Another part of the entrepreneurial infrastructure is going up in Detroit, Motor City Innovation Exchange.
The new entity will capitalize on a partnership between Ford, TechShop,
AutoHarvest Foundation and TechTown to create another pipeline of start-ups in the region. The bottom line is to connect people with ideas for new technologies and products with the tools they need to commercialize them.
"This will really accelerate the deal flow," says Leslie Smith, president & CEO of
TechTown. "It should really fill up our pipeline of start-ups."
The Motor City Innovation Exchange will build a marketplace for licensing technological innovation from local start-ups across and beyond the auto industry and aspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs will be able to utilize the group in the partnership, like Ford's intellectual property and Detroit-based nonprofit AutoHarvest Foundation. Ford Land is now offering the Jump Start program to provide more affordable work/hacker space along with support to help spur job-creating businesses
"As we pilot through this program we can focus our efforts on our innovation pipeline," Smith says.
Source: Leslie Smith, president & CEO of TechTown
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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