Posts In "News"


Press Release: BUILD Institute continues growth, leaving DDP to become its own autonomous 501c3


January 9, 2018

DETROIT – Continuing a year of monumental growth, BUILD Institute, an incubator for small Detroit businesses, will separate from the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and becoming an autonomous 501c3 starting January 1. BUILD Institute helps individuals turn business ideas into reality by providing tools, resources and a support network made up of small and aspiring business …more

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Limited Edition Holiday BUILD Box 2017


September 18, 2017

  BUILD Institute is proud to introduce to you a carefully curated box of exciting goodies from Detroit-based small businesses. Shipped directly to your door in time for your holiday gatherings, our BUILD Box features a wonderful selection of products from our graduates. The box makes a perfect gift for friends, family or clients and …more

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BUILD Institute Honored by Bank of America


October 24, 2016

BUILD Institute is honored to be selected as a 2016 Neighborhood Builder from Bank of America. The recognition awards high-performing nonprofits that have made a significant impact in the community working in the bank’s priority funding areas of housing, jobs and hunger relief. The Neighborhood Builder program is a strategic investment that pairs leadership training …more

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Kiva Zip Detroit Update


June 20, 2016

We’re delighted to announce that after four years of exciting growth and inspiring impact in and around Detroit, Kiva Zip is graduating out of beta! This means that our Kiva Zip loans will be moving to the main Kiva.org website. Merging Kiva Zip into the main Kiva website will make it possible for us to …more

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Hundreds Learn About Launching a Social Enterprise in Detroit


May 23, 2016

  “Doing well while doing good.” “Profit with a purpose.” These were the type of phrases bantered about on Wednesday, May 5, at Social Entrepreneur Day, part of Detroit Entrepreneur Week, May 2-7, 2016. The day was presented in partnership with BUILD Institute, which is a strong advocate for social enterprise and small business support. …more

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BUILD in Huffington Post


September 28, 2015

“There is no lack of people within Detroit’s neighborhoods who want to collaborate. April Boyle, Executive Director of BUILD Institute, a network of grass-roots programs that train people to bring their business ideas to life, says more attention and investment needs go to into community entrepreneurship. To date, BUILD has graduated 600 aspiring and experienced …more

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Forward Cities Featured Post from BUILD’s Executive Director April Boyle


August 17, 2015

“When I first heard of Forward Cities and their goals of advancing minority ownership and commercial corridor redevelopment I was over the moon with excitement, as these are the key tenants of our work at BUILD Institute.  I was able to attend the very first convening in New Orleans in December 2014 and was taken …more

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Sidewalk Ventures: Are you ready to start raising community-based investment for your business?


August 11, 2015

“Seeking community-based investment is exciting. With the right team in place, it can be relatively user-friendly and easy to understand, but it still involves asking people to take real financial risk with you. There will be some serious issues to address and information to provide. You’re an entrepreneur, so you’re probably a doer and you like to get …more

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It Takes a Village: A case study of collaborative entrepreneurship in Detroit


July 28, 2015

  On the eastside of Detroit, minutes past the buzz of the city’s freshly developing urban sprawl, sits the quaint neighborhood of West Village. The streets are quieter – the loudest sounds those of saws grinding from renovation sites screeching, “The revitalization is here. It has taken root.” In the last few years, new storefronts …more

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BUILD Institute Welcomes New Alumni Coordinator


July 21, 2015

BUILD Institute, a program of Downtown Detroit Partnership, is proud to announce and welcome Nikki Pardo as alumni coordinator. Pardo will oversee the BUILD Next program, which is exclusively dedicated to BUILD graduates and provides support and resources they need to launch and grow. BUILD Next is a very important component to the success of …more

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