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BUILD Bench

Book a session with Camille

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Book a session with Onni

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Book a session with Marlin

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Book a session with Janae

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BUILD Institute’s BUILD Bench is curated for specialized subject matter experts, many of whom are BUILD grads themselves, who can address the needs of BUILD’s alumni, micro-entrepreneurs and aspiring ideators by meeting them where they are in the life of the business. Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Financial Coaches, and more, work to bring personalized, wrap-around support to help micro-entrepreneurs grow and scale. Let us connect you to the experts who can give you the boost you need to face challenges, achieve your goals, and take your business or idea to the next level.

Entrepreneurs-in-Residence

Meet our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence! Our EIRs are here to provide tailored 1:1 personalized assistance and coaching designed to meet the specialized needs of your business.

EIRs are experienced entrepreneurs that have an interest in giving back to BUILD Institute, the start-up community, and to micro-entrepreneurs. EIRs are recognized for making a significant contribution to their industry or working to drive key industry initiatives forward.

Meet Camille

Camille Banks is a transformative executive, international speaker, and a champion for community and technology-driven economic development. With a profound commitment to advancing underserved communities, she brings extensive expertise in strategic planning, coalition building, place-based innovation, and fostering economic opportunities for marginalized populations.

As former Executive Director of LISC Detroit, a national nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Camille spearheaded the investment of over $255 million in Detroit neighborhoods. Her leadership facilitated the creation and preservation of affordable housing, supported small business ecosystems through community development partnerships, and empowered individuals to build wealth. Under her direction, she launched NPower Detroit, a tech-training initiative that has provided over 200 young adults with pathways to meaningful careers in the technology sector.

Camille also played a pivotal role in launching and leading the highest-performing site for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative at Wayne State University. With unprecedented access to capital, more than 500 entrepreneurs across the Midwest were able to scale their businesses while building a robust, interconnected community.

Camille’s impressive career trajectory and thought leadership in entrepreneurship education and business growth strategy have earned her numerous accolades. She has been honored by the Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence, recognized as a MichBusiness Women Thrive honoree, named Partner of the Year by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, and awarded the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s CEO of Excellence Award. She has also received special commendations, such as the Award of Appreciation from the City of Highland Park and the Global Treasure Award from the International School/Cyber Education Center.

In addition to her executive roles, Camille serves on several boards and was recently appointed Commissioner for the Michigan Health Information Technology Commission, further cementing her influence across the region.

Meet Janae

Janae’ Griggs is a Business Growth Strategist who helps creatives develop “out of the box” strategies and solutions to increase their bank accounts and clientele. She has been a serial entrepreneur for the past 10 years and her work is rooted in helping women of color break through barriers of systemic inequity. Janae’ earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree double majoring in Women & Gender Studies, as well as African American Studies in 2012 from Eastern Michigan University. She used her knowledge and experience to start a 501(c)3 nonprofit mentoring organization for at-risk young girls, in the Metro Detroit area, called P.I.N.K. Detroit.

As someone always looking for ways to serve and enhance the lives of others, she looks for opportunities to create social impact, into everything that she does. In 2018, she launched a business consulting agency to help small business entrepreneurs achieve optimal success, by providing them with guidance and resources to help grow their businesses. As an avid learner, she spends her free time taking various courses, attending training workshops, as well as reading books related to new strategies that business owners could implement in their businesses. And she uses this knowledge to help educate small business owners on industry leading best practices and techniques that they could use to improve and scale their respective businesses.

Janae is ready to help problem solve, share resources, and discuss specific industry pain points at no charge. Working 1:1 with an experienced entrepreneur allows you to quickly find the answers and support you are looking for.

Meet Onni

Onni is ready to help problem solve, share resources, and operationalize strategies to help with credit, capital readiness, and Kiva loans, at no charge to you. Working 1:1 with a capital and loan expert allows you to find answers to address your specific needs. It is important that you understand what your funding options are and what funders will look for from you so you can successfully apply for and receive funding when the time is right for you and your business. Onni can help you apply for a Kiva loan, a BUILD loan, or refer you to other funding sources in the area. Will you take the first step? Sign up for a 1:1 with our subject matter expert Onni.

Meet Marlin

Marlin Williams is a consummate entrepreneur, coach, and C-Suite executive with 25+ years of experience at the intersection of economic development, technology, and organizational development.

As an economic development thought leader, Marlin has coached and mentored thousands of entrepreneurs to start, grown, and scale their businesses. As the inaugural Chief Program Office at Tech Town Detroit Marlin created the city’s first inclusion-based tech accelerator focused on founders in the ideation and validation phase of their entrepreneurial journey. The award winning “Start Studio Discovery” Program continues to help hundreds of founders and has also expanded to an MVP Program.

Marlin’s extensive corporate and consulting career has spanned from serving as a COO, CHRO, and Global diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. Marlin has served as a the inaugural DEI Officer for two fortune 500 organizations and a unicorn start-up where she was responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of each initiative. Marlin’s work has been recognized globally and she is also the author of “Hard Reset: Framing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as the New Normal. Marlin also had the honor to serve as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the city of Detroit, successfully coordinating the technology behind Super Bowl XL.

As a two-time tech founder, Marlin utilizes her organization Sisters Code and the Highland Park Hub to empower women to explore the world of coding and offering technical assistance to entrepreneurs. Within it’s 10-year history, Sisters Code has serviced thousands of individuals and organizations in technology, mobility, and entrepreneurship. Most recently launching a food + mobility accelerator to solve for food deserts and food insecurity.

Marlin is currently the Founder of The Early Career Network, a platform for individuals with 0-3 years of work experience interested in starting, growing and thriving in their professional and personal lives. Marlin has also recently been named Interim COO of Build Institute, an entrepreneurial center in Detroit providing small business owners with tools, resources and support.

A sought-after author and speaker Marlin has presented at SXSW, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google, TEDx, Black Enterprise, MSNBC, Techonomy, Tom Joyner Foundation, Yes We Code, Meeting of the Minds, and more.