplifting Detroit’s entrepreneurial community — make a gift today at techtowndet.org/48x5v1a

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season! ❄️🤗 We hope each of you takes this time to enjoy moments with your community as you reflect on 2024 and get ready for 2025. TechTown will be closed from Dec. 18 to Jan. 1, 2025, for the holidays. During this time, the TechTown team will be taking a well-deserved break to recharge and spend time with loved ones. While operations are paused, all members and tenants can still access the building. We can’t wait to see you in the new year! 🤩

It was an emotional and joyous occasion at today's official ribbon cutting for The Damage Zone! ✨ Owner Zienethe Holifield was joined by family members and loved ones, as well as representatives from the City of Detroit and Motor City Match. Holifield, who has more than 20 years of experience in the mental health, corrections, and child welfare system, wants her rage room and axe-throwing center to be a safe space for children and adults alike to release stress and regulate their emotions. ❤️ During the ribbon cutting, Christina Devlin, retail strategist at TechTown, shared a few words about Holifield's experience in our Retail Boot Camp program and coaching Holifield as she worked towards opening her brick-and-mortar. 🙌 And Holifield was presented with the Spirit of Detroit Award by Council Member Angela Whitfield Calloway. 📍 Visit The Damage Zone at 15785 James Couzens Fwy, Detroit, MI 48235!

Big news for Detroit’s innovation ecosystem! 🚀 We’re thrilled to partner with Bedrock Detroit on their plans to create a Technology, Entrepreneurship and Life Sciences District in the heart of downtown Detroit. Wayne State University and TechTown’s involvement will include developing a robust and complementary suite of programs to attract, incubate, retain and scale Detroit startups based at the Life Science Innovation Building. This collaboration is poised to create a vibrant ecosystem that supports innovation, drives economic growth, and positions Detroit as a leading player in the knowledge and life sciences sectors.

📣 Save the date for Monday, Feb. 17, 2025! In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, TechTown Detroit is hosting its annual Black History Month Conference, the Black Business Reunion, to honor the legacy and future of Black-owned businesses. 🙌 This event will spotlight Black entrepreneurs across generations who have played a pivotal role in shaping Detroit’s growth and success. It’s an opportunity to connect, learn and celebrate the impact of Black-owned businesses in our community. 🌟 👀 Stay tuned for more information and registration details in early 2025! techtowndet.org/41uu2Cx

It was announced last week that The Detroit News will be moving its newsroom to office space at 6001 Cass Ave. We look forward to welcoming them to the neighborhood, as part of Wayne State University's Industry Innovation District! 👏

Detroit made its presence known at AFROTECH 2024! 🤩 TechTown was happy to join Venture 313 and Invest Detroit at this year's conference and have members of our team and alumni of our Tech-based Programs in attendance. During this year's AfroTech, Caleb Conley, growth capital and Venture 313 program manager, highlighted the $10 million investment made to Detroit's innovation ecosystem and how this investment aims to build businesses and create an infrastructure for Black and brown entrepreneurs to thrive. 🙌

In a recent op-ed for Crain's Detroit Business, TechTown Detroit was mentioned as a key player in supporting entrepreneurs. 🙌 Author Doug Graham reflects on his family's own experiences during The Great Migration to Detroit and how that period can provide lessons for rebuilding Detroit's middle class in the present day. He also shares ways Detroit's entrepreneurial ecosystem can be supported. 🤝 "The entrepreneurial spirit that built this city hasn’t disappeared; it simply needs to be reignited," Graham writes. "Small business incubators and accelerators, such as TechTown Detroit and Invest Detroit, are already helping local entrepreneurs start new businesses."

For 20 years, TechTown Detroit has been at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship, breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty and building a stronger, more equitable Detroit. 🙌 As we close this milestone anniversary, your donation to TechTown will directly support the entrepreneurs, small businesses and innovators driving Detroit’s future. Together, we can create opportunities and a lasting impact. 💚 ➡️ Give today: techtowndet.org/48x5v1a