Detroit-based nonprofit Bizdom today announced it will switch gears from helping launch startup companies to serving as an investment platform for connecting entrepreneurs to resources within Rock Ventures’ portfolio of companies.
“As our family of companies continues to grow, we want to ensure that small businesses and startups, which are the backbone of these two communities, have access to capital, our team members, and company resources,” says Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rock Ventures (an umbrella entity that provides operational coordination and guidance to Gilbert’s companies) and Quicken Loans.
Gilbert says Bizdom will expand program access to brick-and-mortar businesses in Detroit and Cleveland’s neighborhoods. He says Bizdom will work with individually with interested businesses to identify capital opportunities and connections.
Gilbert says Bizdom will offer capital investments with tools ranging from seed to growth to equity, along with classes and events focused on entrepreneurship to technology startups.
The nonprofit launched in 2007 as a way to help launch and grow tech-based startups in the downtown urban cores of Detroit and Cleveland. Gilbert says Bizdom has supported nearly 80 companies in both cities.