The first two businesses have graduated from the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC for short) in Detroit's New Venture program.
The New Venture aims to help aspiring and early stage entrepreneurs establish their business through a 10-week, which teaches the basics about opening a business, how to make sure the venture is viable and consulting with the entrepreneurs after they are up and running. "We do it through training and business counseling," says Wendy Thomas, associate regional director for
MI-SBTDC.
The first two graduates include Elias Khalil and Ramonte Forte. Khalil is looking to open an authentic Spanish Tapas Wine Bar in the Cass Corridor. Forte is prepping to launch The Security Wallet, an east side-based start-up aimed at helping limit identity theft.
New Venture got its start from the
FastTrac program that was funded by the Kauffman Foundation. The MI-SBTDC plans to launch this program at locations throughout Michigan. "Detroit is really where it started to bubble out," Thomas says.
Those interested in applying for New Venture, which is based in
TechTown, should click
here.
Source: Wendy Thomas, associate regional director for MI-SBTDC
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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