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Our Impact

BUILD Institute in Action

Length: 1:52

2023 Impact Report

See 2023 Impact Report

Overview

  • 125 classes taught. 1700+ graduates. 83% women + 63% people of color.
  • 1700 jobs generated since 2012.
  • $56 million generated every year through labor income.
  • $218+ loaned out to detroit borrowers through KIVA Detroit in 2018.
  • 25% annual growth in enrollment.
  • 560+ Operational businesses in Detroit. For each $1 BUILD invests in an entrepreneur, $23.65 is added to the economy through wages.

Demographics

  • 1% under age 24
  • 37% ages 25-34
  • 29% ages 35-44
  • 26% ages 45-54
  • 73% Low income
  • 27% Other income

To the BUILD Institute Community,

On behalf of the BUILD Institute Board of Directors, we want to share that the Board has made the decision to pause operations at the end of 2025.

We recognize that we are living in a time of great uncertainty for small business support organizations across Michigan. This moment offers us an opportunity to reassess how BUILD delivers on its mission, retool our programming, and evaluate new partnership opportunities and our overall business model to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.

In the coming months, we will continue all scheduled programming through December to ensure that all commitments to entrepreneurs and partners are honored. During this time, we will also explore new ways to align our work with the evolving needs of our community, including our network of over 3,000 alums.

Please join us in showing appreciation for the team members and facilitators who have served Detroit’s entrepreneurs and supported BUILD’s mission since our founding in 2012.

If you have any questions about this decision or what it means in the near term, please email us at [email protected].

Thank you for your continued support and for being part of BUILD’s legacy of inclusive entrepreneurship.

With gratitude,
The BUILD Institute Board of Directors