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Detroit Startup List

growdetroit.com

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Re: Detroit Startup List

#2

Post by rick888 »

This list is misleading.

over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor.

They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#3

Post by jonbischke »

Cool that someone is doing this. I was in Detroit a month ago and during my time there I met with many of the founders of these companies. I was impressed with the energy and the strong belief in turning Detroit around. I summarized my time there in this article which was published in TechCrunch:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/23/motor-city-mojo-the-startup...

Re: Detroit Startup List

#4

Post by Newmind »

rick888 wrote: post #2

This list is misleading. over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor. They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

There are a number of cities in the valley that all consider themselves the same community. I think this is the same sort of concept. The list appears to be based on where the companies were founded not where they currently have presence.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#5

Post by hugh3 »

rick888 wrote: post #2

This list is misleading. over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor. They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

Makes sense! I admit I've never actually been to Detroit, but from what I've heard nobody should be pushing for Detroit to be anything other than a nice clean crater.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#6

Post by rmason »

These are baby steps for Detroit but they're important ones. I know it doesn't fit the template you see in the press with the pictures of wrecked buildings, but what you don't see covered in the press is the tremendous amount of talent in the city and surrounding area. It's hard to understand from the outside but these people want to be there.

I know a few of the startups on that list and they're run by people that just as easily could succeed anywhere. I do hope that Alex Southern's work acts as a counterpoint to peoples view of the other Detroit.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#7

Post by chaselee »

rick888 wrote: post #2

This list is misleading. over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor. They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

As one of the founders from the Ann Arbor area, I can say this list is more of a Southeast Michigan list, an area for which Detroit is often synonymous. Due to their relative proximity, there hasn't been a reason yet to push one city to be a center over the other, it's more so about the region as a whole, which is very well linked together.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#8

Post by rmason »

rick888 wrote: post #2

This list is misleading. over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor. They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

Historically Southeast Michigan has included Ann Arbor in the region.

A few of the companies on that list may have an office in Silicon Valley but they were founded and still maintain offices or headquarters in SE Michigan.

Re: Detroit Startup List

#9

Post by jerf »

Newmind wrote: post #4
rick888 wrote: post #2

This list is misleading. over half are from the Ann Arbor area and a few are in California (and other states) with a few remote offices in Ann Arbor. They really should be pushing for Ann Arbor to be a tech center, not Detroit.

There are a number of cities in the valley that all consider themselves the same community. I think this is the same sort of concept. The list appears to be based on where the companies were founded not where they currently have presence.

I live in Brighton, 15 minutes north of Ann Arbor, where I work. No, we do not consider ourselves to be "just part of the same community". Detroit's "over there". Detroit does extend out past Detroit proper and there are municipalities where one might just say for convenience "I live in Detroit" to those from out-of-town even though the mailing address isn't Detroit, but there's a lot of not-Detroit less than an hour away. And as Detroit tanks, there's a lot more not-Detroit to be found.

While Detroit has been trying to resurrect itself, to take just one for-instance, Ann Arbor has just gotten on with life, and slowly but surely the rest of the region is following. Even if Detroit becomes alive again it will be a while before it culturally dominates the area again, if it ever does.

In terms of the sorts of things that might be of interest to Hacker News, there's not much point to resurrecting Detroit and to be honest I don't understand the HN obsession with Detroit. Just drive an hour west. What people don't seem to get is that it really is Detroit that is dead/dying; the Greater Metropolitan Not-Really-Detroit-Anymore area is getting on with it. I will not say thriving, because that isn't true, but only Detroit and the aforementioned absorbed municipalities are dying.

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