Young entrepreneurs gravitate to places where they can become the founders of a revitalized culture; where land is cheap and available and innovation is uninhibited by a status quo. Detroit, Michigan has become one of those places. The media gives us a portrayal of a wasteland, a post apocalyptic landscape of dilapidated homes and infrastructure. But there is plenty opportunity for start-ups to redefine Detroit's future. That it why young innovators and risk-takers are needed to bring new energy and awaken new markets within the city. A recent article by Chuck Salter for Fast Company identifies six entrepreneurs who have started businesses in Detroit. They vary from grassroots campaigns to inform people of opportunities within the city to small scale enterprises that bring retail and infrastructure to the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods.
More after the break.
Detroit is one of the oldest cities in the Midwest with roots that stretch as far back as 1701. It developed into a commercial and industrial hub in the 19th century due, in part, to its proximity to the Great Lakes and a river system that connected it to many regions in the Midwest, along with a man-made canal that connected its resources to the Hudson River and the eastern coast of the United States. It thrived during the Gilded Age and well into the 20th century when it grew in prosperity thanks to the automobile industry, for which it is most known today. Detroit has grown in infamy since then as the demise of industry and rise in racial tensions reduced its population to the 700,000 people living there today, less than half of what it was at its peak. A fleeting population exacerbates a city's economic vitality, depleting it of taxpayer money that can contribute to its recuperation. This is part of what Detroit struggles with today.
