Michigan Chronicle
Nov. 18, 2025
Ebony JJ Curry
Detroit’s small business ecosystem was on full display at One Campus Martius during the closing ceremony of Detroit Elevate, the new growth-stage business program led by TechTown Detroit and the Gilbert Family Foundation. Forty-four Metro Detroit entrepreneurs completed the inaugural cohort, which ran from August through November and focused on scaling businesses that are already generating revenue but lack access to tailored growth support.
The program operated with assistance from Black Leaders Detroit and QT Business Solutions. Over four months, participating founders received one-on-one coaching, strategic planning support, technical assistance, and new customer visibility. According to program data, Detroit Elevate delivered $326,000 worth of technical assistance, plus $15,000 in committed tax preparation support, alongside more than 460 hours of virtual coaching and strategy calls.
The closing ceremony was structured as both a showcase and an investment announcement. Entrepreneurs presented their products and services to judges, supporters, and press. Attendees moved booth to booth, learning how each business is contributing to Detroit’s economic landscape. The evening ended with the announcement of grant recipients selected for business growth, presentation, and community impact.
Grant Winners:
- $50,000 – Spectacle Society
- $30,000 – Pages Bookshop
- $20,000 – What’s the Dill
- $10,000 – 1% Better
Three additional businesses received People’s Choice recognition based on event voting:
- Best Booth: For the Love of Cheesecake
- Best Pitch: MG Studio
- Most Likely to Be My New Favorite: The Pose Experience
For many founders, these awards represent critical non-loan capital — the kind rarely accessible to small businesses owned by Black and Brown Detroiters. Many of the companies represented in the cohort operate storefronts, employ local residents, or serve neighborhood-based customers who often fall outside traditional investment pipelines.
“Detroit Elevate’s first cohort demonstrated what’s possible when growth-stage businesses receive the right tools, technical assistance, and community support,” said Christianne Malone, Assistant Vice President for Economic Development at Wayne State University and Chief Program Officer at TechTown. She noted that enthusiasm from cohort members on social media signals how much unmet demand exists for this kind of support.
Detroit Elevate was designed as a pilot. Its structure centered on practical growth tools—business systems, market strategy, financial readiness—not pitch competitions or theoretical curriculum. Rather than asking entrepreneurs to start from scratch, the program focused on accelerating what they have already built.
The ceremony doubled as a networking platform. Business owners exchanged contacts with interested retailers, buyers, and investors. Several founders used the showcase to secure new customers in real time.
For Detroit’s small business landscape, the outcome of the first cohort offers a clear takeaway: technical assistance and early-stage funding remain determining factors in who scales and who stalls. If Detroit Elevate continues, the program will likely become an entry point for the businesses most often overlooked— the ones rooted in neighborhoods, hiring Detroiters, and circulating revenue inside the city’s economy.
No speeches claimed this event would solve the capital gap, but the awards made one thing clear, when resources move directly to Detroit founders, measurable growth follows.