When Tracy Garley Owner and Founder of Zarkpa’s Purses & Accessories was a child she always thought of America as the land of opportunity. Originally from Liberia, Garley came to the states at eleven years old. “My Grandaunt was sick with cancer and we came to visit her in December of 2000. She passed away […]

Exiting college an English major and with a certificate of entrepreneurship, I was not exactly an “ideal” candidate for a finance or consulting gig, nor did I want that. I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself (a startup) and learn how to make ideas happen. I quickly learned that there is an […]

We’ve all had the experience of sitting through a business meeting in a stuffy, sterile room in some nondescript facility, subsisting on vending machine coffee and hoping that the meeting might end early. Dave Seitz and Traci Riehl have had that experience too. That’s why they imagined, designed and built an entirely new event space […]

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes a fabulous restaurant in Muskegon, MI. At least, that’s the way the story goes for Jamie and Jeremy Paquin. However, they met far from Michigan—in Austin, Texas. Jeremy was originally from Michigan but moved to Texas as a child and was working there as a chef. Jamie […]

Today Techstars Mobility, the new accelerator program in Detroit, announced their class of ten startups looking to disrupt the world of mobility. Each company aims to use technology to solve problems moving people, goods, and services. The Techstars Mobility program is backed by some big supporters including Magna, Ford, Verizon and several new corporate partners. […]

Detroit was built on the powerhouse of the auto industry. But when it comes to technology and innovation, we’re often compared to Silicon Valley where Uber, Tesla and other new startups are disrupting traditional business models. From Silicon Valley’s perspective, ride-sharing is one of the largest economic opportunities right now in front of us. With Uber […]

Cindy Pasky first entered the world of technology learning how to code. She realized quickly that technology was the future of the economy, starting Strategic Staffing Solutions in 1990 to help staff the growing need of technology jobs. A very successful company active in Downtown Detroit, Pasky shared with us a few insights from this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference. Her company  sponsored […]

What’s the state of Michigan’s startup community? How can we learn from other cities and foster entrepreneurship? Across the state we have exciting activity, whether it’s funding ideas in Grand Rapids, or growing a tech ecosystem in Ann Arbor. We still haven’t grown to a size that many can see the energy happening just yet. […]

As a freelance writer and digital entrepreneur, there’s one thing that I’ve had to learn the hard way: you can’t do it all on your own. As a writer, I need great editors to lean on with questions and feedback. As a digital entrepreneur, I need others to provide support in areas I don’t excel […]

[Update: Special Ends Monday, Aug 19th at 11:00 am] Entrepreneurs can always benefit from a little learning and mentorship. In Michigan and in Canada, many entrepreneurs turn to incubators to get assistance with business planning, marketing, assistance, and even financing. But what about the part-time entrepreneur? The college grad with loans or the mother of […]

Michigan’s history of innovation and technical skills is far from young, but there is a community working throughout the state to propel a new generation of Michigan entrepreneurs. It’s in our blood. It’s all around us. It’s time to apply the hard-working blue collar ethic that defines our great state and take it to a […]