INNOVATE® Detroit

In Detroit, two motion design studios were making waves in the animation world: Gunner, known for its bold illustration and character animation, and Hobbes, a leader in product-driven animation. The companies earned reputations for creativity and emotional intelligence, collaborating with high-profile clients for years. However, everything changed when Duolingo—the world’s...

Hexagon Creative, a visionary in digital product development, extends its prowess to offer exceptional web design and branding services. Recognizing the pivotal role of an impactful online presence in today’s digital landscape, Hexagon Creative brings innovation, creativity, and a commitment to excellence to the realms of web design and branding....

When you think of Detroit and the public relations industry, it may not be obvious at first how much they have in common. But anyone working in the PR industry in the city will tell you both have weathered significant changes over the past several decades. Founded in 1964 in...

“When we work together, miracles happen.” Fr. Tim McCabe, SJ, says those words often. Fr. Tim, as he is known, is president and CEO of the Pope Francis Center (PFC), a Detroit nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. PFC started humbly in 1990 when Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church...

Menace Media was born in the heart of Detroit, a city built on resilience, creativity, and cultural revolution. More than just a media company, Menace Media is a movement—a platform designed to uplift, empower, and unite creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. What started as a passion project among friends has grown...

DIMO is redefining the automotive experience for drivers and developers across the broad world of mobility and auto. As an open source project and ecosystem, DIMO — Digital Infrastructure for Moving Objects — brings user empowerment to the legacy auto sector. Its mission is clear: to transform the industry with...

Welcome to Menlo Innovations, a custom software design & development firm whose mission, since its founding in 2001, is to end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology.® Menlo’s primary goal has always been to return joy to technology, for the business sponsors who pay for it...

A city synonymous with automotive innovation, Plug and Play’s Detroit operation is making waves with its groundbreaking approach to mobility. As a global leader in fostering innovation, Plug and Play has established itself as a critical player in the tech ecosystem. However, in Detroit, the organization is doing more than...

The Birth of a Marketplace Revolution. In 2016, in downtown Detroit, a disruptive idea took shape—one that would forever change the way people buy and sell limited-edition sneakers, streetwear, and collectibles. StockX, the brainchild of Greg Schwartz, Josh Luber, Dan Gilbert, and Chris Kaufman, was built on a simple yet...

Throughout history, the advancement of human civilization has been intrinsically linked to the development of transportation infrastructure. Each era has brought forth revolutionary changes that reshaped our world, our economies, and our way of life. From the expansion of railroads in the 19th century to the rise of automobiles and...

Metalbuilt understands the importance of leveraging generations of manufacturing wisdom to shape the future of mobility in our world. When walking through their Metro Detroit facility, one will see a synchronized dance of large metal stamping presses cycling up and down, sparks flying behind welding curtains, and high-tech lasers cutting...

Everyone has heard about Apple, or Meta, or Uber. But what about StockX, or Autobooks, or KLA? When the economy crashed in 2008, it was standard for Michiganders to graduate from school here and find work in another state. Many flocked to tech jobs on the coasts. But in the...

Throughout its almost 35-year history, two things have defined HRPro/BenePro – exceptional client service and innovation. Among its earlier innovations: While it is difficult to imagine a market without any of these, HRPro/BenePro helped create new categories when they first dived into them. More recently, they have been focused on...

Established in 2004 through a visionary initiative that included the University of Michigan and other community leaders, Ann Arbor SPARK was created to transform Ann Arbor into a national hub for innovation, business, and talent. Today, it is a catalyst for innovation and economic growth. Ann Arbor SPARK helps drive...

Bamboo began in 2013 out of a community movement. It was the first co-working space in Downtown Detroit. The organization’s model has since evolved to develop and operate hubs that serve as centers for entrepreneurship and creativity. When it started, Bamboo borrowed a $5,000 friends-and-family loan and activated a space...

Many people think having a “financial plan” means having a budget, a retirement savings account, and maybe a small cash reserve. But, those basic financials are only scratching the surface and exclude some key details like estate documents, saving strategies, or debt elimination plans. With that popular—and lacking—mindset, it’s perhaps...

InvestNext is on a mission to transform how investment firms raise and manage real estate investment capital. Founded in 2016 by Michael Gisi, Kevin Heras, and Matthew Attou, this Detroit startup was conceived to revolutionize how the industry operates. What they’ve created democratizes real estate investing and empowers investors to...

East Chadsey-Condon is a multi-cultural community that faces a unique set of challenges – high instances of crime among youth, a large percentage of residents without insurance, limited access to transportation, and low homeownership rates, among others. And yet hope remains as residents report having pride in their community, a...

Sniffer Robotics has quickly become an industry leader in the environmental technology sector. The company develops unique solutions and provides crucial emissions monitoring services to the waste, biogas, and renewable natural gas industries. Their mission is clear: to detect and mitigate methane emissions to help protect our environment. Surface emissions...

Newlab is a global network of purpose-built innovation hubs that accelerates climate and deep tech time-to-market. Newlab provides startups with physical infrastructure, direct investment opportunities, and pilot partnerships to drive meaningful commercialization outcomes and economic development in energy, materials, and mobility. Newlab established its Detroit home in 2023 to enable...

With over a century of innovation in automobiles, a groundbreaking music scene, amazing architecture and one-of-a-kind fashion labels, DETROIT has long been a place where technical possibility meets great design. Few creative communities truly match the diversity and depth of Detroit’s design roots: a fact well reflected by its designation...

Prince Concepts isn’t simply in the business of real estate—it’s in the business of transformation. Led by visionary developer Philip Kafka, this firm is rewriting the rules of urban development, turning overlooked spaces into thriving, purpose-driven communities. With a philosophy that values space as a living, breathing entity rather than...

In the heart of Detroit’s revitalization, an organization is buzzing with purpose – Bees in the D. Founded in 2016 by Brian Peterson-Roest, a lifelong educator and conservationist, this nonprofit has grown into a movement dedicated to protecting pollinators, restoring native habitats, and educating communities on the critical role these...

Based in Detroit, Michigan, and founded in 2023, clean tech startup Electric Outdoors is on a path to transform off-grid camping and sustainability in the outdoors. Its mission is driven by what the company has identified as a huge gap in the current outdoor recreation market: Connected glamping in remote...