By Kate Rockwood
“From The Schvitz to The Shinola Hotel, Detroit, Inc.’s No. 45 Surge City is experiencing a post-bankruptcy entrepreneurial boom. Come for the nascent Ikea competitors–and stay for the emerging Tesla rivals.
Startup Neighborhoods
Midtown is “one of the most welcoming areas to the startup community,” says Ted Serbinski, managing director of Techstars Detroit. At its heart sits Green Garage, a 1920s auto showroom-turned-co-working space that houses 50 businesses, including FoodLab Detroit and solar design firm Strawberry Solar.
When Gwen Jimmere was ready to graduate beauty brand Naturalicious from her basement, she went to Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood. “It’s where a lot of entrepreneurs congregate,” she says, noting local incubator Ponyride and the glut of great restaurants. “Brooklyn Street Local is a tiny spot with lots of vegan options, perfect for a let-it-all-hang-out meeting with founder friends.”
Dubbed Madison Block, the city’s tech corridor takes its name from the Madison Building that anchors it. You can hardly grab lunch without tripping over one of the hundreds of tech workers or coding boot-campers from Grand Circus.”