Venture for America and Blackstone LaunchPad, two groups working to bring more young entrepreneurs to Detroit, will continue their efforts with two events, one this week and one later this fall.
Venture for America, the entrepreneurial version of Teach for America, is holding a kick-off ceremony today at TechTown. The New York City-based non-profit will use the event to recruit local start-ups to pair with its new college graduates. Venture for America plans to find 25 start-ups from Detroit, many of which will come from portfolio companies at Detroit Venture Partners and firms at
TechTown.
"We're on the hunt for about a dozen companies at TechTown," says Andrew Yang, founder & president of Venture for America. "We're hoping to attract two times that amount at the event."
Venture for America is launching next summer from Detroit and Providence, Rhode Island. It plans to pair dozens of new college graduates with entrepreneurial ambitions with local start-ups. The idea is to provide top talent to local firms and a fast-track to entrepreneurship for college graduates.
Blackstone LaunchPad, Wayne State University's student entrepreneur program, is already working to do that in Midtown. The non-profit will host its Get Launched! Event on Nov. 15 to showcase the student-led start-ups its spinning out of the university. It will also reveal the winner of
Hatch Detroit's $50,000 contest for the next great Detroit-based retail business idea. The prize is $50,000 cash and a suite of donated professional services. For information, call Aubrey Agee at 313-577-1533.
Source: Andrew Yang, founder & president of Venture for America
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at
SEMichiganStartup.com.
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