TechCrunch just hosted a small virtual meetup with Detroit startups and venture capitals. Like the one we held last month in Miami, the event was a blast and featured a talk with two local VCs on what startups work in Detroit and how to raise money from local investors.
All about Detroit
- A quick peek inside Fontinalis, one of Detroit’s best-known young venture firms
- Origin story: How StockX became the stock market of hype
- Bloomscape’s Justin Mast explains how he built a thriving garden startup in Detroit
- Hardware is still hard in the Motor City
- Building tech for worker safety, Guardhat Technologies is a company that could only come from Detroit
In case you missed it, the video of this talk is below. Jonathon Triest from Ludlow Ventures and Patti Glaza from Invest Detroit Ventures spoke extensively on the wide-ranging types of startups that call Detroit home. They point to Bloomscape (houseplants) to StockX (sneakers) to the numerous medical and security startups in Detroit, nearby Ann Arbor, and the surrounding metro area. Both firms invest in early stage startups, but do so in radically different ways.
The 20-minute conversation covers the types of founders who can find success in Detroit and other Midwestern areas.
This event was part of TechCrunch’s growing series of City Spotlights, where we focus on a growing startup ecosystem and highlight what makes the area attractive for startups. We’re going to Pittsburgh next and hope you can join us.
