Detroit is getting $410,000 in state-backed funding to support local founders and recent graduates through two new programs—but the investment lands in a city where Black talent has long built without backing. With startup growth on the rise and population recovery still fragile, the spotlight is now on how these resources will be deployed, who they will reach, and whether the people who never left will finally be at the center of Michigan’s long-term strategy.
This month, the City of Detroit and Michigan Women Forward were awarded a combined $410,000 through Michigan’s Make MI Home initiative—an investment aimed at retaining and attracting talent in a state grappling with declining population and uneven access to opportunity. At the center of this effort is a commitment to local innovation, job creation, and small business growth. But in a majority-Black city with a long history of exclusion from mainstream development, the stakes run deeper.
The City of Detroit received $210,000 to launch the Detroit Tech Fellowship, a program designed to support recent graduates from Michigan universities in building and scaling their startups. The focus: sectors like AI, biotech, clean energy, mobility, and smart manufacturing. Fellows will receive coworking space, housing support, and access to a cohort of peers and local entrepreneurs.
Justin Onwenu, Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity for the City of Detroit, made clear the initiative’s intent to confront inequities in access to capital and innovation infrastructure—barriers that Black founders have called out for years.
“We are laser focused on making sure the tech talent we recruit as part of the Detroit Tech Fellowship program recognizes the richness of our city,” Onwenu said. “Due to barriers that often exist in accessing capital, many Black Detroiters may wonder whether the support, interest, or resources exist to fuel their development and growth here at home. We want to make sure they know we’re building a tech ecosystem that will uplift their work and ensure they thrive no matter the sector they choose.”
But this is not just about the newcomers. Retention is just as urgent.
“The Detroit Tech Fellowship program is not just about attracting talent but also retaining the amazing talent we already have in Detroit that we could risk losing if we don’t provide support and resources to help fuel their development and growth,” he said. “Beyond attracting and retaining talent, this effort will be about creating jobs for Detroiters. Small businesses and startups create jobs, and we must make sure Detroiters reap the direct benefits of this job creation through securing better work, higher wages, and wealth generation.”
Meanwhile, Michigan Women Forward, a Detroit-based nonprofit, was awarded $200,000 for its Founder Forward program. This initiative supports founders already operating in Michigan, as well as “boomerang” talent—people with Michigan roots looking to return home. Selected participants will receive housing and relocation assistance, coworking space, mentorship, and access to business networks designed to accelerate growth for women and minority-led businesses.
This dual focus—on both rooted residents and returners—raises deeper questions Detroiters have been asking for years: Who does growth prioritize? How is equity being defined? And are legacy residents truly centered, not just included?
Michigan’s Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe has emphasized that Detroit is not just a participant in this effort—it’s central to the state’s broader growth strategy.
“The state’s growth is inextricably linked to the continued growth and prosperity of the city of Detroit,” Doe said. “For that reason, it’s fitting that of the approximately $1.4M the Growth Office has invested in our flagship program, Make MI Home, $660,000 of that total has gone to Detroit-based initiatives designed to directly benefit Detroiters.”
Make MI Home is a first-in-the-nation program designed to support local strategies for population growth. Rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, cities and regions are empowered to shape programs that reflect their own communities’ needs and identities.
“Following their guidance, the program is designed to center local voices and allow cities, regions, or local organizations to design talent retention and attraction strategies they’d like to launch that are unique to their community’s goals,” Doe said.
For Detroit, that goal has always been clear: build prosperity that reflects the people who have always carried the city. According to Doe, public feedback emphasized the need to invest in entrepreneurs, small business owners, and job creators who could anchor Detroit’s economic recovery from within.
“Those have included a strong emphasis on the importance of retaining entrepreneurs and small business owners to build wealth, create jobs that will retain and attract talent, and ultimately grow their companies here–a strategy for both population and economic growth.”
This new round of grants follows previous Detroit-based awards through Make MI Home, including $250,000 to support Wayne State University and TechTown Detroit’s Live, Innovate, Play program, which provides housing support, mentorship, coworking space, and innovation challenges that focus on issues impacting Detroiters.
According to Doe, the Growth Office’s broader commitment to equity extends across its policy portfolio, including “Pre-K for 4-year olds across the state, to workforce in the classroom and free community college access, to historic housing investments.” Each of those initiatives, she noted, were born from public engagement and community feedback.
Another issue identified through that engagement was the lack of meaningful exposure for young people—many of whom leave the state never fully realizing what opportunities already exist here. To address this, the Growth Office launched field trips across cities including Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Flint, connecting students with innovation ecosystems and job opportunities. “Last year, the Growth Office took more than 230 students on similar field trips,” Doe said. “More than 90% of participants said they were more likely to accept a job offer in Michigan. The next one takes place on July 25 in Detroit, where we expect more than 130 young people to attend.”
Local partnerships have also become a cornerstone of this strategy. One of the most visible collaborations is with Black Tech Saturdays, a Detroit-grown movement that’s become instrumental in both retaining and attracting Black tech talent. In partnership with the Growth Office, Black Tech Saturdays hosted events in Florida and Texas—two states with high in-and-out migration from Michigan. Those efforts led more than 80 out-of-state attendees to travel to Detroit for Black Tech Saturdays events the following month.
“It’s critical to the entrepreneurs building in Detroit and across the state that we continue to attract the talent, investment, and visibility to our innovation ecosystem that is necessary for scale,” Doe said.
Beyond outreach, the Growth Office has also launched a statewide Welcome Program that includes access to Michigan parks, free pre-K, community college, and discounts with local businesses. This applies to both new residents and recent graduates, offering incentives to stay, live, and grow within the state.
Still, Detroiters know better than most that investments often come with conditions. Growth has to be measured not only by who arrives, but by who remains. A tech fellowship or housing stipend alone won’t solve displacement, income inequality, or systemic gaps in access to capital.
That’s why the underlying message from leaders like Doe is being watched closely: “Detroiters are the reason for Detroit’s recent growth. The hard work from thousands of people over many years, the fast-growing start-up ecosystem, the local talent that has helped attract new clean energy investment and manufacturing, the ‘buzz’ about the city—all of that is because Detroiters are who they are.”
She added, “All strategies for growth should be rooted in ensuring those same Detroiters get connected to opportunity and prosperity and see their brightest future right here in the state. That work will also serve as a beacon to folks across the country who want to be part of the incredible community that exists here in the city.”
It’s a bold assertion—but one that must be proven through continued transparency, results, and re-investment. As Doe said, “Ensuring every Detroiter is connected to opportunity, shared prosperity, and can build their brightest future right here in Michigan is our goal for growth.”
Detroit has momentum. Growth in Michigan’s young adult population is outpacing 45 other states. Sixty-six percent of Michigan counties saw population increases. The Make MI Home program has created 10 locally designed programs to reflect that momentum.
But Detroiters know momentum isn’t the same as justice. Justice means results for the people who stayed.
That’s the measure this moment will be held to—not just the size of the check, but whether it reaches the hands of those who have been holding the city up all along.
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