Michigan Chronicle
Ebony JJ Curry
March 3, 2025
Detroit’s young professionals and entrepreneurs are often left navigating a system that wasn’t designed with them in mind. Opportunities exist, but access remains a challenge. Council Member Waters’ new initiative, NextUp 313, is designed to support young and aspiring entrepreneurs in Detroit, shifting that reality, creating a direct pipeline to business, innovation, and economic mobility for the city’s 18-30-year-olds. This isn’t about empty promises or vague workforce initiatives. This is structured access, education, and real-world exposure to Detroit’s growing ecosystem of small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurial resources.
Through a mix of online training, micro-internships, and public conferences, NextUp 313 provides tangible pathways for Detroit’s young talent to gain insights, experience, and mentorship in ways that set them up for long-term success. This initiative ensures participants engage in real-world application, gaining access to decision-making spaces and forming relationships that influence their career and business growth.
Detroit has long recognized the importance of keeping talent within its communities, ensuring that young professionals and entrepreneurs have the support needed to grow and thrive right where they live. Detroit has taken intentional steps to retain and cultivate young talent by investing in initiatives that ensure local entrepreneurs and professionals have access to sustainable opportunities.
Programs like Grow Michigan focus on workforce development, business acceleration, and entrepreneurial success, reinforcing the importance of keeping talent within the city rather than losing it to outside markets. Keeping Detroit’s talent in Detroit means investing in the people who will shape the city’s future—those who understand its culture, its challenges, and its potential. When resources are directed toward local retention and professional growth, the entire city benefits from the innovation and resilience of its own people.
NextUp 313 and Grow Michigan are designed to keep Detroit’s rising talent engaged with the local economy by providing meaningful opportunities that allow them to thrive within their own communities. By creating avenues for business development and career growth, these programs support a future where Detroiters build generational wealth and contribute to the city’s long-term economic stability.
The goal is not just to develop talent but to keep it rooted in Detroit, fostering an ecosystem where young professionals can contribute to the city’s economic vitality while remaining connected to their communities. Investing in young professionals and entrepreneurs is not just about individual success—it is about creating a sustainable economic future where talent is retained, businesses are built from within, and Detroit’s workforce continues to evolve with innovation and expertise.
A core component of this program is its online course, which will reach up to 140 participants across Detroit, with 20 individuals per council district. These courses introduce fundamental design and business concepts that provide a critical foundation for navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. This isn’t theoretical learning—students will engage with content that directly relates to the realities of running a business, scaling a product, and making strategic decisions that impact long-term viability.
Access is a recurring barrier for Black entrepreneurs. Many have the ideas, the drive, and the vision but lack proximity to funding, networks, and mentorship. NextUp 313 is closing those gaps. The program integrates in-person events where participants receive direct feedback from professional mentors and engage in networking opportunities that go beyond surface-level connections. This is about creating relationships that lead to capital, partnerships, and sustained economic impact.
For those with revenue-generating businesses or startups, NextUp 313 provides a platform to elevate their work. Fourteen participants will have the opportunity to pitch their products or services at the program’s June 2025 conference. This opportunity places participants in front of decision-makers, potential investors, and industry leaders who can offer resources to scale their businesses. Representation in these spaces matters, and this platform ensures that Detroit’s young Black entrepreneurs are positioned to be heard and supported.
The experience extends beyond pitching. Seven selected entrepreneurs will spend 3-5 days embedded within high-revenue small businesses or funded tech startups, gaining first-hand experience in environments that many aspiring business owners rarely access. These micro-internships are designed to provide a deep dive into operations, strategy, and execution, giving participants a clearer understanding of what it takes to sustain and grow a successful enterprise.
Career preparedness is not an afterthought in this initiative. The program includes a headshot booth, resume reviews, and pitch competitions—elements that are essential but often overlooked in traditional workforce development programs. This level of intentionality ensures that participants leave not only with knowledge but with the tools and assets necessary to position themselves competitively in their industries.
There’s power in education, but there’s transformation in access. NextUp 313 doesn’t just introduce concepts—it integrates young Detroiters into the spaces where innovation is happening. This program operates with the understanding that the city’s next generation of entrepreneurs and professionals don’t need hand-holding; they need doors opened. They need visibility in rooms where funding decisions happen. They need to see the realities of operating successful ventures so they can map out their own paths with clarity and confidence.
Detroit has always been a city of builders, innovators, and problem solvers. The challenge has never been a lack of talent but rather a lack of access and investment in that talent. Programs like NextUp 313 challenge the status quo by ensuring that Detroit’s young professionals are not left figuring it out on their own. This is about making sure they have the knowledge, experience, and connections to navigate systems that have historically excluded them.
This initiative acknowledges that traditional routes to economic stability have not worked for everyone, particularly for Black Detroiters who have long faced systemic barriers to entrepreneurship and career advancement. The focus is on real solutions—ones that lead to sustainable business growth, career progression, and ultimately, economic mobility within the city’s Black community.
For those looking to get involved, learn more, or take advantage of these resources, inquiries can be directed to mjackson@degc.org. This initiative directly challenges the barriers that have restricted access to opportunities for too many. By investing in Detroit’s young entrepreneurs and professionals, NextUp 313 is not just preparing individuals for success—it’s reinforcing the city’s future as a hub for Black innovation, business, and economic empowerment.