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Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

growdetroit.com

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Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#41

Post by mgkimsal »

klous wrote: post #20
mgkimsal wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what will make more difference is grocery stores and other amenities people need to live in an area. tech campuses that bring people to work, then drive back to the suburbs... not enough to build sustainable changes. everything will be at the whim of the people deciding to place businesses there (for charitable reasons, or other), instead of any locals having any say or needs to fulfill.

There is a "grocery store" myth related to Detroit, and it is just that, a myth. There a numerous markets and stores in Midtown and Downtown that supply fresh food to residents. Edit: I lived downtown for nearly a year and a number of grocery stores opened in the downtown business district while I lived there, with plans for more. According to this article [1] from 5 days ago, there are 80 grocery stores in Detroit.…

80 stores serving 700,000+ people, in an area with poor mass transit, is not that much.

There's ~800k people in Macomb County, and there's > 170 grocery stores.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#42

Post by msdet11 »

fortes wrote: post #40
msdet11 wrote: post #31

I've also thought quite a bit about this the past year. I moved to downtown Detroit after graduating from school, and I absolutely love it down here. Granted it isn't as bustling as the valley or SF, but we are slowly building a community of super talented individuals. Hopefully Techonomy can get a few more people out of the woodwork and interested in the community. I'm personally very interested in who is bootstrapp…

Out of curiosity -- what makes Detroit special (aside from cost)? Why would Detroit be a better choice for Tech than other 2nd tier centers?

Personally I'd say it would depend on the type of software a particular company is making. I think advancements in health tech have a ton of potential here with some of the research going on at the academic centers in the area (Wayne State, Karmanos, Henry Ford Health System, DMC, and outlying areas like UofM and MSU). Enterprise software while not as sexy would also probably be a good fit here as well. If an entrepreneur can make solid connections with the autos and outlying manufacturers and suppliers it can really give you some nice profit and list of clientele that is impressive. Other sorts of software startups may have a tougher time here due to the lack of coverage we get compared to other cities and Valley/SF. While we have DVP, Bizdom, and Compuware ventures it is also tougher to find funding then some areas. There are downsides to the city, but I've grown up in the area since I was born so my connection to it is fairly deep and I really want to see the city flourish as it once did.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#43

Post by manglav »

$500 for a ticket? As a student, I'd love to go, but that's a little much. Does anyone know of any student tickets, or company sponsoring tickets? I'll wear as much company swag as you want, and be there the whole day.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#44

Post by growdetroit »

geogra4 wrote: post #38
BallinBige wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ferndale, Royal Oak, Birmingham (anything on woodward north of Detroit) are great places to live/work

Ferndale and Royal Oak don't really have white collar office jobs. At any rate. The state of Detroit is extremely Depressing. It's the region's major city!

This is just not correct -- plenty of white collar jobs in Royal Oak. There are an abundance of creative/web design shops within downtown Royal Oak area itself.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#45

Post by growdetroit »

RandallBrown wrote: post #37
numo16 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is the dev life over at QL? They keep calling and trying to get me to come in for an interview, but I haven't had the time to really consider it having just gotten in at ciber in Southfield a few months back.

I worked with people at a company in Lansing (TechSmith) that worked at Quicken Loans. They were NOT disappointed with their move.

I've heard both sides of the argument.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#46

Post by growdetroit »

manglav wrote: post #43

$500 for a ticket? As a student, I'd love to go, but that's a little much. Does anyone know of any student tickets, or company sponsoring tickets? I'll wear as much company swag as you want, and be there the whole day.

There are a few opportunities for student outreach from what I've heard. Contact us and we'll see if we can connect you to someone that can help.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#47

Post by kscottz »

manglav wrote: post #43

$500 for a ticket? As a student, I'd love to go, but that's a little much. Does anyone know of any student tickets, or company sponsoring tickets? I'll wear as much company swag as you want, and be there the whole day.

Yeah, that is too rich for my blood. Plus it is during the week. Real startups have work to do during the week.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#48

Post by growdetroit »

msdet11 wrote: post #42
fortes wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity -- what makes Detroit special (aside from cost)? Why would Detroit be a better choice for Tech than other 2nd tier centers?

Personally I'd say it would depend on the type of software a particular company is making. I think advancements in health tech have a ton of potential here with some of the research going on at the academic centers in the area (Wayne State, Karmanos, Henry Ford Health System, DMC, and outlying areas like UofM and MSU). Enterprise software while not as sexy would also probably be a good fit here as well. If an entrepr…

Totally agree with your perspective on enterprise software, and inroads to the auto/suppliers/etc being a tremendous opportunity.

I initially thought the same about lack of funding, but it is not true. There are numerous funds as well as angel investors across the state of Michigan that are poorly connected, and historically as a region we've done a poor job of highlighting accomplishments of up-and-comers. We're trying to improve this dynamic.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#49

Post by manglav »

growdetroit wrote: post #46
manglav wrote: post #43

$500 for a ticket? As a student, I'd love to go, but that's a little much. Does anyone know of any student tickets, or company sponsoring tickets? I'll wear as much company swag as you want, and be there the whole day.

There are a few opportunities for student outreach from what I've heard. Contact us and we'll see if we can connect you to someone that can help.

Couldn't find an email on growdetroit.com, so I facebook messaged you. Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it.

Re: Can Technology Redefine Detroit?

#50

Post by msdet11 »

growdetroit wrote: post #48
msdet11 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I'd say it would depend on the type of software a particular company is making. I think advancements in health tech have a ton of potential here with some of the research going on at the academic centers in the area (Wayne State, Karmanos, Henry Ford Health System, DMC, and outlying areas like UofM and MSU). Enterprise software while not as sexy would also probably be a good fit here as well. If an entrepr…

Totally agree with your perspective on enterprise software, and inroads to the auto/suppliers/etc being a tremendous opportunity. I initially thought the same about lack of funding, but it is not true. There are numerous funds as well as angel investors across the state of Michigan that are poorly connected, and historically as a region we've done a poor job of highlighting accomplishments of up-and-comers. We're try…

Interesting. If that dynamic improved I believe that'd be a huge asset to the region. What are your thoughts on health tech in the area? One of my projects is pretty focused on improving the lives of researchers, and I've found this area has quite a few institutions looking to become more cutting edge.
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